Kiribati farm workers in northern Tasmania have formed an accidental choir after they started singing in the fields to keep their spirits high.
The workers from the small Pacific nation are based in the rolling green hills of Forth, on a vegetable farm, where they are bringing a little of their culture to the paddocks.
The unofficial leader of the choir is Romme Tabwere, also known as Jerry, and he usually leads the group of workers into song while they are in the field.
"It all started whenever we had a hard time in the field, so we just start singing and all is good," Mr Tabwere said.
"Most of the time I did start a song and all of the boys just follow me up."
Far from loved ones
Many of the workers had hoped to return home in late 2020, but travel restrictions mean they might not be able to see their families until the end of 2021.
Mike Bangao became emotional as he spoke about how much he was missing his two daughters.
"I have two daughters and they're still waiting for me," Mr Bangao said.
"It's really hard to think about them."
He said regular video calls and singing had helped to relieve some of his sorrow, and had made the working days pass more easily.
"The first time they [his daughters] saw me [singing], they rang me and they said, 'So you can sing now?'."
Singing boosts spirits
Very reserved and quietly spoken, Roota Ueanimatang, known as Mike, explained how the singing lifted the mood of the workers.
"Oh, we just like to sing in the field every day because they want us to [be] happy," Mr Ueanimatang said.
'They sounded great'
Steve Kaine, a supervisor with Harvest Moon where the Kiribati men work, said the singing was not something he had heard before, but he loved it.
"It was a bit strange to hear them at first and, yeah, it sounded really great," Mr Kaine said.
"They do their job so I've got no trouble with them."
A choir is born
After a social media post from the company went viral, Mr Kaine helped the young men to form a choir and now they perform at local music events.
"It's been really great and it's something different for them to do instead of sitting at home on the weekends, they're out there having a bit of a sing and meeting different people," Mr Kaine said.
The choir recently performed at the Mount Roland Folk Festival and will be part of Mona Foma 2021.
Performance nerves
Mr Tabwere said the first performance for the workers was daunting, but well worth the experience.
"We feel nervous for the first time but it was something very different and it just makes me feel very good," Mr Tabwere said.
Mr Kaine summed up the story of his workers and their love of singing.
"They sing and they're happy. End of story," he said.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEyLTIyL3Rhc21hbmlhbi1mYXJtLXdvcmtlcnMtZnJvbS1raXJpYmF0aS1mb3JtLWNob2lyLzEyOTk4NTQ00gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEyOTk4NTQ0?oc=5
2020-12-22 01:00:00Z
CAIiEJaIS1KXibF7bj21b7heOMoqFwgEKg4IACoGCAow3vI9MPeaCDD7kIkG
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar