The day started early with a drive through the tin shanties of the Capetown Townships. These shanties make our level of poverty in the USA look like palaces. It was very emotional and distributing to see people live this way.
We got to the Harry Gwala school around 9:30a. The students energy was very high as it was the first day back from Easter Break. They soon came to our warm-up room and wanted to have their picture taken. They posed endlessly, voguing constantly and we all gladly snapped away. The students sang unity and apartheid healing songs along with movements of struggle and resistance with profound discipline. I closed my eyes and listened to their mature sound that resonated with dignity. They are old souls who have seen a lot in their few years on this earth.
We took the stage shortly after and in my years of singing, never have I experienced such a frenzy. Without a microphone we sang our favorites and over 1,500 students were on their feet, wildly waving and dancing to our music. The female students went crazy for our male singers.
For our last song the students suprised us with singing our national anthem. 1,500 small voices singing, boldly, proudly for their American Guests. We were able to return the gift by singing NoKosi Sikelel, the People's Song, a beautiful, soothing song of healing which we all sang together in Africaans. The emotion griped my throat making it difficult to hit my notes. In the end, it took us almost an hour to leave as we wanted to get to know the students and spend some time with them.
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