Many local and youth choirs in the country, are faced with a lack of funding to enable them to cater for their needs and take them to greater heights.
These needs among others include purchasing choir uniforms, and musical equipment, paying for recording studios as well as covering travel and food expenses.
Erongo Regional Arts Extension Officer in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture and choir conductor Roger Nautoro told Nampa in a recent interview that funding availability is one of the most important factors of any organisation or institution’s growth.
“Although we (Erongo Regional Youth Choir, ERYC) are very fortunate and grateful to the ministry which is trying to assist the youth choir here and there, there are so many other local choirs which do not get the same assistance and that are struggling with finances,” Nautoro noted while calling on stakeholders and music lovers to assist the youth choirs in the realisation of their dreams of touring and showcasing their talents.
Nautoro was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the ERYC, which aims to become the gateway for the broader development of all the region’s school choirs, as learners will be coached and equipped with skills to further invest in their respective school choirs.
In 2019, Arts and Culture were officially declared as an elective supplementary subject in the Namibian Education system.
Attending the event, Erongo Governor Neville Andre Itope expressed that choral music does not only help get the youth off the streets and prevent them from getting involved in indecent activities, but it also has the power to heal broken souls and communities at large.
“It is for this reason, among others, that we now need trained people in the arts fraternity to assist the ministry to give choral and arts training to teachers all over the country,” he implored.
The ERYC comprises of 63 choir members from all 20 secondary schools in the Erongo region. Each school is represented by four learners who are part of their school choirs.
The choir is scheduled to attend the 12th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival and Competition in Wernigerode, Germany in July 2023.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
