Mercy inspires music

In a world rampaged by terrorism, injustice and selfishness, in an age where election results bring fear and uncertainty, in a time where locally, our own economic conditions bring a feeling of dread as to what the future holds, “The Holy Father, Pope Francis, proclamation of a Jubilee Year of Mercy was the inspiration for the three nights of GOBAG 8,” explains the ebullient production/artistic director, Kwasi Noel.

The Holy Year began on December 8, 2015 and ended in Rome on November 27, 2016 on the Feast of Christ the King. During this extraordinary Jubilee Year, the church was called to not only reflect upon, but to live the message of mercy, a message beautifully crafted in the words: Be Merciful like the Father.

The Archdiocese of Port-of- Spain truly experienced the Year of Mercy in a deep way and in this vein, the theme of this year’s concert represented Fatima College’s recognition of the Jubilee Year. It is said in the touching hymn to love in Corinthians 13:13, “As it is, these three remain: faith, hope and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.” The cast featuring the college’s Senior and Junior Choirs, The Fatima College and Holy Name Convent Mixed Choir, The Fatima College Guitar Troupe, The Fatima College Senior Steel Ensemble and the Junior Steel Ensemble which was formed in January 2016 by Duvano Garnes, the chemistry lab assistant. The ensemble which comprises 30 students of form one –most of whom had little or no exposure to pan– was formed “to instill an appreciation for our culture.” Also on the cast was Los Cantantes de Nuestra Senora de Fatima –all coming together to sing, dance and dramatise this powerful message as Christmas Gifts to a faithful, hope-filled, loving audience. The concerts were held from November 25 to 27.

The first half of the show presented messages of faith and hope - a mix of powerful classics such as “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and music that may be somewhat unfamiliar, for example the finale of the first half of the production: “Waloyo Yamoni” which translates to mean “We Overcome”. The main refrain of the song is “Beber!” which means: It is Well! Sung in the African language of Lango, the piece carries the message that no matter how bad things get, no matter how heavy it rains, we must rejoice and believe that everything is well! A main element of the song was the dance that accompanies it, featuring of course the boys of Fatima but additionally a group of young ladies from the Cascade Festival Ballet. The second half of the show focused on the message of love: love for God and mankind and many of the pieces in this segment had the audience singing along. The success of GOBAG 8, as usual, relied on the commitment of many teachers, with full support from Father Gregory Augustine, CSSP, principal of the college who declared that “the theme of this year’s concert Faith, Hope and Love: Christmas Gifts of Mercy is in commemoration of the Year of Mercy...may the theme of this year’s concert inspire us in the faith that our young people have it within them to be the hope for the future.

“The performing arts are food for the soul: they inspire creativity and character. The passion and love of all involved will indeed be our gift this Christmas season.”