Last week, the attention of music lovers fell on an unassuming Karoo dorpie as the learners of Colesberg Primary, Umso High School and Umthombo Wolwazi Intermediate Farm School made history at the provincial SA Schools Choral Eisteddfod held at the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre in Kimberly between the 11 – 13 July. In several unforgettable performances, and representing the entire Pixley kaSeme region, the three schools each bagged a spot to compete in the national SA Schools Choral Eisteddfod. It’s been a long time coming from when these schools were competing in the district rounds held in Upington in May. The provincial competition had some 2 500 learners battling it out for top honours. Last year, both Umso and Colesberg Primary school’s hopes were dashed in the provincial stages, making a heartbreaking early exit. Umthombo Wolwazi weren’t even participating in the competitions until Unathi Asiya, Umthombo’s own exceptional teacher and choir conductor, figured this year her learners were ready.
Dyantyi, the assiduous female conductor and music coach who takes the Colesberg Primary lot through their paces would not be settling for second best. In the rigorous training schedule (which includes practice sessions over weekends and school holidays) that she devised for her charges, she had only one goal in mind: going all the way to the national finals. And, while there, maybe to sommer win the whole thing.
Last week’s results are a step towards that end but for now the pressure’s really on. Wafa-wafa, as they say in football parlance – do or die. Come August, they will have to put on the mother of all performances as they square up against the nation’s crème de la crème. Not to mention that they may find themselves on the back foot, disadvantaged in ways that aren’t immediately discernible. In some ways, the school may have had to jump a few more hurdles than some of its more privileged adversaries.
Trawling through its premises one finds a school very much still playing catch-up. There are no computer or science labs, not even a designated music hall. Dyantyi’s rehearsals are conducted in regular classrooms, the chairs stacked high up against the walls. This makes it hard for Mphemba to gauge the acoustics and how her learners might sound inside an amphitheater during competitions. To counter this, she resorts to the primordial; they step outside and simply sing their little lungs out under the open Karoo sky. This on its own says a lot about what these kids have gone through to get this far. And what they are capable of given half a chance. ‘I’m very pleased of what the learners have accomplished,’ says a beaming Dyantyi. ‘It’s been eight years of hard work for me working with them. Although one has always been pleased seeing them progressing through to the provincials in previous years, this year it’s been really special. Now we’re going up against the very best.’
At Umso, the situation is just about the same. Despite this being a high school, the facilities are hardly the kind one would reconcile with a higher education institution in the midlle of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). If there is, however, one advantage that speaks in Umso’s favour, it’s the combination of natural singing ability and a community where song and dance are intimately woven into the social fabric. Before they could put together a coherent sentence, many of these kids were already singing. From a young age many could take up a formidable tune and Bulelani Mkontwana – Umso’s music coach – now is tasked with fortifying them with the guidance and technicalities of the craft.
Having never received formal music training – at least not the kind where one walks away with a diploma or title – the education of Nolwethu Dyantyi happened at the Old Apostolic Church, the refurbished building standing lonely and upright on the outskirts of Bongweni Location. There, the ladies are universally known for their piercing soprano. A jumpy, Africanised opera in God’s house that left one observer quipping, ‘there is church … and then there is the Apostolic vibe.’ Music here is a sacrament and Mphemba takes it very seriously. Even though she is not technically employed as a music teacher, the results, now plain to see, and have seen her subjects doing splendidly in various competitions have twisted the provincial government’s arm into acknowledging her indispensable skills. A few years ago NC Premier Dr Zamani Saul gave R50 000 apiece to Umso and Colesberg Primary.
About 30 kilometers out of town lies Umthobo Wolwazi, every bit what springs to mind whenever the word ‘miracle’ is brought up. Some thirty years ago this was a barren patch of land on an everyday Karoo sheep farm faced with a mammoth problem: how to bring quality education to the children of labourers, sheep-shearers and farmers in the area? Three uncertain but strong-willed farmers’ wives started bouncing ideas off of one another. A playhouse here, maybe a classroom. Was this all even conceivable? Nothing of this magnitude had taken hold in an area where even established schools were struggling to tread above water.
But now here we are, over three decades on and the school has exceeded all expectations. It boasts innovative teaching techniques, a vibrant extracurricular programme, counselling services, on-site medical services, a culinary school, amongst a plethora of endeavours to curb malnutrition, alcohol abuse, foetal alcohol syndrome and all those other ailments that tend to affect these marginalised communities. And they have earned tons of awards – including one from Nelson Mandela himself – to account for themselves. Not to mention the large numbers of working class parents from surrounding townships who work themselves to the bone to try to give their children a brighter future at the school.
Mr Zola Ngondo, principal of Colesberg Primary is immensely pleased. ‘Our performance,’ he says inside his office, ‘was wonderful. Outstanding! And I’m confident that they are going to make it to the national finals.’ But the word of the day must go to Bulelani ‘Twi’ Mkontwana. Outside of a long-term, idealistic vision, this towering conductor of the Umso High Choir is first and foremost humbled for the opportunity ‘to stand before these talent learners.’ Although exceedingly pleased with what his charges have done, this, he believes has simply laid the groundwork.
On the road ahead, Twi envisions deeper community involvement with the schools. Citing high youth unemployment, he wonders why is it that rather than watch their own talents go to waste, these jobless individuals don’t consider what he’s done – volunteering their services towards uplifting the youngsters at Colesberg’s schools. His own youth, he recalls, was characterised by sports and singing competitions over the weekends, something he finds himself reminiscing nostalgically about. On the day of our remote interview, he was at Umso, his students getting all warmed-up for practice. He hopes that this will all pay off come 7 – 10 August when the National competition gets underway at the Rhema Church Ministries in Randburg, Gauteng.
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Congratulations to our schools we are so proud of them.