Looking back about three decades, I remember the world-wide fears that a terrible calamity was about to unfold in South Africa. It seemed that there was no way forward. Was a civil war avoidable? Would black and whites face off in a military struggle after racial segregation had been pursued with such vigor? The preceding years of apartheid had harvested bitterness and racial strife. Could peace ever come?
So, who could believe that today some of the world's finest choirs are found in South Africa? And that they are integrated with amazing Black singers and Whites who learned to sing in Zulu, Swahili, and other languages? The astounding harmony in concert halls in South Africa is beyond belief. The struggle of South African citizens for equality and justice continues, but many signs are encouraging.
It's a symbol of hope to me that wherever people determine to look beyond the immediate circumstances caused by partisan dogmas, there is the hope of people of all colors singing together. In this case, they are singing The Lord's Prayer, in Swahili, the language of East Africa ... in South Africa. Isn't it amazing what happens when young people sing a prayer?
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