In the second week of their 3-week Freedom Tour of the U.K., the Milton Margai School Choir headed for Cardiff, the capital of Wales. They stayed at the URDD Centre, alongside the impressive new Welsh Parliament building, as guests of UCAN Productions, the organisation set up by Jane and Bernie Latham, to help blind and partially sighted children in Wales. UCAN was recently voted the U.K.’s number one good causes charity for children, and its Chairman, 15 year old Lloyd Coleman, himself a noted up and coming musician and composer, welcomed the 25 strong Sierra Leone Choir along with other UCAN members. Close friendships were immediately forged between the two groups of gifted youths which grew deeper and deeper as time went on.

The well-known musician form The Gambia, Sura Hata, was performing at the Millennium Theatre on the Sunday and he invited our drumming group from the Choir, known as The Rhythmics, to join him on stage as he played his traditional West African music on the kora. The Rhythmics, Emmanuel, Ibrahim and Osman, led by Alie Mansaray, gave a stunning performance. No one in the audience could believe that this was the first time that they had played with the Gambian star. Sura clearly enjoyed playing alongside the young group and he praised them for their skill and professionalism.

Later in the day, the choir was invited to join the congregation in Cardiff’s Park End Church for its regular evening service where, in addition to the Choir singing some hymns in Mende, Temne, Limba and Krio, the congregation was treated to an address by the Rev. Henry C. Samuels. Rev. Samuels is the celebrated Chairman of the School’s Committee of Management and he is accompanying the Choir throughout its 3-week Tour.

The first concert in Cardiff was held at the Sherman Theatre on the Monday. As word spread of the Choir’s arrival, people tried to obtain the remaining few available tickets for the concert but they were disappointed as all the tickets were sold. Those lucky enough to get tickets, were treated to a spectacular show. From the very beginning, the audience roared with approval, clapped their hands and stamped their feet. This inspired the Choir to give its finest performance to date, and when they closed the show with two Welsh songs, one being the Welsh national anthem sung in Welsh, there was not a dry eye in the house. “Truly magnificent”; “A unique experience”; “A privilege to have been present”; were just a few of the accolades accorded to the concert by members of the audience.

The next evening’s concert was also something very special as the Milton Margai Choir shared the stage with the UCAN children. The families of the UCAN children had been amazed at the mobility and versatility of the Sierra Leone children, which then inspired a remarkable performance by their own children which they had not thought possible.

The stay in Cardiff included a sight-seeing tour of the city on an open-top double decker bus and a ride on a train, before it was time to move on to Atlantic College, the prestigious international school 20 miles outside of Cardiff. Here the Choir mixed with students from countries all around the world such as Uganda, China, Germany and the United States. Choir member, Imurana Vandy, whose ambition is to become a journalist, was invited to write an article for the College newspaper. Vandy had already written an article for the Kent on Sunday newspaper about the previous week’s Canterbury concert.

The Choir performed two concerts at Atlantic College in the Tithe Barn Theatre of the St. Donat’s Arts Centre located in the ancient setting of St. Donat’s Castle. The first concert was open to members of the public and the second was for the students of the College. Both concerts were filled to capacity and both received rapturous applause. The international students in particular appreciated the tribute sung by the Choir to Nelson Mandela, Africa’s great hero and the one to Sierra Leone’s neighbour Ghana for their 50 years of independence. For the latter, the Choir sang a Ghanaian song in the Twi language called YenAra Asase Ni which means This is our Land.

An inter-faith conference was taking place at the College with representatives from religious faiths from all around the world such as Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Jews, and the Choir was invited to sing at the opening ceremony before listening intently to the opening lecture. The members of the Choir hold to their faith very dearly. Every morning on Tour starts with prayers and singing with the Choir members conducting the devotion themselves, so that their involvement in this large inter-faith conference was both appropriate and spiritually uplifting, as through their singing they promote harmony along all people.

A busy week came to an end all too quickly with tearful farewells and then it was on the coach for the long journey to Hull, the city in the north west of England, twinned with Freetown, for the final week of the Tour.

13.08.07
Barbara Davidson M.B.E.