She heard the call of God and now she carries His message of peace in her voice. Ritah Langat is a gospel singer from Kenya and this is her story.

 

Ritah first started performing from a young age when she got involved in her school’s chorus every Sunday. She did that as a pastime, of course, not knowing that it was going to become her life’s work. Rita wrote more than fifty songs! She also recorded two albums. She says 2011 was a turning point in her life:

 

“I did not know that I will one day record my own composed songs until 2011 when I heard the call from God to give hope to people through my talent”

 

That statement left me speechless! Never in my life have I met a person as strong in their faith as Ritah. I was told many times throughout my life that God had a plan for each of us but it was not until a few days ago that I finally got to know someone who would prove those words to me. Keeping this in mind, I continued with my questions. I asked Ritah what peace meant to her and we have quite a similar view on it. As said by her:

 

“Peace means to me the absence of violence and people living together, loving and respecting each other’s rights despite their skin colour, tribe, religion and ideological differences”

 

Furthermore, I wanted to find out more about the environment in which Ritah does her work so I asked her about Kenya. As stated by Ritah, Kenya has 47 counties and more than 47 different ethnic groups or tribes. Such a diverse population makes the gospel singer’s work even more important. She believes that it’s important to empower young people because they are more vulnerable to the feeling of hopelessness and according to Ritah, hopelessness can cause a lot of destruction in a society by making the youth turn to drugs or other bad habits for hope.

 

The Bible is her main source of inspiration for her songs, along with her own life experiences and wisdom from the people she meets.

 

Finally, I asked Ritah for a personal story about her higher calling and this is what she said:

 

“People have their own voice but in my life I refused to listen to these voices. I listened only to the voice of God because He knows what you’ll become before you’re brought into the world. He has a good plan for you and he builds the pillars of your life in his palm. That’s the voice of God to me and it has changed my life”

 

In conclusion, I enjoyed interviewing Ritah and I really hope I’ll meet more people like her in the future. She’s a loving and caring person who does her best to inspire the people around her. She surely has inspired me. And since her main instrument to promote peace is her voice, let’s hear her singing! This song is not only a sign of her faith but also invites everyone to dance and celebrate life! Regardless of your religion, have you already smiled today? A simple smile can do amazing things!

 

By Rareș Hărșan (University of Westminster / UK)

 

 

 

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