The Watoto Children’s Choir, from Uganda, Africa, will be bringing their heart-warming international tour to Cochrane.
The event will see a complete transformation of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church for the Feb. 16 concert, said Erica Phare-Bergh, conductor of the Cochrane Children’s Choir. The venue will be decked out in the colours and décor representing the homeland of the performers.
“It’s a super-colourful show and it uses different languages — it’s really diverse,” said Phare-Bergh, who saw the show last year in Calgary. “But the show tells the story of how their life was effected; first in a bad way, then in a positive way.”
Each of the 25 choir members were brought together through Kampala, Uganda’s Watoto holistic care program, which takes in children orphaned due to war and disease, and raises them to be leaders in their community. All of the young performers have suffered this kind of loss and reside in Watoto’s children’s villages.
The program’s children’s choir has been travelling internationally for nearly a decade, with the eight to 12-year-old singers representing the millions of orphaned children in Africa. The choir uses music and dance to raise awareness for the Watoto project.
“Their music is everything from gospel, to hip hop, to indigenous music from Uganda — but it’s always hopeful,” said Phare-Bergh. “The music is touching, the stories are moving. It certainly got me out of my bubble.”
Ugandan goods will be sold at the event, so bring your pocketbooks if you’re interested in any artisan products. Sponsorship opportunities, whether for the orphaned children or the mothers living in Watoto’s villages, will also be available.
The concert gets underway at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church at 6 p.m. Admission to the event is free, but freewill offerings will be welcomed and go towards Uganda’s Watoto program.
