wfn.org | Africa University Choir begins third tour of the United States

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

May 24, 1999 News media contact: Linda Green*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-71B{286}

By David Manyonga*

MUTARE,  Zimbabwe (UMNS) -- Eighteen members of the Africa University Choir
will leave Zimbabwe on May 26 for a monthlong tour of the northeastern
United States. 

This trip will be the choir's third to America. Performances are scheduled
in Washington and eight states: Massachusetts, New York, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Vermont and Connecticut.

Most of the performances will be at United Methodist annual conference
gatherings and churches. Tour organizers in the Northeastern Jurisdiction
are also working on a June 7 performance on the Capitol steps in Washington.
The concert is expected to be a tour highlight.

"We are going to put forward our best for the audiences because we have left
no stone unturned during the preparations," said Sarita Domingos Tomas from
Angola. Tomas, a student in the faculty (or department) of humanities and
social sciences, has been a choir member for more than two years. 

Choir Director Patrick Matsikenyiri has put the ensemble through a grueling
schedule of daily practice sessions and performances in the weeks leading up
to the trip. Choir members have also had to manage their lectures,
fieldwork, assignments and examinations. The choir has 36 scheduled
performances during the 35-day trip, and Matsikenyiri wants members to be in
top form.

"I'm proud of the group," he said. "They are very powerful in their voice
production, but we had to work hard to get to that point. These are persons
who are passionate and professional about their music. They can be flexible
and patient, and they are good-humored about the pressures and demands of a
hectic tour schedule."

The choir members are from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(formerly Zaire), Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. Most are the first
in their families to have access to a university education. Some, like
Getrude Hondo, a second-year student in the faculty of education, have never
left Zimbabwe before.

"I can hardly wait," Hondo said.  "These days I find myself wondering about
all the new places I'll see. I am so excited because I know that through our
music we will be able to share our culture and the word of God."

The choir members embrace their role in supporting Africa University's
development.

"It is such a wonderful opportunity and an honor to be in the position of
special envoy for Africa University, my country and most importantly, for
Africa," said Korlue Alyce Draper, a second-year student in the faculty of
management and administration. Draper comes from war-torn Liberia.

 "We have benefited so much from the prayers, financial and other gifts of
so many people in the United States," said Tichawona Muyambo of Zimbabwe.
"This cultural enterprise, the AU choir, is our small way of showing our
gratitude. We are delighted to be able to say 'thank you' face to face."

Muyambo and four fellow choir members, all students from the faculty of
education, are due to graduate June 19 but will miss the ceremony because of
the tour.

Like the Africa University community, the choir is a rich blend of voices
and styles. A range of smaller traditional instruments, such as the mbira
from Zimbabwe, often backs up the voices. 

Matsikenyiri has built up a repertoire that highlights the praise and song
traditions of the various sub-regions of Africa. Choir members sing in Zulu
(a language from South Africa), Ndebele and Shona (from Zimbabwe), Swahili
(spoken in east and central Africa) and English. Some of the choir's songs
are Matsikenyiri's original compositions. They include "The Dream," a song
that celebrates the contributions of various people in the development of
Africa University.

A lecturer and recognized composer and performer, Matsikenyiri received his
bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from Shenandoah
University in Virginia. Adrian College in Michigan will award him an
honorary doctorate in music in September. The award recognizes
Matsikenyiri's contributions to the development and promotion of African
music.

In addition to directing the choir, Matsikenyiri has been deeply involved in
developing programs in music and African culture within the school's faculty
of humanities and social sciences.

Ed Zeiders of the Northeastern Jurisdiction is organizing the tour. Families
and congregations in the jurisdiction are hosting the choir, and the United
Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the Africa University
Development Office in Nashville, Tenn., are supporting the effort.

In 1996 and 1998, the Africa University Choir drew large audiences and great
reviews in the United States. Choir members described their appearances at
the 1996 General Conference in Denver as the highlight of that first trip. 

United Methodist-related Africa University is the first private,
international university serving all of Africa. It is in Mutare, Zimbabwe,
and has 783 students. The university offers programs in five faculties -
agriculture and natural resources; education; humanities and social
sciences; management and administration; and theology. Teaching, research,
outreach and community service efforts are focused on Africa's development
needs.

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*Manyonga is program assistant in the Africa University Information Office.

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