Drumming and dancing and singing, Oh, My! The African Children’s Choir recently visited Eastland on March 8 - 10, presenting a concert at the First Baptist Church on Wednesday, March 8, and a cultural education workshop for Siebert Elementary students the following afternoon.
The African Children’s Choir began its Just As I Am Hymns Tour in the United States on January 10, after being unable to travel for three years due to the pandemic. Choir 51 is composed of nineteen Ugandan boys and girls, aged 10 - 12 years old, who are students in the Music for Life Program, an international organization that provides education, discipleship, and leadership skills to some of Africa’s most vulnerable children. They travel by bus with eight adults from Africa, Canada, Ireland, and the US. Children audition for the choir and then train for six months before touring January through May of this year. Over the years, the African Children’s Choir has toured in Australia, Japan, and Europe, performing with artists like Michael W. Smith, Josh Groban, and the Gaithers. Previous choirs have even sung for Queen Elizabeth and Nelson Mandela.
On Wednesday night, March 8, at First Baptist Church of Eastland, the African Children’s Choir performed a selection of hymns and praise songs with African instruments and arrangements. A video experience transported the audience to the children’s homeland of Uganda, showing how a young African girl helped her friends in need. The choir shared their talents through traditional African drumming, dancing, and music in a 75 minute concert of nonstop energy.
