Emmanuel Ngalos, a musician, was on stage between songs at a peace concert organized to foster reconciliation between Muslims and Christians in the PK5 neighborhood of Bangui, Central African Republic, when two individuals on a motorcycle threw a grenade into the crowd.

The grenade hit the stage where he was standing, bounced off into the crowd below and exploded.
Ngalos was seriously injured and underwent surgery, but he thanks God for being alive. Four people were killed in the concert violence and three Muslim motorcycle taxi drivers were killed in reprisal violence.

The Central African Republic has seen outbursts of inter-religious violence and ethnic cleansing since war broke out in 2013. In recent months, a level of stability has returned to the capital, but Sunday’s attack and reprisal killings stoked fears that the country could once again descend into violence.

Emmanuel, who joined the concert to promote reconciliation, says he won’t resort to hatred.

“I won’t change my opinion about peace,” he said from his hospital bed.

-Kristen McTighe