Some morning harmony

I was sitting in the ART (antiretroviral) clinic registry at Bauleni this morning, getting started on our pre-implementation wait time survey, when I heard this heavenly, harmonious singing, which sounded rather close. Where in the world was that coming from?

“Oh, that’s from the MCH (maternal child health) building, right next door,” they informed me. “Here, I’ll take you over.” With that, I followed one of the clerks out the door to a neighboring building. As I would have expected, I walked into a crowded waiting room of patients waiting to be seen. But instead of sitting packed in, on every available chair and bench, they were all standing, facing a nurse at the front with a proud look on her face, who seemed to be conducting in a way. They were all singing, in perfect harmony. I just wanted to stand there and listen. When’s the last time you saw a waiting room full of patients sing, let alone as if they were in a choir together. The clerk told me that they were singing a gospel song in Bemba, one of the most spoken languages of Zambia. I’m not entirely sure if there was a meaning or a purpore, or perhaps just an insprirational way to start the day, with a long wait ahead and not much to do, fueled by that glow of pregnancy. At the very least, they lent some inspiration to my day. I definitely walked out of the room feeling uplifted.

It’s actually not uncommon to hear Zambians singing. Especially on the way to funerals, when they pile onto those trucks. It’s as if they are born with perfect pitch and ready to harmonize. I think we could all do with a bit more Zambian gospel singing in our lives. Bet you never even realized you were missing it.