Community Choirs Project THE SOIL

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1 Community Choirs Project THE SOIL AFROVIBES is a biennial festival that celebrates the performing and visual arts of South Africa. This year we are bringing a four week season of work to 17 venues across the UK. Each venue will host a full week of performances and events, giving audiences the unique opportunity to enjoy a diverse programme of quality work including political drama, astonishing real life stories, stunning contemporary dance, great music, film and photography. In addition every venue will have its Township Cafe where visitors can enjoy typical South African food and drink while taking in music, poetry, talks and free pop-up performances by local artists as well as Afrovibes performers. THE SOIL is an award winning three member a cappella group. Their music can is described as Kasi Soul featuring a contemporary township style- an eclectic mix of musical genres such as jazz, hip hop, Afro-Pop and Afro-Soul underpinned by beatboxing. The group s musical style is evident in its rhythmic vocal bass line and beat boxing whilst the remaining voices contribute to the choral and polyphonic accompaniment. Equal and up to the challenge, each of the group members take turns in solo vocal performance to display their virtuoso style and display the beautiful melodic verses embedded in each song. In the past seven years THE SOIL have been touring internationally including the Apollo Theatre Harlem and the 2013 Edinburgh International Festival. See The SOIL sing in the following videos Community Choirs South Africa has a rich heritage of traditional song, especially known for the call and response songs that were used during the struggles. In the 2012 festivals two of our UK venues welcomed the South African artists to their venue by inviting local community choirs to sing South African songs in the Township Café. This year we want to repeat this experience but think bigger! THE SOIL have chosen 4 traditional South African songs that they invite a network of local community choirs across the UK to learn. During the festival these choirs will have the opportunity to sing in the Township Café, meet and have a workshop with THE SOIL, in some cases perform these songs on stage with THE SOIL as either a curtain raiser or encore to their main performance.

2 A special facebook group has been created allowing you to join and share images, video and recordings of your choir learning these songs. This facebook group will also allow you to message The Soil and post questions to all the different choirs participating in this project across the UK. To join the facebook page please and we will then send you a facebook invite link. The 4 chosen songs are as follows: 1. Amavolovolo 2. Gabi Gabi 3. Shosholoza 4. Ngiqome KwaZulu Of course if your choir would like to learn and perform other South African songs to sing at Afrovibes festival events you are very welcome to do so. Please discuss this with your venue contact. There now follows a series of videos made by The Soil including an introduction to each of these songs, the lyrics, the music notation and video tutorials breaking down each harmony. We hope we have given you everything you need to help you learn the songs, but don t hesitate to join the facebook page and ask a question. 1. Amavolovolo The text for Amavolovolo is from pre-democratic South Africa and is a warning to stay away from Kwa-mashu, a township in South Africa. People feared going to Kwa-mashu because there was so much violence. In fact, the word Amavolovolo is a mutation of the English word revolver. Today, however, Amavolovolo is often sung at parties and weddings. The piece is strophic and can be performed with a variety of percussion instruments. The lyrics are: - Ngeke Siyelena KwaMashu (We won t go to KwaMashu) Sisaba amavolovolo (we re scared of the guns) See this link to watch the Drakensberg Boys Choir performing Amavolovolo : THE SOIL singing Amavolovo with instruction video for each harmony: - password soilmusic 2. Gabi Gabi This song, sang predominantly at weddings, is a bragging song about a woman whose daughter is getting married. The mother brags mainly to her neighbours about her beautiful daughter and this glorious day. Awubeke ngalena (look that side) Gabi Gabi (this is basically a term said when one shows off what they have that others don t) Mfaz ongazalanga (woman with no children) Uyothi wabonani (what will you say you saw) Mfaz ongazalanga (woman with no children) Link to St Paul s choir singing the Christian version, of this song

3 The Soil singing the wedding version with instruction video for each harmony: (password soilmusic) 3. Shosholoza Shosholoza is a Ndebele folk song that originated in Zimbabwe but was popularized in South Africa. The song was sung by Ndebele all-male migrant workers that were working in the South African mines in a call and response style. The song is very popular in South African culture, often sung as a motivational/victory song that it is often referred to as South Africa s second national anthem. Many people will remember it being sung widely by crowds at the at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Shosholoza (x2) (Go forward) Ku le zontaba (From those mountains) Stimela si qhamuka e South Africa (on this train from South Africa) Shosholoza (x2) Ku le zontaba Stimela si qhamuka e South Africa Wena u ya baleka (You re running Wena u uya baleka (You re running away) Ku lezontaba (from those mountains) Stimela si qhamuka e South Africa (on this train from South Africa) Drakensberg Boys Choir performing Shosholoza : THE SOIL singing Shosholoza with instruction video for each harmony: password soilmusic 4. Ngiqome KwaZulu This is another popular wedding hymn, and is also sung mostly by choristers at national and international competitions. Ngiqome Kwa Zulu (I fell in love in Zulu land) Zulu mama (zulu mom) helelele helelele helelele Kwaze Kwamnandi (this is lovely) Recording of this song online: The Soil singing this song with instructions for each harmony: (password soilmusic) Any questions you have about this project please contact: Michaela Waldram-Jones on michaela@ukarts.com

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