Devastated by Tragedy, Searching for Peace

Gaston Nsazumukiza lost his family, his youth, his country. He found Taekwondo

GOYANG, Korea (Apr. 23, 2022)

If suffering forges the soul, Gaston Nsazumukiza is a man of steel. Aged 10, he lost his family, his home and his country –everything but the will to live. Aged 19, he discovered a path to hope and dignity: Taekwondo.

A decade after starting the sport, he was mobbed by admirers at the World Poomsae Championships in Goyang. Later this year, he expects to fight in the World Championships in Kyorugi. Nsazumukiza’s story is that of an orphan, alone in the world, enduring misfortune after misfortune. It is the untold story of millions of refugees - the tragedies lost behind the headlines of global conflict reports.

A Child’s Odyssey

He was a boy of 10 years old when his life was devastated. It was 2003. Nsazumukiza was the only child of his parents, cattle herders in the Democratic Republic of Congo - a nation racked by civil war. Still, his life, growing up, was that of a normal, rural child –though he often helped his parents ere scattered across the vastness of the continent. Nzasumukiza took to dusty roads, walking for two months. He did manual work in Rwanda, then moved on to Uganda. There, he worked as a water carrier in return for food.

Still seeking family members, he proceeded to Kenya, a country with a vast refugee population. Nzasumukiza found a new home in a new camp. But his quest for surviving family members, came up empty. “I did not find anyone,” he said It was 2012. In Africa, a continent of 1.2 billion people, he was utterly alone.

But in the camp, a fellow refugee from Ethiopia was teaching something that caught his eye. It was a sport that is almost perfect for those with nothing for it requires no special space, no special equipment, just the human body: Taekwondo.

The Power of Sport

He started training. His lean physique and stoic mentality – both forged in the hardships he had experienced - suited the sport. He found a talent.

Subsequently, in 2018, he found a top level coach in Nairobi: George Wasonga Oyoo. After just one year under Oyoo’s tutelage, he started competing in African opens. He won his first medal, a bronze in Rwanda, in 2019 - then another in Botswana. Things were finally looking up. Then fate intervened.

“The pandemic came to Kenya, and was taken back to the camp,” he said. “There, was doing Taekwondo, but had no training partners.”

His hopes of joining the Refugee Olympic Team for Tokyo were dashed. “I had expected to get to the 2020 Olympics in Japan,” he said. “I felt bad.”

Only in 2021 was he able to return to training under Oyoo. That year, he entered his first continental-level event: The African Championships in Dakar, Senegal. He won his first bout, but lost his second.

Despite the lack of a medal, Oyoo was pleased with his student’s performance. “We thought he did a good job,” he said.

A Better Tomorrow

Nsazumukiza is now 30 – old for a full-contact sport where players tend to peak in their early-mid 20s. He also has tight hamstrings from his running training, and his earlier experiences of long, long walks.

“His cardio is very good, but not so much his flexibility and agility,” said Oyoo. “He is a very strong fighter – powerful - but we need to give him skills, we need to expose him to competition so he develops consistency.”

On the converse, his many misfortunes have gifted him with some powerful attributes. “He is highly disciplined,” Oyoo said. “And he is a strong character – fearless!” And he is – at last – getting some support, courtesy of the Kenyan sporting community and the IOC.

The Kenyan government is working with the Tegla Loroupe Foundation - set up by Tegla Loroupe, a former marathon world record holder -to help. The government paid for his air tickets; Nsazumukiza also holds an IOC scholarship.

He is clearly well liked by his colleagues on Team Kenya, with whom he trains every day. Though he is by nature a Kyorugi athlete, he has always been drawn to Poomsae.

“We bought him into Poomsae, as we want him to be engaged as much as possible,” Oyoo explained. “Poomsae teaches basic skills, and those will help him advance his Kyorugi.”

Hence, Nzasumukiza’s presence at the Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships. The only refugee athlete to perform in a special showcase, he earned the loudest applause of the championship.

He was “surprised” by the reception, he admitted.

“As a refugee you lose many privileges, but still do Taekwondo,” added Oyoo. “That touched the hearts of so many people.”

Toward Peace

There is no question that his fate has shaped Nsazumukiza’s character and outlook.

Despite his athleticism, he has a gentle demeanor and a very soft voice – several times, this interviewer had to ask him to repeat himself. His smile carries within it a hint of sadness that makes him look older than his 30 years.

“In life, you have to accept anything,” he said. “The question is whether you can take care of yourself.”

Now, he at last has some security and a goal. He has has also reached the point where he is not just thinking about sports.

Nearly two decades after the calamity that devastated his life, the chance of finding any surviving family members looks slim. Instead, has a new hope: To be offered a home.

“Maybe, if I can get citizenship, will be happy,” he said. “I am tired. To be a refugee from 2003 to 2022 – now it is 19 years.”

He pauses, then speaks more softly than ever.

“Sometimes, just ask myself why I can’t be like other people,” he mused. “But meeting different people through sports gives me peace in my mind.”