Tanzania honors composer of popular Catholic hymns
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In Ifakara, Tanzania, 83-year-old Pascal Florian Mwarabu is celebrated as the composer of well-known Catholic hymns including “Niongoze Vema Maria” and “Sisi wana wa dunia.”
Mwarabu began composing for the Catholic Church 45 years ago, after studying in his hometown of Ifakara and completing standard twelve at Mzumbe Secondary School in 1962. He then joined the Police Force, working in communications and transferring to various regions including Mwanza, Mbeya, and Dodoma.
Mwarabu received further training in Canada at Algonquin College in Ottawa from 1973 to 1975. Upon returning to Tanzania, he served in the security detail at State House in Dar es Salaam under Presidents Julius Nyerere and Ali Hassan Mwinyi for nearly two decades. Illness forced his retirement in 1993, and he returned to Ifakara. Mwarabu fondly remembers his marriage to Christina in 1975, and collaborating with fellow musicians like Peter Mavunde, father of current Minister Anthony Mavunde.
He expressed gratitude to those who supported his work in evangelization, including choir master Mwalimu Goliama, and hopes they remember their shared past. His hymns continue to be sung in churches across Tanzania.
