>>PREVIEW
SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR
Wednesday, March 28
Jack Singer Concert Hall
For Lucas Bok and the 23 other members of the Soweto Gospel choir, their jobs are more than just keeping the tradition of African gospel music alive, it is about being positive role models for a country desperate for someone to look up to. Hailing from one of the poorest areas of Johannesburg, South Africa, the Soweto Township, the group is changing the way their people and music are viewed. Blending traditional elements of African gospel music with contemporary sounds, the group is giving Soweto a new name. No longer can the township be referred to by residence as "So where to?" a phrase indicative of the pessimism felt by many living there. The group’s work and achievements are giving their hometown something they don’t often get – hope.
"Basically this is a breakthrough in our lives," says Bok. "We travel all around the world, we are doing what we love doing and getting paid for it, and we can help provide for our families. Our talents have virtually paid off for many of us."
Bok, who is the choir master and also plays the bass and sings tenor, says the choir has given him and its other members an incredible opportunity in life, not only to do what they love, but also to help their families and communities. Members of the choir are not only Grammy Award-winning musicians and Billboard chart topping artists who have been on a three-year world tour, they are also the voice of a generation of South Africans in their fight against the devastating and titanic AIDS epidemic.
"It’s imperative for us as young South Africans to do something to make a difference, because AIDS is real, even to our own family members, and we are doing the best we can to try and help our people," Bok says.
The choir, formed in 2002, is comprised of singers and musicians from Soweto area church congregations. Before joining the group, Bok worked as the music director of a church and was singing with various other groups in and around Soweto. Bok and his fellow members have drawn on their varied backgrounds to make a sound that is uniquely theirs. Blending traditional African gospel with more contemporary sounds and themes, the group’s stage show also includes African dancing and a traditional percussion section.
For Bok, the group’s performing highlights are not meeting Bono, or being able to call Oprah a "good friend of ours," it’s being able to be a part of Nelson Mandela’s AIDS foundation 46664.
"We have become such great people and such great icons to our people around us, the fact that we are rubbing shoulders with (Mandela), and the work he is doing. He is like a friend of ours, people respect us," Bok says.
Performing at Mandela’s 46664 Conference in Cape Town in 2003 was an experience Bok said he and all the other members of the group will never forget.
"It is one of the greatest experiences I will ever have in my life," he recalls. Sharing the stage with such big names as U2’s Bono, Beyonce, Anastasia and Queen, Bok says it was one of the professional highlights of his life. Not only because the group was in the company of such seasoned performers, but because they were able to stand in front of his home crowd and deliver a message of hope and redemption.
"It was one of the biggest things to happen to us, and in our minds it is like it happened yesterday," Bok recalls.
And even though the group is often awestruck by some of the performers they meet, more often than not, the performers are inspired by them and the work they do. Not only are they an inspiration due to their activism, their musical talent is a force to be reckoned with. Passion, depth and conviction characterize a sound that is a celebration of all that is Africa. |
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