The Zolani Youth Choir once again mesmerised the world with their voices.
From 23 to 31 August they participated in the Moscow A Capella Music Festival in Russia. The choir competed against 150 others from 13 countries. They outshone their competitors and walked away with R2 million in prize money.
The founder and conductor of the choir, Odwa Mvunge, said it was not an easy road.
“I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t been easy. It has been very draining, both emotionally and physically,” he said. “But through our vision and determination we won’t let circumstances determine our destiny.”
Since starting the choir in 2012 Mvunge has worked hard to show the children in his choir, all of whom hail from Zolani, Ashton, that there are no limits in life.
“I wanted to participate in this competition because I know many of my kids would never get the opportunity to go overseas. But I want to teach them that in life there are no limitations to what you can achieve.”
The choir currently has more than 60 members, but only those 18 and older could take part in the competition.
“One of the rules of the competition was that entrants should all be 18 years or older. So I recruited some kids that used to sing in the choir. We only had three weeks to sort out our repertoire and practice. Thankfully God gave us the energy to push through.”
For now he is trying to figure how to use their prize money in the most effective way.
“We practise in a shack, and we want to extend it so that we have more space. Unfortunately the funds aren’t enough to build ’n brick structure. The other thing we always struggle with is getting transport and the cost of transport, so we want to get our own transport. And then I want to give some money to the families of the kids who were part of the choir who took part in the competition. Furthermore, we’re still deciding on what else we need to do. The goal is eventually to build an art centre. We started with that project a while ago but we cant find land in Zolani.”
The Zolani Youth Choir is slowly but surely becoming a household name, but that did not just happen overnight.
“I was discouraged four times. But every time music helped me through. I represent those children who sit in class and wonder why they are there, but when the music starts they can relate. And also, our story is a unique one, one about resilience and not giving up.”
