#MusicWeDeyFeel: All-time Favorites, including these from Soweto Gospel Choir

I have sang in a choir in my life, the Clerk House choir at Presec. I am not a great singer, I do sing tenor though. I did enough to get into the choir. One of the best all-time choirs - worldwide - is the Soweto Gospel Choir. Don't believe me? Ask the Grammys. Their albums Blessed, African Spirit and Freedom won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album in 2006, 2007 and 2019, respectively. They have even been nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes. 

I was first introduced to this choir by some Southern African friends while in MIT. Their music features heavily on my Sundays - including this blessed one. 

African Dream - 2005
What is the African Dream? The conversation has been had in some circles, but not quite discussed, decided and disseminated. Listen to the song, if you get lost in the voices and melodies, listen to it a couple more times. 

I have tweeted about this several times, including the text below (twice as nice).
"Cos in my African dream, there is a new tomorrow. My African dream is a dream that we can follow. ... Bawetu we Afrika!! Igugu le Afrika!!"

We want to do a lot for Africa. But we know we must combine our efforts. It is captured in these words. "All I want is for our heartbeats. To beating just as one. To silence that confusion. And the pain and the illusion. Will disappear again. And we would never run"

This is not the African Dream the choir sang about. Through GhanaThink, we have been talking about
the #GhanaianDream too. We are on it. "You can blow out a candle but you cannot blow out a fire. Once the flames begin to catch the wind will blow it higher" Biko, because!

Hlohonolofatsa - 2007
This song makes the cut simply because of an experience I had with my sister Stacey, my aunt Charlotte and her friend Vera through a journey we made from Kumasi to Accra while #CelebratingMummy. I started playing the song in the VimRide and was singing along. They joined in, with their melodious voices and then it felt like heaven. I didn't record it and maybe listening to the Soweto Gospel Choir would give you an even better feeling. 

Such a simple song with few lyrics. "Iyo hlonolofatsa(Iyo Bless). Iyo hlonolofatsa (Iyo Bless). Iyo ka lebtso la Ntate(Bless in the name of the father). (Iyoyoyo hlonolofatsa)(Iyoyoyo Bless)". Makes me think about Museke & Kasahorow one time!

I'll Remember You - 2007
You know when people use the phrase, "Thank Me Later". When I listen to this song, I think about that, I think about positive impact, both direct and indirect. Impact is important to me. We are the ones we are waiting for. Listen. 

"I'll remember you. When I've forgotten all the rest, You to me were true, You to me were the best."
We have a lot of mentors and advisors in our lives, we need them - I believe that a lot, which is why mentoring is a huge part of what we do at GhanaThink via the Barcamp Ghana and Junior Camp Ghana programs.

"It was you who came right through, it was you who understood. Although I'd never say. That I done it the way. Now that you'd have left me too. In the end, My dear sweet friend, I'll remember you."

Honorable Mentions: Africa, Hosanna, Asimbonanga / Biko, Shosholoza, Tshepa Thapelo, Modimo, Thula Mama, Ahuna Ya Tswanag Le Jesu_Kammatla, Seteng Sediba, etc.