African Children’s Choir share message of hope
African Children's Choir performing at Tupton Hall School on NOvember 25
Hearts melted and eyes moistened as the young ambassadors for Africa’s vulnerable children brought joy to this small corner of the world.
With their impressive singing, dancing and percussion skills, colourful clothes and beaming smiles, the African Children’s Choir shone like a rainbow at the end of a wet weekend.
Tupton Hall School’s hall was full to capacity last night (Sunday, November 25) to hear the choir which had sung on Gary Barlow’s song for Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee “This is for our Queen,” said one of the little girls in the choir as she introduced a delightful performance of Sing.
And sing they did, for over an hour - beautiful Ugandan children, aged eight to ten years, spreading their message of hope, trying to make a better life for their poverty-stricken and orphaned contemporaries back home in Africa.
Through concert like this, the choir - which brings in new performers every year and relies solely on voluntary donations - has helped to educate 52,000 children since it started in1984.
We heard the aspirations of all the children, like Timothy who hoped to be the vice-president of Uganda, Joshua who wanted to be a cardiologist, Angel who aspired to be a nurse and Alice whose goal was to be a music teacher.
And we heard testaments from former choir members whose dreams had become reality. Robbie, the eldest of seven children, told us how his mum had to sell vegetables to feed them and how the nearest point for water was 20 minutes from their home. He had been a member of the 11th African Children’s Choir and had now gained a degree in business administration.
What came over loud and clear was just how much the current choir members enjoy what they do. Their energy and enthusiasm was infectious as they shared the songs, music and dances of their native country and more familiar songs such as Amazing Grace and Joy to the World.
Their singing was lifting, their dancing was mesmerising and their percussion on drums, shields and tin cans never missed a beat.
Little bells tinkling on the ankles of some of the performers added to the Christmas feel of Do You See What I See which was one of the highlights of their concert.
Performances such as this underline the true meaning of faith, hope and charity.
GAY BOLTON
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Saturday 18 May 2013
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