Watoto_Children's_Choir
Watoto Children's Choir
Musical artist
The Watoto Children's Choir is a group of African children's choirs based in Kampala, Uganda, at Watoto Church. They tour internationally.[1][2][3] Each choir is composed of about eighteen to twenty-two children from Uganda. Their tours raise money as well as awareness for the Watoto orphanages in Kampala.
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“Watoto” means "Children" in Swahili. The choir is made up of children who have lost one or both parents, often as a result of AIDS.[4] Watoto operates six choirs, which tour Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. The choirs travel with a team of adult chaperones who look after the children and also manage the day-to-day logistics of the tour on the road. The choir has toured Asia, Australia, Brazil, Canada and China.[5][6]
Their ‘Concerts of Hope’ are a blend of African rhythms, contemporary gospel music, creative dance and story-telling. They have released several albums including “Mambo Number 5”, “Beautiful Africa” and “What Is Love”. Their latest album "Wherever You Will Go” features live music played throughout the concerts on most of the tours.
The Watoto Children's Choirs have performed with award-winning artists including Chris Tomlin, Israel Houghton and Martin Smith[clarification needed].[citation needed] They have also been invited to the UK Houses of Parliament, the Canadian and Australian Parliaments as well as the White House.[citation needed]
As of May 2020, Watoto, the umbrella organisation, is under investigation by Uganda's Internal Security Organisation for alleged breaches of the country's child labour laws, taking children out of the country illegally and placing them at risk. Over 80 members of the choir including 48 children reportedly were stranded overseas in the US, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Brazil after Uganda closed its borders on 23 March. [7]
