Things I Tell My Wife by Matt Knutson

“Do you want your photo taken outside of their tour bus?” I joked with my wife as we were driving to Albert Lea to see the African Children’s Choir. When I saw a tweet from the Albert Lea Tribune announcing the choir’s performance and shared it with my wife, her desire to go was sputtered out faster than a cheetah chasing down its prey. We were going, and she was thrilled.

I enjoy attending cultural events like the African Children’s Choir performance because it brings out a side of my wife that I don’t see very often. Her Kenyan accent from her high school days slips out a little as she talks and she starts listening to music in other languages while slightly dancing to remain unnoticed, but I notice.

It is as if a whole new person is awakened inside of her that was sleeping for far too long, and after we saw the African Children’s Choir, I think everyone in attendance felt a little more African than when they first walked into the United Methodist Church.

Sera and I had watched a few brief performance clips on YouTube of the choir, but we didn’t expect that excitement to come all the way from Uganda to Albert Lea. “This will probably be the beginners’ group, and the children work their way up to the top touring group,” I thought to myself. That certainly wasn’t the case.

The moment these children stepped onto their stage they were bringing it as if we had paid top dollar. These kids had dance moves that wore me out after the first song, and they didn’t stop until the performance was done many songs later. Their voices? Beautiful. Wonderful harmonies throughout a choir of 20-ish members all while moving faster and more precise than I could dream. Plus, their smiling faces were wonderful bonus to their dancing and singing.

These children loved what they were doing. Sure, it’s nice to go to a concert put on by professional musicians who have dedicated their life to mastering an instrument, and rightly so take their profession very seriously. It was more fun to go to a concert of talented kids who are ready to bring it and express their inner joy as they perform.

I’m certain these young Africans had been well coached to smile at every possible moment, but they wouldn’t be able to sustain that grin without doing something they love. If everyone in the world could find a job that gives them the joy that these kids were pouring into their audience, the world would be an entirely different and wonderful place.

Their joy was especially surprising when we were told that all of these children had lost one, if not both of their parents. This choir exists to raise funds for other children in the African countries who have similar tragedies in their past. Their tours have raised enough money for thousands of children to get an education and further contribute to society.

These talented kids know that every performance helps someone else back home have a better life, and we were thankful to be a part of that change. Our paths crossed with a choir full of Ugandans who have lived a difficult life already at such a young age, and instead of seeking comfort from an audience ready to console, they delivered joy.

The stories and spirit that sprung from these children was truly remarkable. As each shared what they aspired to be when they grew up, it was easy to imagine them changing the world. Police officers, doctors, pilots, nurses, lawyers, were all listed off with a confidence that only comes from kids who are already living out one of their dreams as entertainers.

As Americans, we come from a country where these professions are all easily attainable if you put in enough work. I’d guess the act of “putting in enough work” for these children would be the most fun part.

As we left the concert on Sunday impressed by every aspect of the African Children’s Choir, I’m certain my wife would have supported following their tour bus to the next stop and seeing their show all over again.

True to my wife’s nature, my tongue-in-cheek suggestion of having our photo taken in front of their bus was taken seriously, and she’s looking forward to taking another photo in front of the next African tour bus that rolls into southern Minnesota.

 

Rochester resident Matt Knutson is the communications and events director for United Way of Olmsted County.