REVIEW - The last of three charity concerts held by Islamic Relief SA to celebrate "25 years of service to humanity" culminated in Cape Town on Sunday with the charity raking in R175,000 in pledges from the audience. Double this amount was raised at the Durban concert on Friday with more than half a million rands being raised at the Johannesburg concert last week. This excludes profits made from ticket sales, all of which went directly to the charity, thanks to sponsors which covered the cost of the concerts. VOC acted as local media partner.
While the first half of the show focused on the charity work being done by Islamic Relief, producer Jeremy Karodia must be praised for the flow of the show which neatly built to an unforgettable climax. The concerts were being held primarily to raise funds for orphans that Islamic Relief is taking care of around the country. The undisputable highlight of the show came when six of these orphans - one of whom left her hospital bed to be on stage - performed Zain Bhikha's biggest hit, the tearjerker, I think my mom is amazing.
The nasheed which culminates with the youngster realizing that she was still in a lonely orphanage and it was all a dream, had tears flowing freely. Organisers then capitalized on this moment by encouraging the audience to dig into the gift bags they had been given to fill out the pledge forms. The initiative was so successful that the charity managed to raise a further three quarter of a million rands from the concerts, including from people who had very little to spare.
"How can you not give, having listened to these children singing this nasheed and knowing that they really don't have parents? I could not afford to buy tickets for the show and was invited to come along. Like many other people, it is tough times and I don't always know where tomorrow's meal is going to come from, but I took out whatever I had to give because it is a worthy cause. I did not feel that it was a gimmick at all," one member of the audience from the Boland, who chose to remain anonymous, told VOC.
Talent
The show featured the talents of doctor turned comedian, Dr Riaad Moosa, who had the audience rolling in the isles while acting as Master of Ceremonies. Undeniably now a stand up comedian to be counted, Riaad - whose toddler, Zamir made a surprise appearance on stage, much to the delight of the audience - tapped into the Muslim psyche and poked fun at his own community in a manner the audience totally appreciated. Now working on his next show, For the Baraka, Moosa has become one of the best comedians in the country.
The headline act was South Africa's premiere nasheed artist, Zain Bhikha, who also launched his latest CD, 1415 - The Beginning. He enthralled audiences with his mellow nasheed which included the ever popular Mountains of Makkah, Allah Knows and Zamilooni before introducing the new Palestinian track, Freedom will come with his son, Rasheed. While Yusuf Islam's Peace Train - which was also performed with the orphans - did not sound as good on stage as it does on the CD, it still blew new life into an old hit and members of the audience happily sang along.
Local group Desert Rose closed out the show with Remembrance and Love is our Mother, based on a poem by Rumi. Both tracks were first performed live at last year's VOC Homecoming Festival to rave reviews. Then they gave members of the audience goose bumps when Yusuf Ganief, Lynn Holmes-Ganief and Jewish artist, Ayala Katz, performed the hit composed for Gaza, Who is Your God. They concluded their stint with a dua by Imam Ghazali, composed for the Imam Al Ghazali conference in May, I ask You.
Quality
Hats off to Islamic Relief for bringing together the best talents in the SA Muslim community for a charity concert that raised the bar to a new high for others. The price of R100 was a steal for some of the best entertainment I've had on a Sunday afternoon. It is also something new for Cape Town who might have a long history in qasida, but has never paid to attend nasheed concert.
However, a great deal of progress was made on Sunday when IR was left with only 60 unsold tickets. Compared to a similar concert quickly organised last year with Zain Bhikha at the Joseph Stone theatre, this was sold out. Last year's Cape Town concert did not manage to even fill half a hall. The concerts in Durban and Johannesburg where equally successful, in fact in Johannesburg, people had to be turned away.
Unfortunately, many families with young children found that the concert which started at 2.30pm and ended at 5.45pm was just a bit too long for their little ones. As a result, many left by half time. Sadly they missed out on the best nasheed concert Cape Town has seen this year by artists who are at the top of their game and deserved to be supported. VOC (Munadia Karaan) |
