Watoto Children's Choir

Last updated
Watoto Children's Choir
WatotoChoir.jpg
Background information
Origin Uganda
Instrument(s)Drums, a cappella singing
Years active1994–present
LabelsWatoto Publishing
Website https://www.watoto.com/ watoto.com]

The Watoto Children's Choir is a group of African children's choirs based in Kampala, Uganda, at Watoto Church. They tour internationally. [1] [2] [3] Each choir is composed of about eighteen to twenty-two children from Uganda. Their tours raise money as well as awareness for the Watoto orphanages in Kampala.

“Watoto” means "Children" in Swahili. The choir is made up of children who have lost one or both parents, often as a result of AIDS. [4] Watoto operates six choirs, which tour Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. The choirs travel with a team of adult chaperones who look after the children and also manage the day-to-day logistics of the tour on the road. The choir has toured Asia, Australia, Brazil, Canada and China. [5] [6]

Their ‘Concerts of Hope’ are a blend of African rhythms, contemporary gospel music, creative dance and story-telling. They have released several albums including “Mambo Number 5”, “Beautiful Africa” and “What Is Love”. Their latest album "Wherever You Will Go” features live music played throughout the concerts on most of the tours.

The Watoto Children's Choirs have performed with award-winning artists including Chris Tomlin, Israel Houghton and Martin Smith[ clarification needed ].[ citation needed ] They have also been invited to the UK Houses of Parliament, the Canadian and Australian Parliaments as well as the White House.[ citation needed ]

As of May 2020, Watoto, the umbrella organisation, is under investigation by Uganda's Internal Security Organisation for alleged breaches of the country's child labour laws, taking children out of the country illegally and placing them at risk. Over 80 members of the choir including 48 children reportedly were stranded overseas in the US, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Brazil after Uganda closed its borders on 23 March. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Hong Kong</span> Overview of the foreign relations of Hong Kong

Under the Basic Law, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is exclusively in charge of its internal affairs, whilst the central government of China is responsible for its foreign affairs and defence. As a separate customs territory, Hong Kong maintains and develops relations with foreign states and regions, and plays an active role in such international organisations as World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in its own right under the name of Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong participates in 16 projects of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YMCA</span> Worldwide youth organization founded by Sir George Williams in 1844

YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded in London on 6 June 1844 by George Williams as the Young Men's Christian Association. The organization aims to put Christian values into practice by developing a healthy body, mind, and spirit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammi Cheng</span> Hong Kong singer and actress (born 1972)

Sammi Cheng Sau-man is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She is considered one of the most prominent female singers in Hong Kong, with album sales of over million copies throughout Asia. Most notably in the 1990s, she was dubbed by the media as the "Cantopop Queen". Having success in entertainment industry for over three decades, Cheng is also best known for her roles in Hong Kong rom-com films in the early 2000s that were box office hits. For her performance in the 2022 film 'Lost Love', she won 4 best actress honors including from the Hong Kong Film Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Joseph's College, Hong Kong</span> Catholic all-boys secondary school in Hong Kong

St. Joseph's College also referred to by its acronym SJC is an elite Catholic all-boys secondary education institution run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Central Mid-Levels district, Hong Kong. It was established by the French De La Salle Christian Brothers on 7 November 1875. It is the oldest Catholic boys' secondary school and one of the leading boys' schools in Hong Kong. It typically has about 1,000 students. Subjects are taught in English, except for Chinese-related subjects and French and Japanese language studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacky Cheung</span> Hong Kong singer and actor (born 1961)

Jacky Cheung Hok-yau is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Dubbed the "God of Songs", his accolades include the World Music Award (1996) for “World’s Best-selling Asian artist”, the Billboard Music Award (1994) for “Most Popular Asian Singer”, and a Guinness World Record for the largest combined audience for a live act in 12 months. In 1999, Cheung was honored by Junior Chamber International as one of the Ten Outstanding Young People in the World. He is the best-selling music artist of all time in Taiwan and Hong Kong with album sales exceeding 25 to 60 million records worldwide. Known for his vocal delivery, Cheung is widely regarded as a Heavenly King of Cantopop music, and an icon of Hong Kong popular culture.

