Our Cape Malay choir ambassadors have safely returned from a successful trip to the biggest choir festival in the world which took place in Kazakhstan.
The 10-member troupe was invited to perform a set playlist alongside 500 artists from 23 different countries in the Astana The Voice of Peace festival, from 5-12 October.
The 500 all sang the songs together, geslat in their different cultural clothing while being conducted by the choir-master who hails from Hungary, and who has been conducting choirs of this magnitude for over 30 years.
It has to be quite challenging conducting such a diverse group of people who have never sung or rehearsed together, but this is where it becomes interesting.
All the choirs were given sheet music, and we all know that with regards to our minstrel and Malay choir culture, the ouens are taught the words and melody of a song and then sing it from memory, niks van sheet music nie.
And usually at our Cape Malay choir competitions, the teams perform without a conductor.
So can you imagine what a challenge it was for our guys to suddenly sing in this huge choir from a sheet of music they did not know how to interpret.
To this end, Mr Ishmail Ely, of the Cape Malay Choir Board, says the board now intends to make a point of teaching our youngsters the importance of being able to read music.
Because if you can sing from a sheet, then you can venture anywhere in the world and perform with any choir master because the language of music is universal, he says.
The board has realised the need to educate the youth to take this culture into the future but still maintain its authenticity.
Mr Ely reveals the Cape Malay music was well received by the mense in Kazakhstan, and people found it to be “uniquely different”.
WARM WELCOME: Kazakhstan hospitality
The point of the Kazakhstan showcase was simply to bring together as many different cultures as possible, highlighting the diversity of music across the globe.
In fact, I am told organisers intend to up their game next year by bringing a massive 1 000 artists from even more countries to attend the festival.
I want to congratulate our Cape Malay choir ambassadors for representing us in such a positive and successful way to the world.
I always believe if you learnt something from a journey then it was all worth it.
Now, our culture is over 100 years old and, yes, we have vastly improved on it and we have some of the best people in the business.
We have the most mixed and mashed up style of music because of Cape Town being one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world.
Mr Ely says that the team also performed a nasheed (Islamic hymn) and the audience was blown away. They also sang the Elvis song Fools Rush In on a ghoema tempo, and this had people dancing in the aisles.
But he says what the audience loved most about our choir was the joy they brought to the stage.
“A big lesson for our choir was discipline and time management,” he says.
“We know that at our Cape Malay choir competitions there are always delays.
“But anywhere else in the world, things run on time and this discipline is important if we intend to take on international ventures like this one.”
With that said, it’s good to hear the CMCB intends to improve the game. There is talk of having just one band, or rather orchestra, playing all the items for all the teams.
Imagine singing a moppie or Nederlands- lied with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra behind you? This would be something amazing!
MINGLING: Singing groups from different countries pose for a lekker picture at the festival
We should also start looking into doing something in the line of the Kazakhstan Festival, where we are not necessarily competing against one another but are coming together to showcase the greatness of our culture.
As this festival has shown, it is possible for different teams to perform together beautifully under one conductor.
We have the knowledge and the ability, however, the game has become so competitive that one wonders if we all still have the same vision for this culture and sport.
I think it’s time to come together and just remind ourselves that it’s not just about who wins the Top 8 or moppie or combine chorus, but it is mostly about the music and preserving our beautiful culture.
So to our leaders, please create a vehicle for this and I, for one, cannot wait to see how kwaai this can be.