Elsa Mugyenzi of the African Children’s Choir

By Em Fergusson

I had the opportunity to speak with one of the members of the African Children’s Choir. Now living in the United States, Elsa Mugyenzi shares her experience of being a choir member and how it has impacted her life. She performed with the choir in 1984 as a child. During the interview, Elsa explains the process of becoming a choir member to GC readers; about her experiences living in poverty to traveling the world and receiving a quality education.

Em: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? How long have you been with the choir? How has it affected your life?

Elsa: Oh, yeah! Just the opportunity of being able to travel, I mean, from Africa to the west is an experience itself. You know, growing up with the background I was born in, you never dream you’re ever going to get on a plane and come and see a whole different world. So, that was an experience traveling.

And then coming to the west and the lifestyle here, the abundance here…you know, there’s so much here compared to where I [come] from…it opened my eyes to the possibilities. You know, I realized I don’t have to be stuck in what I was born in and I started dreaming and thought, ‘This is what I could be.’ And so, it opened up my eyes to hopes and aspirations…also being a part of the choir it helped me realize those dreams and especially, being able to go to school, something I never thought was going to be a possibility.

Em: Can you tell us how the choir prepares for tours?

Elsa: It all starts with auditions. We have children who come from diverse backgrounds, from of course, orphans –some may not [all] be orphans – but they’re all from poor backgrounds. And so from these children we have like what you call, summer camps and we have the churches and schools and different centers in different countries in Africa where there [are] auditions [held]. And a group of about 26 children…I mean, they try out and sing and, you know, there are those who have a lot of potential and can be developed.

So, they audition and then we have a training center in Uganda where they come for about a month or so and they learn the music, they learn to live together and they learn the orientation about the West and where they’re going to be coming. They [then] come out to the West and began travelling for a year or so.

Em: What is the age range for the children in the choir?

Elsa: Yes, this particular group [Choir number 24] is between 8 and 10 years-old.

Em: How many children sing with the choir currently?

Elsa: This group has 22 children.

Em: Are different children chosen every year or are there repeat singers?

Elsa: There are different children chosen every year…to give an opportunity to a lot of other children…you have the opportunity to sing once and then you return home to finish your education…

Em: How would you describe the story of the African Children’s Choir?

Elsa: The story of the choir is basically a story of hope…it’s about giving hope to these children who come from, you know, very little, from nothing. And about them finding the very best they could be in life. These children come from where they come from, they travel the world, and get the experience they would never receive in a classroom. And then, they’re given the experience of getting a good education…so it’s a story of hope.

Em: What languages do the children sing in?

Elsa: Oh, man!...about 5 or 3. Depends on where they’re singing and dancing. Between 5 or so…some Swahili, Ugandan, there’s a South African dance…so [the language of] Zulu…so that’s a few there.

Em: How do they decide on which songs to sing? Because I know there are children from Nigeria and Uganda and different countries…

Elsa: This [particular] group are all Ugandan children – they’re all from Uganda. And they have different dances from Uganda. From different parts of Uganda and not just Uganda, but different parts of Africa like South Africa, there’s a Congo dance, they just embody different aspects from all different cultures in Africa.

Em: Are there plans to recruit children from other countries in the near future and if so, which countries?

Elsa: That would be ideal…I mean, everybody would like that. But you know there’s some countries…some of the situations in some of the countries would not allow that. For instance, we have worked in the Sudan, but we cannot bring children out to the West, because of the situation in the Sudan. So, it’s only in areas where the government is really peaceful where we could do that.

Em: The proposed project for the new school is under way, is that correct?

Elsa: Oh, yeah!

Em: Can you tell us how we can help with that?

Elsa: Yeah! There’s so much, so much need. They’re trying to build this school in Uganda and the website has all kinds of ways you can support financially, especially towards this. I mean, right now we have the land and we just need to be able to start building and on the website, they can always give donations and how to donate.

Em: Thank you so much! Would there be anything else you’d like to add?

Elsa: Yes! Just…encourage [everyone] to come and see the children and help them achieve their hopes and dreams.

The following information is from the United Nations Special Session on Children:
“According to the UN Children's Fund, African children have far higher mortality rates and less access to education than children in any other region. AIDS has orphaned over 12 million African children, and over 2 million are infected by the virus that causes the disease.” (www.un.org)

For more information on donating to the African Children’s Choir Academy or to help support the African Children’s Choir, visit the website www.africanchildrenschoir.com or call the offices at 1-877-532-8651.