While I’m still gutted to have missed yesterday’s sold out talk: “History: Memory and Consciousness”, I was lucky to attend today’s free “Chineke! Junior Orchestra Passenger Seats” at this year’s Africa Utopia Festival. The orchestra is made up of black and minority ethnic musicians aged 11-22.
Children were invited to be among the orchestra while they play. Some even briefly conducted the orchestra. It was fascinating to see some of them with hands on their ears, others nodding their small heads, while some sat there staring at the trumpets, saxophones, harps and violins while the orchestra showcased their skills.
Before the performance, the audience was welcomed by the founder of Chineke! Foundation Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE.
She stated that as the only black person in the Orchestra then, she was often asked why that was the case. In 2014, at the same venue, she was “blown away” by the Kinshasa Symphony Orchestra, not only that they were good but that they looked like her. She declared that they indeed inspired her to form Chineke! Orchestra in 2015, “the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority black and minority ethnic musicians”.
#AfricaUtopia
#Chineke!
Blessing Kgosi e tsile Kgasa 