The Stellenbosch University (SU) Choir recently participated in the International Sport Promotion Society Sports Summit-Special Edition in Tokyo, Japan according to Martin Viljoen, media manager at SU.
Over 3 000 delegates attended the summit which was dedicated to sports, community and philanthropy, said Viljoen. The SU choir participated on 9 August.
The Stellenbosch University (SU) Choir went to Tokyo, Japan for the International Sport Promotion Society Sports Summit-Special Edition on 9 August, an international event about sports, community and philanthropy, according to Martin Viljoen, media manager at SU. PHOTO: Instagram/@stellenboschuniversity_choir
“[Widespread coverage of the cultural event] meant even more exposure for our award-winning choir,” added Viljoen.
“SU [was given] the opportunity to make meaningful connections, and to contribute to the discussions with other distinguished participants”, said prof Wim de Villiers, Rector of SU, in a media release on 3 August, prior to the event.
New perspectives
The 48 choir members who were selected to represent the SU Choir at the summit arrived back in Stellenbosch on 14 August.
The Stellenbosch University (SU) Choir recently attend International Sport Promotion Society Sports Summit-Special Edition in Tokyo, Japan, said Martin Viljoen, media communications manager for SU. “Being able to experience it with part of my SU Choir family made it that much more special,” said Imani Buthelezi, chairperson of the choir. Pictured above is the concert hall where the SU choir often performs in Stellenbosch. PHOTO: Nicolas Adamy
The experience enabled them to connect with another country, culture and audience, said Imani Buthelezi, the chairperson of the SU Choir.
“This experience gave me a new perspective on culture and the similarities people share even across different heritages,” said Buthelezi.
“I came to realise that displays of respect, affection and appreciation may look different across Japanese and South African cultures and yet, they speak to our humanity in the same way.”
Finding new meanings via cultural exchange taught the team that Japanese culture is steeped in “humanity and gratitude”, said Reynhardt Buys, the vice-chairperson of the SU Choir.
The Stellenbosch University (SU) choir’s performance at the the International Sport Promotion Society Sports Summit-Special Edition in Tokyo, Japan, offered an opportunity for many of the choir members to – for the first time – experience a culture completely different from ones in South Africa, said Reynhardt Buys, vice-chairperson of the SU Choir. PHOTO: Nicolas Adamy
Team bonding
This trip to Japan also strengthened the relationships between the members of the choir, said Buys.
“I definitely bonded a lot with the other choir members on this trip, something which I believe is crucial to the choir’s prolonged success,” said Buys.
“I came out of the experience in awe of the fact that something as simple as the music we make as a group could be received and appreciated so deeply and meaningfully as far away as Japan,” said Imani Buthelezi, the chairperson of the Stellenbosch University (SU) Choir to SMF News, after the choir’s recent performance at the International Sport Promotion Society Sports Summit-Special Edition in Tokyo, Japan. PHOTO: Nicolas Adamy