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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2009

Bob Cuddy: A Congolese choir’s journey to California

Struggle seen through with song

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The singers from the Congo have been enjoying the Central Coast, chilly though it may be for these visitors whose bloodstreams are more attuned to Africa’s equatorial regions.

Still, they would like to get back home, and that has been a tall order, involving an airline mix-up that left them wondering how they are going to fly back to Washington, D.C., to catch their plane back to Brazzaville this week.

They may have founda solution. More on that in a bit.

First a little about who they are.

The scrambling that the Sikama Choir and their sponsors have been undertaking has, happily, not kept the public from hearing their wonderful music.

The choir comes from the Republic of the Congo. It was started several years ago by Elisabeth Makosso Safou, who is its director and president.

Sikama, Makosso Safou says, means “awake” in the Kongo language.

She stopped by The Tribune on Friday to talk about the choir. She was joined by the choir’s technical director, Phillipe Siassa; a sponsor, Wendy Lucas; and translator Jackie Bradley.

Like our African visitors, Bradley, who spent her early years in the Congo, speaks French. So does your humble scribe (although a Frenchman would strenuously disagree), who spent two years in Gabon, just north of the Republic of the Congo.

My linguistic limits kicked in relatively swiftly, however, and Bradley handled the bulk of the interview with Siassa and Makosso Safou.

The director formed the choir after civil unrest in her homeland that took thousands of lives. The choir, which has 30 members, includes Congolese people from many religions and backgrounds, in a land of enormous diversity.

Through hard work and alertness (Siassa monitors the Internet), they were able to find a way to bring 13 of their choir members to the Central Coast this week for the California International Choral Festival.

The choir’s repertoire displays their diversity. They sing religious songs in Lingala, Kongo, Teke, Vili and other African languages, as well as French and English.

The choir is more than that, however. Makosso Safou says its diverse makeup and selection of songs shows that people can work together even in the aftermath of war. Speaking of evil times, she says “ca passe, comme le vent” — they pass, like the wind.

“We celebrate our rebirth, through art, as a unified nation,” the group’s formal statement says. “We wish to share with you our joy, our passion, and our love of beauty in all forms.”

Bradley asked what differences Siassa and Makosso Safou noticed in this, their first visit off the African continent.

The weather, of course, they said. And “I’ve had a difficult time with food,” said Siassa, smiling. “Not that it’s bad,” he adds. “It’s just different.”

Americans have more exactitude, both added, more adherence to being on time. Back home, they said, there is “French time” and “African time.” The latter is more leisurely.

And, finally, they said, “Americans want to give back; they’re generous.”

That last trait has shown up in the loans they have received to help them get back to Washington. Simply put, the person who arranged their air fare from Washington to Los Angeles bought one-way tickets.

The choir now must make up the difference, roughly $4,000. They have done that through personal loans from California supporters of the choir, but want to pay back the donors, who themselves are strapped for cash.

With that in mind, they are selling at their performances handmade African art sculpted in wood by a Congolese man.

So when you go to hear them this afternoon or this evening (or both), prepare to be moved by their music. But bring a checkbook as well.

I’ll give the Sikama Choir the last word. “We hope our music and art enriches your lives as it has enriched ours.”

If you go

• Sunday, 1 p.m.: the Choir’s Choice Competition

• Sunday, 8 p.m.:The Grand Finale awards

Where: Cal Poly Performing Arts Center

Reach Bob Cuddy at bcuddy@thetribunenews.com.