The African Children's Choir is a large choir composed of children aged from 7 to 12 from several African nations. Since its inception, the choir has included children from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana. Many of the children have lost one or both parents to AIDS and other poverty-related diseases, and all of them are victims of extreme poverty. The choir is a Christian organization and one of its principles is "instilling Christian principles through teaching and leading by example."

The Australian Children's Choir (ACC), founded in 1976, is a mixed-voice children's choir based in Melbourne, Australia, and consisting of some 200 boys and girls aged 5 to 20 in six different training ensembles. The choir has developed a strong reputation for its refined performances, varied repertoire and the production of fine young musicians, many of whom have gone on to pursue successful musical careers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jose Chameleone</span> Musical artist

Joseph Mayanja, better known by the stage name Jose Chameleone, is a Ugandan AfroBeat artist and musician. Chameleone sings in Luganda, English, and Swahili.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watoto Church</span> Church in Kampala, Uganda

Watoto Church, formerly Kampala Pentecostal Church (KPC) is an English-speaking cell-based East African community church headquartered in Kampala, Uganda. Watoto means "the children" in Swahili.

CompassionArt is a charity based in Littlehampton, England, founded by songwriter Martin Smith and his wife Anna, with the aim of generating income from works of art to assist in the relief of suffering around the planet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Uganda)</span>

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is a cabinet-level government ministry responsible for the implementation and management of Uganda's foreign policy and international activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nakasero</span> Neighborhood in Kampala city, Uganda

Nakasero is a hill and neighborhood in the centre of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. Nakasero is important to Uganda's economy and politics, as it is home to Kampala's central business district and several government offices, including the Ugandan Parliament Buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College</span> Direct subsidy scheme secondary school in Hong Kong

YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College, abbreviated as YHKCC, is a secondary school located at Tung Chung, Lantau Island, Hong Kong operated under the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) of the Education Bureau. It is the first secondary school sponsored by the YMCA of Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YMCA of Hong Kong</span>

YMCA of Hong Kong was established in 1901 as a charitable organization in Hong Kong, headquartered in Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is dedicated to the furtherance of justice, peace, hope and truth in the Hong Kong and international community. It serves the community with cares for the people in needs and provides sponsorship for the events in Hong Kong. It is well known with its service of toy recycling for children.

Luso-Asians are Eurasian people whose ethnicity is partially or wholly Portuguese and ancestrally are based in or hail primarily from Portugal, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. They historically came under the cultural and multi-ethnic sway of the Portuguese Empire in the East and retain certain aspects of the Portuguese language, Roman Catholic faith, and Latin cultural practices, including internal and external architecture, art, and cuisine that reflect this contact. The term Luso comes from the Roman empire's province of Lusitania, which roughly corresponds to modern Portugal.

Started in 1994, Watoto Child Care Ministries is a branch of the Watoto Church in Uganda that builds villages with schools, churches, medical centers, and homes and populates them with new families built from orphans and widows. Currently there are three villages: Bbira and Suubi near Kampala and Laminadera outside Gulu. Other projects being undertaken by Watoto Child Care Ministries include baby homes, vocational training, and farms to support the villages. Watoto Child Care Ministries is also the organization that runs the Watoto Children's Choir which tours internationally every year. Watoto aims to "raise the next generation of African leaders".

Uganda Heart Institute (UHI), is a specialized, public, tertiary care medical facility owned by the Uganda Ministry of Health. It is a component of Mulago National Referral Hospital, the largest hospital in Uganda, which serves as the teaching hospital of Makerere University College of Health Sciences.

Lydia Nabawanuka better known as Lydia Jazmine is a Ugandan female recording artist.

References

  1. Watoto Children's choir "Signs & Wonders" concert
  2. Watoto Children’s Choir to kick off UK tour in Canning Town - Home - Newham Recorder
  3. African children’s choir to perform in Ormond Beach | Daytona Times
  4. "Who We Are".
  5. "Happenings school news: YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College" (PDF). South China Morning Post . 12 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2020. Performance of the YMCA at the Hong Kong Christian College in Hong Kong, China.
  6. Y's Opinion May 12 Issue 78. Performance of YMCA at Hong Kong Christian College in Hong Kong, China.
  7. "Uganda megachurch criticised for choir tour as children stranded by Covid-19". TheGuardian.com . 4 May 2020.