….A week after Joyous Celebration Choir’s no show delivered no Joy
By Harry Taruva Kwedu News Editor in Sydney.
A sigh of relief and anxiety is in the air for Australian gospel lovers as the Afripraise Festival Australia set for Sydney and Perth on 30th November nears after the Joyous Celebration tour that never took place.
But questions remain on the mouths of many gig lovers as to who will make the final line-up of confirmed singers that are coming. Kwedu News sent an email to Afripraise Management asking them to confirm the final line-up but they didn’t provide any clarity. Of note, the Afripraise pages have featured two Joyous Celebration members including Jabu Hlongwane, as part of those coming to minister, but with this uncertainty it is not clear whether this time they will make the trip.
Led by the popular “Ndiri Mweya” hit song makers, ZimPraise, the Afripraise Festival will be in Sydney on the 30th of November 2024 at EGCC, and Perth on the 1st of December at the Regal Theatre.
The festival will feature a star-studded lineup of gospel artists from Zimbabwe and beyond.
Apart from ZimPraise, headlining the festival are renowned gospel groups and artists, including Annatoria, Jabu Hlongwane, Nozipho Phiri, Minister Takesure Zamar Ncube, Minister Ellard and Sharon Cherayi, Tega Uniurin, Kuda Mutsvene and several others.
The event will also showcase five local Australian artists, with ‘Nigel Tha Slick Pastor’ serving as the master of ceremonies.
The Afripraise Festival comes at a time when gospel lovers in Australia, especially those with a nostalgia for the African gospel praise and worship sound, were disappointed after the postponement of the much anticipated Joyous Celebration tour in the country earlier this November due to visa delays.
Though the Joyous Celebration tour promoters say the event has not been cancelled but only pushed forward, a date is yet to be set.
Despite concerns and hints of uncertainty after the Joyous Celebration flop, some of the Afripraise supporting acts have taken to social media confirming their attendance, generating buzz and excitement.
“Afripraise has given me an opportunity and this is my first arena show and I am really really excited.
“I had to make a lot of decisions in my life to say, I can’t pick me here, I can’t pick my friends here, I have to pick the Lord: so that’s what this generation needs to hear right now,” said Annatoria ahead of the event.
Takesure Zamar, confirming his attendance, said he is excited to be part of the Afripraise Festival.
“I am super excited, we will be coming to Australia, particularly Sydney and Perth… It’s gonna be a wonderful time in the presence of the Lord, you don’t want to miss that one,” he said.
Afripraise United is a musical ensemble based in the United Kingdom, a division of Afripraise Global and also a member of the wider Zimpraise Legacy Network.
