Music that unites
Over the years, numerous South African choirs, singers and musical artists have generously shared their songs with Papaya. We would like to share some of the experiences that follow when songs are shared in South Africa during cultural meetings between local black choirs and this Scandinavian vocal group.
South Africans are really surprised, when they meet with and experience the performance of a white Danish choir, that sings songs that they have only heard in the rural villages and in the city townships – or that they have been severely punished for singing in the times of apartheid. Papaya loves the songs and has great pleasure in sharing them with their Danish and European audiences.
When Papaya travels in South Africa and do workshops with the black South Africans, the songs really get under their skin and they get to understand the important role, the songs have had during apartheid and in the post apartheid process of truth and reconciliation between the black and white people in the country.
It is extremely powerful for a white singer to sing an anti apartheid song to a black audience in South Africa. Carrying this precious luggage of South African cultural heritage with us when we are there, enables us to meet and network with people; we would never have met, had we not had this special passion.
The power and intensity of these cultural meetings is passed on to our Danish audience through storytelling, dance and singing.