Festival regular the three-time Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir was in top form this week as it performed songs – in six African languages and English – from its lat4est album, Hope.
These songs and anthems were inspired by Nelson Manadela’s Freedom movement, the US civil rights movement of the 1950’s and gospel music.
Despite the language barriers and lack of program notes, you can glean what the choir is singing about from its perfectly co-ordinated choreography and the emotional register of the performers deeply felt singing; when the choristers mime machineguns being fired during their Mandela tribute, you know they are referring to the evils of the apartheid era.
At the performance I attended, while the drums and keyboard initially overwhelmed the choir, these technical issues soon settled. With the performers vibrant woven skirts, bibs and headbands, this ensemble packs a punch – emotionally, politically, musically. This show will be seen deservedly as one of the highlights of the Fringe’s 2025 iteration.
By Rosemary Neill
27 February 2025
