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The Magic of Watoto

Recently, along with many of my schoolmates, I got the chance to see a performance by a wonderful
group of singing and dancing children.
Called “Watoto”, which means children in the Swahili language of Africa, these very talented kids
belied the circumstances of their upbringing with their vibrant personaliti es and stage presence.
In fact they are all “AIDS orphans”. One or both of their parents died of this disease so that apart
from providing an outlet for their talent, this wonderful singing and dancing choir is also a family to its
youthful members.
Through their dance and song, I could see their expectations of the future. There was one song
that really moved me, called “Oh, what love.” It is a song of faith and its lyrics seem to express the
metamorphosis of the children from tragedy to light.
Talking to the children aft er the concert, I learned how happy they are to live in this world. I realised
that we at Pooi To should be grateful for what we have.
As teenagers we always think our parents are annoying. We may want to spend more ti me with our
friends than with our parents. We never thank them for what they do for us. On the other hand, the
children in Watoto lost their parents when they were small. They can’t thank their parents since they
will never again have a chance to talk to them!
So let’s do it now. On behalf of all the girls at Pooi To I want to thank our parents for caring for us!