Times Live – Here’s how SA singers and orchestras are uniting for Africa Day

This article was published in the Times Live website on 25 May 2020.

The Covid-19 pandemic failed to stop singers and orchestras from celebrating Africa Day, an annual day celebrated on May 25.

On Monday, a group of singers recorded the official AU anthem while observing strict social distancing guidelines.

The singers, led by CEO and artistic director Bongani Tembe, were accompanied by 100 musicians from the Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal philharmonic orchestras, who performed their parts from their respective homes.

The collaboration, according to Tembe, aims to inspire hope, encourage compassion and motivate Africans across the continent to continue to support one another and work together to defeat the global pandemic.

“Many people are not familiar with the official AU anthem. This collaboration gave us the perfect opportunity to reignite the message of hope and remind our fellow Africans of its message — Let us all unite and stand together,” said Tembe.

“We are grateful to have dedicated musicians who perform with passion and appreciate their responsibility to bring a sense of peace and hope to thousands of Africans across our beloved African continent,” he added.

The Africa Day Benefit Concert At Home 

International actor and muso Idris Elba will be hosting a virtual benefit concert to mark this year’s Africa Day celebrations and raise funds to help the continent tackle the spread of Covid-19.

The Africa Day Benefit Concert At Home will host performances from some of the continent’s biggest stars, including Burna Boy, Sho Madjozi, Tiwa Savage, AKA, Diamond Platnumz, Sauti Sol and Yemi Alade.

The concert will be streamed on MTV Base and YouTube on Monday evening.

The stream will also be made available after Africa Day to continue encouraging organisations and individuals to contribute towards fundraising, through the World Food Programme and Unicef campaign website.