Soweto Gospel Choir honored their mission to spread love, unity and hope to audiences all around the world by using their music to shed light on the experiences under and fighting against the apartheid regime in South Africa while also giving the audience a sense of hope.
“[I have taken away] some of the historical part of how it fits into the roots of African culture,” Tom Lawrence, University of Georgia engineering professor who came to watch the show, said. “I’ve actually been to Johannesburg myself before so it was neat to see that.”
The South African choir is touring to showcase their latest album, “Hope,” released Sept. 23. The tour is to reach over 50 cities all over North America, and the group will also make a tour of Europe this year. The album was the choir’s first release in four years and combines South African struggle songs about fighting apartheid and popular American civil rights songs, such as “Respect” by Otis Redding.
The performance was split up into two parts, divided by an intermission for a costume change. The first half of the show was sung in five of South Africa’s eleven official languages, Sotho, Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi and Tswana, while the second half of the show was performed in English.
Choir master Shimmy Jiyane assured the audience that while they may not be able to understand what they are singing, they will certainly be able to feel it. Members from the audience were invited to interact with certain songs, getting on their feet and dancing along.
When Jiyane came out to conclude the show, the audience willed the choir for an encore, when they performed another song, a multilingual rendition of the popular ballad “Hallelujah.”
“What we want the audience to take away from the show is a message of hope, love, peace and happiness,” Jiyane said. “We want to say to them, ‘Hope is there… Change has been a long time coming, but it is coming.’”
Founded in 2002, Soweto Gospel Choir is celebrating its 20-year anniversary this month. The choir hails from Soweto, a township outside of Johannesburg in South Africa. Soweto is both the center for the South African democratic movement and home to former South African president Nelson Mandela, who was a staunch supporter of the Soweto Gospel Choir.
“I think it’s important to showcase groups from around the world so that we can understand other cultures and develop greater empathy for other people,” said Jeffrey Martin, director of the UGA Performing Arts Center. “One way we do that is through these performances that we can experience here.”
Dedicated to their mission to support the less fortunate, Soweto Gospel Choir’s charity feeds and clothes communities, pays for the funerals of those whose families are unable to and assists children who are orphaned by AIDS.
According to a press release, this year alone the choir has fed over 3,000 children, financed three funerals, paid for the schooling of two young men and donated funds to the people of Nkosi’s Haven, a nonprofit that offers support to mothers and children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS.
The critically acclaimed and three-time Grammy-winning choir had two No. 1 Billboard singles on the World Music Chart, has made appearances on popular shows such as “Good Morning America” and “The Today Show” and collaborated with many artists, including John Legend and Beyoncé, according to a press release. Soweto Gospel Choir has even performed for former U.S. President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela.
