These remarks were made by Apôtre Dr. Paul Gitwaza, the founder and global leader of Zion Celebration Center Church, who is currently in Burundi for an evangelistic ministry
Speaking about celebrities and the spiritual world, Apôtre Dr. Paul Gitwaza urged people to be careful about idolizing and following celebrities without knowing where they derive their power.
He said: “So, you should be very careful about idolizing people without knowing where they get their power. You see, in this spiritual world, these major celebrities out there, including singers, filmmakers and actors, those people, most of them, except those who are saved, cannot be in that world, live in it and operate in it without having made agreements with the underworld.”
He went on to speak about sacrifices that, according to him, some people make in order to rise to prominence.
He said: “They offer sacrifices in order to rise. But the greatest sacrifice they give, which makes them successful, is the time of their lives.”
Gitwaza further claimed that some of them agree to shorten their lifespan in exchange for success, saying: “They agree to cut their years of life in half. None of them reaches eighty years. They die while they are still young, when they have just started becoming successful. Those who live longer reach forty. You find them dying at thirty, thirty-five.”
The remarks come as Apôtre Dr. Paul Gitwaza is in Burundi, where he is taking part in evangelistic activities connected to the 25th anniversary of Zion Temple Burundi.
The visit coincides with the “Haguruka Ugende” evangelistic conference scheduled to take place in Bujumbura from August 20 to 23, 2026.
The conference is aimed at encouraging Christians to have faith, overcome fear, take action and pursue their calling.
Zion Temple Burundi is part of the church network founded by Dr. Paul Gitwaza. The ministry began on July 11, 1999, when about 120 people started gathering, and has since expanded to different parts of the world.
The 25th anniversary celebrations therefore provide an opportunity for members to reflect on the ministry’s journey, give thanks for its growth and look ahead to its future.
Apôtre Dr. Paul Gitwaza said that unsaved celebrities draw power from the underworld and offer their lifespans as sacrifices
