16 Jun 2024

Ebenezer Gospel Choir proved its mettle and emerged number one in the Clap and Tap genre of the National Arts Festival Regional Competitions held in Selebi Phikwe on Saturday.

The group beat 11 other choirs across the region and will represent Central region in the final leg of the competitions slated for July.

Clad in black and white regalia, the choir enchanted the crowd with a self-composed song titled, Thapelo ya bodiragatsi.

The Serowe-based group featuring youthful members, is not new to the Clap and Tap genre and its roots can be traced back to Faith Gospel After Church (FGAC) that is renowned for hosting the annual Clap and Tap choir competitions during Easter celebrations.

“At FGAC, we scooped position one for three consecutive years,” said choir lead singer Kgosietsile Lesole in an interview.

Characterised by hand clapping and tapping rhythms, Clap and Tap genre will be featured for the first time in this year’s National Arts Festival.

 “We are happy to have won the competition. However, it was not a walk in the park,” said Lesole and added that choirs such as second placed Bagaka ba Tumelo from Serowe and third placed FGAC V6 choir from Letlhakane and Baitshephi from Selebi Phikwe were strong contenders.

He said their hard work during rehearsals had paid off and earned them a space in the final.

The competition attracted choirs from Serowe, Letlhakane, Tonota, Palapye, Francistown and Selebi Phikwe.

One of the adjudicator’s Joel Motlhabani thanked participating choirs for displaying an exceptional performance with the last placed choir scoring more than 60 per cent.

He said Clap and Tap genre was different from choral music hence the ministry did well by separating it from choral.

“This is the beginning of more things to come,” he said.

To determine the winner, judges also looked at the expression of the taps, key, coordination of the lead singer and the rest of the choir as well as emotional engagement.

National Arts Council manager, Tshireletso Modikwa said the National Arts Festival gave Batswana an opportunity to celebrate culture and at the same time generate income for artists.

He said the festival formerly dubbed President’s Day competitions, had grown in leaps and bounds as witnessed by the introduction of Clap and Tap category.

Modikwa added that incorporating the genre into the competition showed government’s commitment and recognition of the contribution made by churches in the music industry. ENDS