I saw Samputu’s and Meme’s performance this weekend at Meme’s church in Bedford NH. I have to say I was impressed. The service started with the usual modern suburban church “praise songs” which I’m admittedly not very fond of, preferring the old “New England Church Hymnal” from the 1700-1800s since its the kind of church music I sang growing up. Nothing can beat or take the place of: _"How Great Thou Art,"_ and, _"It Is Well With My Soul,"_ in my opinion. Well, almost nothing.
It appears “it is well” with Jean Paul’s soul too, and his praise for God through his music and joyous delivery, and his personal testimony truly reflects that fact. Samputu’s survival of the Rwandan Holocaust wich killed 1,000,000 people in his country during 90 days beginning in April 1994 (including his mother, father, three brothers, and sister) and his subsequent slow decent into alcohol, drugs, witchcraft, and physical deterioration to being near death ended in 2002, in a remarkable and unlikely transformation into the man and performer he is today. The reviewer was motivated to wonder: “How did this happen?”
According to Jean Paul Samputu, the answer to this question is simply: “The power of God, and the Name of Jesus.” The murder of his family had left him with an intense hatred. The musical talent he once used to express that hatred in his country during the years following the genocide until 2002, has sinced been changed to praise for God today and his own peace and joy combined with a driving desire to help others.
Samputu’s use of alcohol and drugs and desire for power following the genocide had once led him to seek the help of witch-doctors, whose dark practices had led to his own spiritual and perhaps demonic oppression. Nearing the end of his life due to deteriorating health in 2002, the witch-doctors couldn’t offer any meaningful hope. In desperation a friend took Samputu to a Christian missionary.
According to his own account of the story, every time the name “Jesus Christ” was used by the missionary,Jean Paul had some sort of physical reaction-- vomit, unconsciousness, convulsion, but he apparently emerged from the experience as a “man-made-whole,” though he himself didn’t understand exactly how or why this occurred at that time. He desperately wanted to know who this “Jesus Christ” was, and why just his name was apparently so powerful. He has since discovered sufficient answers in his walk, faith, and in seeing so many demonstrations of the power of the person of Jesus who he now claims to know well. His testimony is hard to argue with. His joy and faith appears complete, and it is contagious.
The changes and the events of the last four years following his conversion have transformed Jean Paul from a broken man into a talented and successful international performer and unassuming evangelist. Jean Paul’s music communicates powerfully in a mysterious way, as it is sung in as many as 6 different languages, including English.
Musical styles, from Rock & Roll, Blues, Gospel, and many forms of Native African folk music share common influences of heavy percussion, syncopation, dynamic harmonies and vocals, each musical style creating its own unique emotive power and language. In the 1960s the Rolling Stones reputedly studied African rhythms to help develop their own style, and Ray Charles was once criticized for adapting Gospel style to his own renditions of the Blues in the secular music of the 1950s. In Jean Paul Samputu’s style and performance, the apparent power of African music is returned to its roots, and blended with a love for God and man which is compelling. It is also sobering considering the tragedies and spiritual miracles behind the music, which the performer himself represents.
Jean Paul now has a personal mission to help the children of Africa orphaned by AIDS, poverty, and violence, so his alliance with Meme’s own campaign for World Vision is a natural and perhaps serendipitous coincidence. Each performance usually results in numerous World Vision sponsorships of needy children abroad. When asked for comment, both just shrug and say, “it’s God.” They have come to believe in an economy of motion when it comes to how God seems to direct his purposes, which they both are happy just to be a part of.
As you know, I don’t give recommendations easily. I don’t usually get excited about this stuff. In this case however, I highly recommend that you schedule a performance in the near future.
You won’t be disappointed.
- Randy
