President Thabo Mbeki on Monday congratulated the Soweto Gospel Choir for winning a Grammy Award for their album, Blessed.
The president hailed the choir’s achievement as another testimony of the richness of South Africa and Africa’s contribution to humanity, said presidential spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga.
Ratshitanga said Mbeki noted the choir’s involvement in several charities, including Unite Against Hunger and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.
”President Mbeki said their involvement in community work was one of the many ways in which South Africans could express the rich values of ubuntu.”
The choir was awarded the Best Traditional World Music Grammy for its second album at the 49th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan said the choir’s achievement demonstrated that South African talent was world-class.
South African choral music had won wide recognition in the past because it resonated with the hearts and souls of human kind and the Soweto Gospel Choir was firmly rooted in that tradition, he said.
”This award is shared by millions of choristers, conductors and composers who have gone unrecognised over the decades. Their belief in choral music has been vindicated by this award.”
Jordan said the lyrical content of the music was cosmopolitan and universal and told the story of ”one human family under one heaven”.
”Well done, we all take pride in your achievement,” said Jordan.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions hoped this would pave the way for South African artists to be given more of a platform by the local media.
”Let us hope that their triumph will convince the local media, especially the public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, to devote far more coverage to our brilliant local musicians, actors and creative artists in all sectors of arts and culture, who are of world-class standard, as the Soweto choir has proved,” spokesperson Patrick Craven said in a statement,
The choir’s producer, Beverly Bryer, said that winning the award was a dream come true for the choir.
”We are thrilled at this honour; it’s every musician’s dream and for us the dream has come true. How proud we all feel in bringing the Grammy home to share with the nation,” he said.
The 26-member choir was formed in 2002 and has toured Germany, the Caribbean and the United States in the past three years under the direction of Bryer and musical director David Mulovhedzi.
It was judged Best Gospel Choir at the 2003 American Gospel Music Awards.
”The choir will continue to spread the much-needed messages of love, joy and hope to audiences throughout the world, regardless of colour, language or faith,” said Bryer. — Sapa