Volunteer families sought to host Zulu choir

Project Zulu choir member Siyabonga busking during the 2023 tour

Households are being encouraged to volunteer as host families for next year’s Project Zulu choir tour.

The choir of 20 children aged between 11 and 14-years-old will leave South Africa for the first time to travel to Bristol with their teachers in May 2025.

Over three weeks they will tour the South West, showcasing their marvellous traditional Zulu song and dance in concert halls, churches, schools, and busy city centres.

Kate Willis, project coordinator, said: “Welcoming the children and teachers into your home is a unique cultural and relational experience which creates memories and connections that can last a lifetime.

The trip is being coordinated by the Project Zulu team at UWE Bristol and while in the UK, the choir and their teachers live in pairs with local hosts who "play a vital part in making the tour a success."

Ms Willis said: “Whether you’re an experienced host or embarking on the adventure for the first time, we’d love to hear from you.

"Our incredible choir couldn’t tour without your support," she added.

Every penny raised will go back to their township schools to improve educational facilities, including harnessing solar energy and installing learning and technology equipment to develop digital classrooms.

(From left to right) Choir member Muhle, Norman, Muhle's mum Lwazilenkosi Philanathi, Bridget, and Muhle's grandma Zanele during a trip to South Africa

Norman Muton and Bridget Robbins from Yate heard about the Project Zulu choir tour after visiting South Africa.

They stepped forward and became a host family in 2018, hosted for the second time in 2023, and plan to volunteer again in 2025.

“We love the country and love the people,” said Ms Robbins. “So when we heard about the choir and the need for host families, it seemed like a really great idea.

“We were a little nervous the first time around, but within a few minutes of the children arriving at our home they were dancing to music, and it was if they’d been here for months.”

“The house was full of laughter and noise,” added Mr Muton. “Wonderful noise – music, dancing, it was just joyful.

"The children are amazing; they're away from home, they’re communicating in a second language with people they don’t know.

"Everything is different and yet they just embrace it all. It's an incredible experience.”