Soweto Gospel Choir “Hope: It’s Been a Long Time Coming”

The Soweto Gospel Choir returns to Penn State with a new concert commemorating the rights and freedom movements in two countries, “Hope: It’s Been a Long Time Coming.”

The program will include South African freedom music; along with popular anthems of the American civil-rights era, including songs by James Brown, Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield and Aretha Franklin.

Hailing from Soweto (South West Township), a town outside of Johannesburg and home of Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s democratic movement, Soweto Gospel Choir continues to inspire audiences around the world with a powerful blend of African gospel, freedom songs and international classics. The choir was formed in 2003 at the end of the apartheid era and during South Africa’s inspiring return to democracy.