http://jirani.kr/eng/
Jirani means 'good neighbors' in Swahili.
In spite of a thriving tourism sector, Kenya is one of the 10 most economically
depressed countries in the world. Many people from all over the country come
to live in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, where there are about 10 of the
world's largest and poorest slums. Jirani Choir is located in the Korogocho-
Dandora slum. Most of the adults in this district live by selling garbage
collected from the nearby garbage dump.
What do you think life is like for children raised
in the shadow of a garbage dump?
All members of the Choir are recruited from the Korogocho-Dandora slum,
which is the poorest district in Kenya.
Most of the children do not have enough money or food. Some of them have
no parents to take care of them. Many of them live in houses where there is
no electricity and no plumbing. Prior to the founding of the Choir, music had
nothing to do with the lives of these children.
In August of 2006,Tae Jong Rim started the Jirani Choir project in order to give hope and
a vision for a better future to children in the Korogocho-Dandora slum.
An internationally known musician, Jae Chang Kim, was appointed conductor
and artistic director, and Choir members were recruited from 40 primary and
secondary schools in the slum area through interviews and auditions.
As of June 2008, there are over 100 choir members in the Choir.
Their families and neighborhoods have benefited directly and indirectly through
increased sense of self-worth and capacity for hope that Jirani brings to these
energetic young people.
Jirani has performed for significant events. In December of 2006, Jirani Choir
had their opening concert at the National Theater in Nairobi. Many Kenyan
government officials and the Korean ambassador to Kenya attended the
ceremony among over 400 guests. The performance was a great success.
After that, The Choir was invited to the State House in Nairobi on June 1st,
2007 to entertain the president of Kenya and his national guests for the
independence day celebrations. The large audience cheered over the Choir
performance. "Doraji", a Korean folk song, was presented in Korean,
and it also received a thunderous round of applause from the audience.
Jirani Choir traveled to Korea!
(November 26, 2007 ~ January 14, 2008)
Jirani Choir gave 25 concerts in 10 cities in South Korea including an
invitational concert at the National Assembly building in Seoul and a final
'encore' concert at Kwacheon Civic Center. Many audiences for the concerts
were moved to tears and enthusiastically called for an encore at the end of
every performance. During their tour of Korea, the Choir frequently appeared
on national TV and radio broadcasts such as KBS-TV, MBC-TV, SBS-TV,
MBC-radio, TBS, CTS, CBS and CGN-TV.
All choir members love to sing in the Jirani Choir. But some parents did not
want their children to go to choir practice because they wanted their children
to go to the garbage dump to look for things to sell. The stepmother of one
child even threatened the child with a knife, to the point where the child had
to be hidden from her stepmother for a while. But music has power.
Music exists all over the world, and people from different regions and
ethnic groups all have their own styles of music. Music contributes to a rich
and meaningful life, and singing enriches their days and gives them hope for
a better tomorrow.
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