Siyahamba

The Notabella Bell Choir of Messiah Lutheran Church presents "Siyahamba" during worhship service on 27 Jan 2013.

Siyahamba is a South African hymn that became popular in North American churches in the 1990s. The title means "We Are Marching" in the Zulu language.  You can hear the marching as the music slowly builds in the beginning and then fades off in the end."  "Siyahamba" originated in South Africa. It is said to have been composed c. 1950 by Andries van Tonder, an elder of the Judith Church. The original composition was in Afrikaans (with the title "Ons marsjeer nou in die lig van God") and was subsequently translated into Zulu by Thabo Mkhize. In 1978, the Swedish choral group Fjedur toured South Africa at the invitation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Africa. Afterwards, Fjedur's musical director, Anders Nyberg, returned to Cape Town to record traditional choral music. 

The Notabella Bell Choir is directed by Rhonda Gaede and is one of several Bell Choirs at Messiah Lutheran Church.  If you would like to learn more about the many wonderful music programs at Messiah, please visit our music ministries webpage or talk to Lois Graff our Director of Music Ministries.