To commemorate Black History Month, organizers from Grassland Full Gospel Church invited Edmonton-based African vocal ensemble ìStand Firmî to provide a little taste of their cultural roots and celebrate their spiritual connections in a concert on Saturday.
The group attempts to portray a message of ìLove and what He has done for us,î according to the groupís leader, Blessing Ndiraya.
ìOur motive is really to spread the message of Christ through music,î said alto singer Rujeko Gundani.
Members of the audience had a chance to grab a plate of food of African origin ñ including fish, beans and rice ñ which was built into the $10 admission fee.
Proceeds of the evening went to the church, which gives money to various non-profit organizations.
ìPredominantly in the history of Canada, blacks havenít been around as long, but Ö being African, sometimes we forget that we have been around these places for a long time,î said Emanuel Chiwele from Lac La Biche. ìItís good to look at our history, where weíve come from, the contributions that our people have made.î
At least 30 members of the community came out to hear the group.
Members of Stand Firm are originally from Zimbabwe but met in Edmonton and began singing together as a group about two years ago.
The vocalists included tenor Tennyson Ndiray, alto Rujeko Gundani, soprano Samantha Mazarura, tenor Pride Ncube, soprano Eulaine Ndhlovu, alto Tsitsi Ndiraya and bass singer and group leader Blessing Ndiraya.
Cheryl Balay took the stage before the performance and was recognized by event organizer Seyi Etim for her work as an Alberta Representative for the Seeds of Hope organization.
Seeds of Hope Childrenís Ministry is an international non-profit organization that cares for orphaned children in Africa whose parents have died, often from AIDS.
ìItís good for us to remind ourselves and to tell our kids that weíve made some good contributions too. We have a heritage too, and our heritage is rich,î said Chiwele.
