Hallelujah!!  Six Choirs in Kinshasa, DRC Performed in Praise of Jesus at Christmas time

From the beginning song to the grand finale of The Hallelujah Chorus the live and virtual audience of the second annual La Soiree Musical Éclairer Le Monde at the Kinshasa Stake Center in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo were entertained and inspired.  The event was true to its title as it was a beautiful musical evening as six choirs were lighting up the world with Christ focused Christmas music.

For the second consecutive year, six choirs gathered in the Stake Center, that is in the shadow of the Kinshasa Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in music.  The Africa Central Area Communications Department of the Church and the eleven Kinshasa area Stakes collaborated to bring together the six choirs, local dignitaries and a large audience to celebrate through music the most important birth in the history of the world.

Coming from the Congolese Federation of Choral Music, the six performing choirs included Baobab Voices of Kinshasa, Kin Opéra, Perfect Voice, Choeur Cantate Dominum, Choeur Canticum joined with Choeur Éclairer Le Monde.  Each choir is hosted by a local Christian church.  The 50 members of the Choeur Éclairer Le Monde – the Light up the World Choir, come from the 13 stakes in Kinshasa. 

After performances by the first three choirs, a panel of reflection made up of Jean Goubald Kalala, a singer and songwriter, Liliane Temuni, Ambassador of Red Cross, Sheik Abdala, President of the Islamic Council of DRC, and Elder Jean-Pierre Haboko, Area Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, discussed the place of kindness and good works in society as a means of enlightening the world.

Sheikh Abdallah illustrated goodness with a beautiful and inspiring image. He said: “The candle gives its light but it burns itself out. It is the same with any act of goodness - it is a part of ourselves that we offer to others.”

Lilianne Temuni shared her personal experience. At the age of 43, she gave birth to twins diagnosed with Down Syndrome. From that moment on she dedicated herself to taking care of them and gave up her professional career. Four years later, she lost one of the twins and decided to return to the DRC where she realized that many other children had been diagnosed with the same disease and some with even more complicated conditions, but, without anyone being able to cover the costs to save them from imminent death. From then on, she could not remain inactive and decided to save as many as she could through her foundation. She said: "we can only give the light that we possess to others because it really burns in us and not for the world to glorify us.”

Jean Goubald Kalala, for his part, inspired by the three keys cited by Madame Liliane, the Self, the Other and the World, expressed himself by saying: "all philosophers, thinkers, religions in the history of the world teach the need to obtain knowledge of these three things. and it is only by bringing light to oneself that one can give it to others to achieve an enlightened world. The true light which is the knowledge of oneself to which one accedes without hypocrisy by the discovery of one's own ignorance. No one can feign the knowledge that one does not have. only a true gift of oneself to others can bring light into the world.”

Elder Jean-Pierre Haboko, Area Seventy who was presiding at the event said, “men should not boast of the goodness they have shown. For he who does good does not expect anything in return.”

In conclusion, Elder Haboko declared, "The Light the World evening was a precious opportunity to come together to celebrate goodness and reflect on its essential role in the world. I invite everyone to continue to light the world not only during the Christmas season but to continue to shine their light throughout the year of 2025.”

Following the panel discussion, the music continued from the last three choirs.   The afternoon was filled with such songs as Il Est Ne Le Divine Enfant, Oh Star Bright, Praise to the Lord, Joy to the World, Adeste Fidelis, and many more.  The final and climactic number was a performance of The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.  All six choirs, 128 singers strong, took the stage to provide a powerful, moving, beautiful, inspiring rendition of Handel’s classic composition as a most fitting climax to La Soiree Musical Éclairer Le Monde.