“Aliyense Alinavyo” is a Kunda-language song that reminds Kunda Christians of the many things, including money and produce, that should be given as offerings to God.
When we arrived at the Chikowa Catholic Center in Mfuwe, Zambia the Chikowa Catholic Zone Choir was waiting to record. We quickly determined that the sanctuary was much too “live” (reverberant) for recording so all of the gear was moved outside. We set up the choir in the shade of the trees and the instruments in the shade of the church building. We were just beginning our sound check when the power went out. Several of the young men sprang into action, leaving us to get a generator and long extension cables. First there were problems with the generator, then with the power strips. During the long wait we went ahead and recorded the choir songs a cappella – just in case we never had power. Sure enough, as we were recording the final a cappella song they got the power working! Of course, then we had to begin the process of sound checking all over again, dealing with noisy amplifiers and controls that weren’t working properly. Finally we were able to combine one guitar and bass into the loud speaker and take another guitar direct so as to avoid a noisy amp. Plus we had to keep moving the choir (and mics) so that could remain in the shade (it was very hot).
One effect of this long process is that we did not include many video shots of the choir in the final performance – because, in our minds, we had already video taped the choir with no instruments. Problem is that the tempos were not exactly the same, so in the end you have only 30 seconds of choir in the visual frame at the end of the song. Regardless, this was a great song and a well-rehearsed group. Our video shots show the entire environment (all outdoors) complete with onlookers, dancing girls and recumbent musicians. It was a long day but a memorable one and we are grateful for these artists and their dedication to the ministry of song.
Enjoy!