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| National Prison Choir Competition Kicks Off in Cape Town |
| By BuaNews (Pretoria) |
| Published: 05/19/2003 |
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South African Correctional Services Minister Ben Skosana officially opened the fourth National Prison Choir competition at the Good Hope Centre in Cape Town last week. Over 1 400 male and female prisoners traveled from various prisons countrywide to participate in the annual event which has been running nationally since 1998. Addressing prisoners and various departmental officials, the minister said the competition formed part of the department's rehabilitation program. 'The department has put rehabilitation at the center of all its activities. More than ever before, we are focusing our attention on correcting the offending behavior, equipping offenders with knowledge and skills that will enable them to successfully reintegrate into their communities.' He said it was crucial that rehabilitation efforts be balanced with the safe custody of offenders. To this effect it deserved to be mentioned that since the inception of the competition, not even a single escape incident had been experienced. The minister further encouraged the prisoners by saying that music was not just a source of satisfaction to the composer, but it also added value to the person who sung it. Having started in the 80's, the formation of the prison choirs culminated in the establishment of the Leeuwkop Prison Choir in 1989. The correctional services department said this choir became famous for its performances at various prestigious occasions in front of huge audiences. Some of the occasions at which the choir performed include singing for the former President Nelson Mandela and singing at diplomatic events and departmental functions. The success of the Leeuwkop Choir led to them recording various compact discs (CDs), which were sold at music stores to the public. All this time prisoners' choral music was used as a pastime aimed at keeping offenders busy. In 1997 the Department saw it fit to use this favorite pastime to enhance its rehabilitation efforts. The idea of a national prisoner' choir competition then came into being, with the aim of introduce and developing a structured manner of managing choirs. Since then, the competition has grown in size from three to five categories including male, female, youth, mixed and traditional. |
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