The Odyssey of Mama Riziki and a choir far from home.

Mama Riziki Lubula sings with the Kuomba Pamoja Choir at Wesley Heights Methodist Church in Kansas City, Missouri.

Wesley Heights Methodist Church in Northeast Kansas City, Missouri is the home of Kuomba Ministries and the Kuomba Pamoja Choir. The ministry and choir are the creation of Mama Riziki Lubula — a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

On Saturday mornings adults and children from the Congo, Malawi and Burundi gather here to sing, dance and worship in their native Swahili. While she was in the Congo, Riziki’s father — a Methodist minister — was killed for giving sanctuary to Burundian refugees. She and her family fled their homes to safety lest they risk being targeted as well.

While living in a refugee camp in Zambia Mama Riziki and her friend Solomon Kosongo built a church for other Congolese refugees. Then, Riziki’s family was re-settled in the United States and she and Solomon were separated.

The two had not seen each other in years when one day Riziki went to welcome new refugee families to Kansas City and saw her friend and co-pastor, Solomon. He had been resettled to Kansas City as well. The two formed a new church for their fiends and fellow refugees.

Within a couple minutes of walking in on a Saturday morning in January a little girl, maybe 4 years old walked up and threw her arms around me. She pointed me towards Solomon who encouraged me to stay for their service and enjoy lunch afterwards.

Solomon Kosongo performs with the Kuomba Pamoja Choir.