Ugandan choir to perform at Holy Cross
By NICOLA BUNICK
News Writer
The African Children's Choir, which consists of 26 Ugandan children, most of them orphans between the ages of five and 12 years old, will perform a repertoire of gospel tunes and spirituals Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Holy Cross College.
The choir, which tours internationally, is run by Friends from the West, an organization which sets up schools in poverty stricken countries such as Uganda to educate and prepare children for professional careers so they can help revive their countries.
Children who are selected for the choir spend one year touring with the group. Although they do not charge admission to their concerts, but do ask for audience donations, these tour performances generate enough profits to support the choir as well as the schools back in Africa. The choir has performed on CBS This Morning, Good Morning America and The Today Show. They have also appeared before the United Nations, various presidents and dignitaries, and in television commercials.
The group first came to Holy Cross two years ago and Campus Ministry director, Robert Kloska, who coordinated the group's visit to campus, is excited to have them return. "Last time [the choir was on campus,] it was such a great success," he said. "It generated so much excitement and people had such a great experience with them."
A former Holy Cross student who had connections to the group informed Kloska about the choir.
Bringing the choir to campus seemed like a natural tie-in with Kloska's Ghana program which he had begun only two years earlier. Each summer, Kloska takes a group of 12 to 14 students to spend time with the Holy Cross brothers in Ghana.
"The trip is really a life changing experience," said Kloska. "It helps people to address the question of the meaning of life, happiness and stuff like that."
Kloska was encouraged to start the program in 2000 when students expressed an interest in visiting Bangladesh after hearing a presentation by a brother from the Holy Cross mission there. Kloska proposed the idea to the College's president, Brother Richard Gilman. Although Gilman felt that Bangladesh was too rough for such a trip, he suggested that they pursue a project with the Holy Cross Mission in Ghana where he had lived for several years.
Starting next year, what began as an elective three-credit religious studies program will become a required part of the curriculum for some Holy Cross students. All students who enroll in Holy Cross's new four-year baccalaureate program will now participate in the Ghana summer program as part of their requirements for graduation.
All News Stories for Wednesday, May 7, 2003
