A gifted singer and songwriter, David serves as the Musical Director at St Matthew’s Anglican Church in Manly. He also blesses the broader community through the music ministry of the AFROfest band and various other altruistic projects.

David made the difficult transition from Burundi, East Africa to Sydney ten years ago. Coming from a large Christian family and church community, he faced the daunting prospect of starting a new life alone in a foreign country. From this lonely beginning, David has seen God’s intimate care over the details of his life through the loving support of Christian people.

“You come to realise that we all worship God, and we connect through the cross.” – David Nduwimana

A vibrant heritage

The people of the small nation of Burundi have suffered political instability, civil war, poverty, food insecurity and human rights abuses over many years. Despite the immense challenges of his homeland, David describes his early life in Burundi as being immersed in a vibrant Christian culture where worship and church were part of his daily life.

“In Africa, it doesn’t matter if I know you, I don’t know you, we just come together. In Burundi church, we could go for hours every Sunday. We sing, we share testimonies, we read the Bible,” David tells Eternity.

Life in Australia was very different. David had to adjust to a new language, a new culture, and a new church experience. Worship was a universal language that allowed David to connect with other believers and the broader community through music.

“You come to realise that we all worship God, and we connect through the cross,” he says.

Through his ministry at St Matthews and the AFROfest band, David brings the vibrancy of African-style worship to the church and the community.

Always say “yes” to God

David attributes his outlook on serving God and people to his upbringing in a ministry family in Burundi. David’s parents taught him to love Jesus and serve others without expecting anything in return. These values continue to influence his approach to life and ministry.

He remembers, “My dad used to tell us, guys, there’s nothing we can give you more than Jesus. Love Jesus wherever you go. Serve him. Love people.”

Looking back on his extraordinary journey, it would seem that David’s willingness to serve God and say “yes” has opened incredible doors of relationships and opportunities.

“I can always say ‘yes’ because I remember what my dad taught me. I can see today that he was right and I’m so grateful for him and for the Burundi culture, which has helped shape my mindset.”

“Through music you came to engage with more people. People love music, they love what you bring to the table culturally and it becomes the key to reach out to people.”

A cultural exchange

David sees music and worship as a bridge across cultural and language boundaries. He has seen music bring together people from diverse backgrounds and cultures to worship the Lord.

“Through music you came to engage with more people. People love music, they love so what you bring to the table culturally and it becomes the key to reach out to people.”

David’s African heritage has shaped his expression and the joyful songs of praise and worship that he composes and leads. “It’s great to see how the young people and the church have been shaped by something different that I can bring, which is my way of worship. We exchange, I learn from their culture and they learn from my culture.”

Whether he sings in English or in his native Kirundi language, people open up and connect with God.

The storms of life

Through the ups and downs of life, David has always found refuge in God. He recounts a few years ago, receiving notice that he had 30 days to leave Australia. When he received that email at work, he closed his office door and turned to God in prayer for strength and guidance. The peace of God immediately washed over him. Though he faced uncertainty and immense pressure, he knew God was with him.

Through this experience, he learned to first run to God before turning to others, whether in good times or bad. “If it’s good news, amazing news, He is the first person I have to talk to,” says David, “to express my happiness of gratefulness. If it’s bad times, I always run to Him first, ‘God, I can’t do this, please be with me and help me.’ Then after that, you ran to other people and share with them,” he says.

“Jesus is alive. In every situation. Sometimes we feel discouraged or lost but we always remember to run to Jesus. He’s the answer. He has the final say in every situation.”

David looks back on those difficult days with deep gratitude to God, to the believers who stood with him in prayer and to those who worked behind the scenes to support him. The church has been a gift from God to him, providing spiritual and practical help when he needed it most.

After so much adversity, the future now looks overwhelmingly positive. David’s reflection on it all is that, “Jesus is alive. In every situation. Sometimes we feel discouraged or lost, but we always remember to run to Jesus. He’s the answer. He has the final say in every situation.”

Giving back

Having received so much, David continues to give back to others. In recent months his AFROfest group, with the support of Bible Society Australia, have begun serving in a local prison, encouraging inmates through joyful worship music and words of hope. David believes this ministry will continue to grow with outreach opportunities in more prisons. Next month, the group will also lead worship at Katoomba Easter Convention.

He has launched an organisation called WeCare, which supports people going hard times by providing food and helping them reclaim independence and support themselves. He has also worked with Anglican Youthworks to translate ministry resources into the Kirundi language to send back to Burundi.

On a more personal note, David will finally get to travel back to Burundi later this year. For the first time in 10 years, he will be reunited with his family. While in Africa, David will be leading four open-air ‘Nights of Worship’ in Burundi and Rwanda. They are expecting thousands of people to come together for a powerful time of worship and faith declaration.

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?

Psalm 8:4-5