Soweto Gospel Choir

Yewie brought me to listen to the Soweto Gospel Choir perform at the Esplanade last night. It was beautiful. They danced and sang South African songs in Zulu, old Christian hymns, rousing gospel songs and beautiful Christmas carols. Their rendition of "Silent Night" was fantastic. I also liked the soul in their song "Hosanna, Hosanna". It sent a shiver down my spine. It was very inspiring. I must post the words:

Let the weak say, "I am strong." Let the poor say, "I am rich." Let the blind say, "I can see." It's what the Lord has done in me.

Hosanna, hosanna to the Lamb that was slain. Hosanna, hosanna, Jesus Christ died and rose again.

I love it that it says "what the Lord has done IN me" rather than "what the Lord has done FOR me." It really is a miracle, the marvelous work he has done in me...

Anyway, the South Africans have a terrific sense of rhythm. They performed all their pieces a capella, accompanied occasionally on the lila drums, which they played masterfully. They did this agile little dance where they touched their heads and then kicked their legs high. It was a colourful and rhythmic visual feast.

Halfway though the concert, I had two thoughts. First, I thought about the irony of an African choir singing songs about a Christian God to white people. When white people went to Africa, they often went as conquerors and crusaders. The pioneers in America wrote in their journals about how they wanted to "save" the uncivilised and lost indigenous people they met. In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, black people were seen as savages and cannibals, the entire continent being a "god-forsaken wilderness".

Of course this "conquering" and superior point of view has been roundly criticised. African scholars and writers have striven for an African point of view, for example, Chinua Achebe in his novel Things Fall Apart. Achebe says that he would be "quite satisfied if [his] novels did no more than teach [his] readers that their past — with all its imperfections — was not one long night of savagery from which the first Europeans, acting on God’s behalf, delivered them.” In other words, Heart of Darkness right now is so not politically-correct. Yet, in spite of the unpopularity and unpleasantness of the Euro-centric point of view, here is a Christian African choir adopting the songs of faith as their own and encouraging the people who brought the faith to them, in spite of a certain academic regret? How ironic, and how amazing!

It was interesting also how the Soweto Gospel Choir would dance around for Zulu songs but stand still for European hymns, as if the culture dictates the style... but that's not the second thing I thought. The second thing I thought was that maybe I wouldn't mind being a very fat woman. I don't really know how to explain why except to say that fat women to me have heft. There were women of all shapes and sizes in the choir and frankly, I really liked the fat ones better. Maybe it was because the stage was too big? Who knows. My favourite was the fat one in pink.

So those were my two thoughts. They're singing again tonight at the Esplanade.