Goodwell Nzou is not one to let adversity stand in the way of success.
Report by [email protected] The 23-year-old Nazareth College Delaware, United States student, who grew up in Zimbabwe, lost much of his right leg when he was 11 years old — an amputation resulting from a poisonous snake-bite not properly treated.
An aunt told Nzou that as a disabled person he wouldn’t amount to much, but Nzou — inspired by a father who prodded him to be the best — was determined to prove her wrong.
And he has done so in a big way.
Nzou has shown a steely determination that has taken him from his African village to Nazareth, where he is now a pre-medical student with an A average.
“He is a student with a purpose,” said Steve Tajc, an assistant professor of chemistry at Nazareth.
Nzou has also developed his considerable musical talents, learning the marimba and drums and becoming part of a talented musical group of students with disabilities who were the subject of the 2010 Academy Award-winning documentary, Music by Prudence.
All along, Nzou has created opportunities and overcome obstacles, even seeing some good coming out of his encounter with the venomous snake.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“If it wasn’t for the snake-bite, I would not be here. I think I went a bit crazy because of the snake-bite. It made me see my other side, which is strong,” said Nzou. “It helped me see what I could do — and all my potential.”
Nzou did not want to return to his village because he feared he would become an outcast. He eventually ended up at the King George VI Memorial School in Bulawayo.
He and seven other students at the school formed a musical group, Liyana, which won awards and captured the public’s imagination with their Afro-fusion music, blending African rhythms with other forms of music.
Finishing first in the Crossroads Africa inter-regional musical festival in Mozambique led to a European tour and widespread acclaim. “Liyana has defied their physical challenges and turned them into triumph,” reported the Zimbabwe Independent.
Nzou still has time for music Nzou made his connection with Nazareth with the help of one of the producers of the award-winning film, Elinor Burkett, who knew about the college because she had given a speech there.
She first met Nzou in 2006 when she was on a Fulbright scholarship teaching in Bulawayo, where Nzou was a student at the King George School.
Watching the Liyana group perform left Burkett with a lasting memory — and one that she would help turn into a documentary film. “The harmonies were fantastic. They sounded like eight organs playing together,” recalled Burkett.
Burkett, who lives in the upstate community of Hobart, Delaware County, NY, US, eventually teamed up with filmmaker Roger Ross Williams to make the award-winning short documentary about the group. During Liyana’s 2009 tour of the US, Burkett realised how much education meant to Nzou. While others in the group were sight-seeing, Nzou was studying his chemistry textbook.
Nzou started his education at Nazareth in the fall of 2011. The notebooks that Nzou brought with him — from his self-taught days — were full of organic chemistry problems, correctly solved. Nzou was moved into an organic chemistry class.
Nzou, who wants to become a heart surgeon, is now doing research for professor Steve Tajc on a project using an existing drug to detect the presence of the HIV virus at an early stage. Nzou is also a member of the Nazareth College Percussion Ensemble — playing the drums and marimba. —[email protected] Kristen Shiner McGuire, an assistant professor in professional practice who directs the ensemble, tells of the talent and enthusiasm Nzou has brought to the ensemble.
“He was going outside his comfort and learning new skills,” said Shiner McGuire, noting the self-taught Nzou didn’t read read music until he came to Nazareth.
There’s also a bit of a cultural exchange that is going on at the ensemble. Not only does Nzou play the contemporary music of the ensemble but he’s also teaching the group some of the music of his homeland.
“He’s very strict. He insists that we practice,” said Shiner McGuire. Nzou considers a practice session with the ensemble a perfect way to end the day.
“A mix of chemistry and music is the greatest combination. With all the stress of the day, you need something to relax,” Nzou said.
