I taught some folk dances and singing games to children at a Three2Six school celebration last week, that included hot dogs, face painting, novelty races and a good time had by all.  A Three2Six school is a school for...

I taught some folk dances and singing games to children at a Three2Six school celebration last week, that included hot dogs, face painting, novelty races and a good time had by all.  A Three2Six school is a school for refugee children who do not attend regular public school due to their difficult circumstances, and primarily because they do not have birth certificates.  So they are taught from 3:00-6:00 in the afternoon at school sites throughout Johannesburg, funded by donors.  Our site was Sacred Heart College.  Sacred Heart and its administrators defied racial segregation during apartheid, and provided asylum for anti-apartheid activists.  Now a new type of asylum is needed as there are many controversies about refugees in South Africa.  When school is out, Three2Six is in, so school holidays provide longer days for projects and experiences.  I am hoping that Appalachian State students will be able to visit during a school holiday the next time we study abroad in South Africa, so that we can spend some time teaching music to the children.

Charity on the left

My students were mostly from the DRC and Rwanda, though there was one child from Nigeria.  That child was truly happy on this day, because my colleague Charity was with us, who also hails from Nigeria.  She and the child were just like peas and carrots, once they found each other.  Not only is Charity the mother of 5, but her sweet kindness and caring smile must have been a welcome sight for a child far from home.  I cannot post photos of the event, because the children cannot be shown in photos for a variety of reasons.   You can see me waiting to teach in my colorful skirt below.


The winter holidays are over and school is back in session.  So I was delighted to finally attend a rehearsal of the University of Johannesburg Soweto Choir and reunite with my old friends Ms. Neo Motswagae, the choir's manager and Mr. Kholisa Bulo, the director.  Although the choir members change from time to time as they graduate and move on, they sound as fantastic as ever and I can't wait to go back next week for some song exchanging. 

Kholisa and me, back in 2010

Over the weekend, I stayed with Neo and attended the Ralufutso Methodist Church.  Singing in a South African church choir is one of my favorite life experiences, as I greatly enjoy improvisatory singing and the challenge of singing by the seat of my pants.  I did not know many of the hymns, but throughout the service, there were a few songs I could manage, such as a chorus of O come let us adore Him and parts of N'kosi Sikelel iAfrika.  The speaking was translated back and forth from Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho languages, with an occasional word or two in English on my account.  As much fun as this all sounds, I will just say that the choir reports to church at 6:45 a.m. on Sunday mornings.

I enjoyed the practice of passing a sign of peace at this church.  The congregation sang as they went around and greeted each other.  Many greeted with hugs, including one two-year old girl who was not even as tall as my knees, though she ran right toward me with her arms open wide!  As I was introduced at the end of the service, the speaker noted that Soweto is notorious for many bad things, and asked me to tell the story of my experience in Soweto, which I can definitely report was quite positive.

For some reason, a chorus to an old song was dancing around in my head as I struggled to follow the sermon in the Soweto church.  I don't know what you think it means, but I could not get it out of my head...........

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