Plan to help revive choirs

A NEW Cape Malay choir forum, Keep The Dream, aimed at rescuing cash-strapped and dwindling singing brigades, was launched at the weekend

Naziem Benjamin, who founded the forum earlier this year, said it had the support of the four existing Cape Malay choir boards in Western Cape.

Choir leaders from the various boards were at the forum's launch on Sunday at the Good Hope Centre in the city.

Benjamin said a 19-member board would run the forum and its funding component. Their mission was to raise cash for dwindling choirs and attract more young people to sign up.

"We need to do something for the choirs. People don't have enough money to put food on their table, so how can they buy a choir uniform? It costs up to R400000 a year to keep a choir going."

Benjamin said there was a need to get young people to join since this would help keep them busy away from drugs.

The fund would also seek to organise more Cape Malay choir performances in Cape Town to "expose the talent and keep people and the youth interested".