Songs of Africa Ensemble Dec. 26 at Pilgrim Congregational Church
By Chris King
Of The St. Louis American
The Songs of Africa Ensemble – an eclectic multicultural ensemble including singers, drummers, string trio and bass – is the next featured concert in the Intercultural Music Initiative Concert Series. The concert, Celebrate Kwanzaa with the Songs of Africa Ensemble, will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday December 26 at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 826 Union Blvd. in the Central West End.
The Songs of Africa Ensemble sings a repertoire of songs in African languages from the new choral collection, Songs of Africa, published by Oxford University Press, about topics ranging from spirituality, religion, community, work and play. The show has been described as “simply exciting … like a mini-musical only very intimate.”
The American spoke to musical director and composer Fred Onovwersuoke about the concert.
The American: Tell me some of the religious or seasonal material you will sing.
Fred Onovwersuoke: Songs of Africa Ensemble will sing songs about family, community, work and faith from around Africa and woven around the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa – Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-determination), Ujima (Collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith).
The American: Tell me story about one or more of those songs and their traditions.
Fred Onovwersuoke: Domenshigbe (meaning “at the market of Domen”) is a favorite song with our audiences. The song is from Benin Republic and is sung in Mina, a language that is also spoken in Togo and Ghana. At the market of Domen, two messengers tell the story of Avlesi, who for long was the unsung benefactor of the village. Avlesi had suddenly left and the villagers missed his support and goodwill. The moral of the song, Domenshigbe, is that we should acknowledge and celebrate those who support us and never wait until they’ve left us.
The American: Is this material and these traditions compatible with Christianity? Is the comparison beside the point?
Fred Onovwersuoke: The comparison is not as clearly defined in the African psyche. Some of the songs directly correlate with Christianity, some pan to a more universal concept of God and Deity. And even in songs about work, play and community, the idea of a Supreme Being who oversees everything – seen and unseen – is revered across Africa.
The American: How many languages will you be singing in?
Fred Onovwersuoke: For the December 26 concert, Songs of Africa Ensemble will sing in KiSwahili and Kalenji (Kenya/Tanzania), Igbo and Yoruba (Nigeria), Mina (Benin/Tog/Ghana), Twi (Ghana), Foula (Burkina Faso), Bambera (Mali), Nama (Namibia), Zulu/Xhosa (South Africa), Tswana (Botswana) and Shona (Zimbabwe).
The American: How do you coach people to sing in languages they can’t speak?
Fred Onovwersuoke: Members of the Songs of Africa Ensemble are coached by a corps of volunteers who are drawn from the African immigrant community. Members are also educated on the cultural contexts of the songs.
The Intercultural Music Initiative Concert Series presents concerts, lecture-recitals, artist residencies and workshops about composers of African-descent along with the usual standard repertoire. Additional information about the SOAE can be found at the website of its parent organization, African Musical Arts Inc. http://www.africarts.org. Future concerts this season include soprano Marlissa Hudson, pianist Peter Henderson, Italian pianist Silvia Belfiore, British oboist Althea Talbot-Howard, the Tema Youth Choir of Ghana, and more.
Founded in 1994, African Musical Arts Inc. has become the region’s premiere outlet for fostering and promoting composers of African descent of traditional and contemporary choral music, as well as chamber and orchestral music that portrays Africa’s rich musical diversity.
Admission to the Dec. 26 concert is $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased by calling Pilgrim Church at (314) 367-8173 Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., or African Musical Arts Inc. at (314) 652-6800.
