By Christina Smith
Staff Writer
SAN DIEGO–The Watoto Children’s Choir, representing the Watoto rehabilitation organization in Uganda, Africa, made one of its last stops in the city at the First United Methodist Church of El Cajon Saturday, presenting an evening of colorful songs and dances designed to showcase their culture and share their stories.
According to the Watoto website, “Watoto Children’s Choirs have traveled internationally since 1994 as advocates for the estimated 50 million children in Africa, orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, war, poverty and disease. Accompanied by a team of adults, the choir presents Watoto’s vision and mission through their stories, music and dance. Watoto choirs act as ambassadors to raise awareness about the plight of the orphaned and vulnerable children of Africa.” (http://www.watoto.com/the-choir)
Gladys Oyenbot is one of the adults that travels and performs with the choir. She is responsible for taking care of three children while the choir is on tour. She said she put her acting career on hold to give her time to the children, to travel and perform with them, and to be a mother figure to the children she supervises. She believes that for the children, performing their stories is therapeutic.
“When we come here to perform, it’s not just an entertainment performance, but it’s also for us to tell our stories because it’s healing, when we tell our stories. When the children tell their stories, it’s a healing,” Oyenbot said.
Considering their circumstances, Oyenbot believes that the amount of joy the children have when they perform is remarkable. According to the Watato website, over 14 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. (http://www.watoto.com/about-us/african-statistics)
“There’s a greater need in Uganda, there’s a greater need. If you are able to do something, it doesn’t take a lot, give back. It can be your time, it can be prayer, it can be just a word of encouragement to these children, that’s all, a smile on their face, a hug, is so important and they appreciate all that. So if you are able to do something, please do it,” Oyenbot said.
The concert gave attendees information about the plight of orphaned Ugandan children and let them know what they could do to help. Monetary donations were collected and African gift items were sold after the concert to benefit the Watoto Children’s choir and the millions of other orphaned children like them in Africa.
Despite the statistics, Oyenbot wants people to know that there are still a lot of things to love about her homeland.
“There’s so much beauty in Africa, because we sing, we dance, we still value our customs, we still value our cultures, and that’s the beauty about even our performance. When we perform, we are letting people aware of our cultures, the richness in the cultures, the richness in our dances and the music, the energy that we have, that no matter what people perceive to have heard or know about Africa: civil war, diseases, poverty, there’s still beauty in that continent,” Oyenbot said.
For more information on the Watoto Children’s Choir, or to make donations, visit www.watoto.com.
