” God has wrought many things our of oppression. He has endowed his creatures with the capacity to create, and from this capacity has flowed the sweet songs of sorrow and joy that have allowed man to cope with his environment and many different situations.”- Martin Luther King Jr. -1964 Berlin Jazz Festival.
Something magical happened Saturday night at Penn Live Arts, when the Soweto Gospel Choir, joyful ambassadors for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, took the stage to share with us freedom songs, African gospel, and a few classic tunes. Formed in 2003 after South Africa’s apartheid era and it’s return to democracy, this group has traveled the world and and received 3 Grammy awards.
As we were told, they’d be singing in 12 different languages and although we might not understand the words, we would get the feelings. And that was true. There was heart in every note. And inspiration. I felt the mood of every song. I experienced spontaneous hand clapping and foot stomping for one song— tears for another. The audience applause lasted much longer than usual when the vocalists blew our minds with other-w0rldly passion and virtuoso skill.
We needed this.
There was so much that wasn’t said, but was present. South Africa— a place that lost and then found its democracy, reminds us there is hope. The above quote from Marin Luther King Jr.from the program notes is one I had never heard , but it is not surprising that he said it. Music was a huge part of the civil rights movement in this country as it was in the South African movement. And it can be now, as we are fighting to retain our freedoms.
The two dozen grand voices in a combination of African prints and neon colors, dazzled us with voice and movement. colorful garb sang and they danced. It was hard to keep still. They ended the program with Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, and invited the audience to join in. What a delight. What a blessing that Philly had. And how fortunate that I got to experience it.
