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A concert under the stars
AZERBAIJAN —
Seki is a pretty town, nestled in the mountainous area in the north-west
of the country on the Silk Road, the old overland route from China to
the West. The villages that surround it are usually quiet places and
their residents lead simple lives, tending their fruit trees and taking
care of their livestock. Among them are refugee families, who for the
past 16 years have been doing their best to try and make a life for
themselves here.
On this warm summer evening, as the sun sets, something special is taking place in one of the villages. Its 700 residents are curious as cars full of people start to arrive and set up a makeshift stage on a patch of grass near the centre of the village. It is a team from Kitab Shirketi and a number of different churches in Baku. They have travelled for more than four hours to give a concert for the people here, most of whom have had little, if any, contact with the Bible. Traditional style As the music begins, a few people begin to drift from their homes along the dust roads to the patch of grass where the stage has been set up. A dozen long benches have been set out and some people settle themselves down to watch the performance. Others hang back to watch from a distance, unsure about what is happening. Kamala Musaveva, a professional singer in Baku, opens the singing with a haunting, traditional-style Azeri song. The children begin to clap, and some people from the Baku churches start to dance in the expressive way of this part of the world, with raised arms and elegantly rotating hands. The villagers are soon clapping and joining in – this is the style of music they know and love. More and more people arrive at the concert, young and old settling
themselves on the few benches. Many people have to stand. Some men climb
on top of a parked truck to get a better view. By the end of the concert,
there are more than 500 spectators.
There is a variety of music to please everyone. There is traditional music, played on the tar, a traditional Azeri instrument, and songs sung in the traditional style. These are appreciated by everyone. For the young there is pop, rock and rap. Vahid Tagiev has composed most of the songs. He is a talented singer, too, while his brother, Ruslan, belts out rap songs. Their performances are electrifying and the children and young people listen and clap their hands in time. Some small children dance around them. After some of their songs they tell the crowd about Jesus and how he can change lives. Crowd goes quiet When Vahid opens the Book of Psalms, published by Kitab Shirketi, and begins to sing from it, the crowd goes quiet and listens intently. As he sings he walks to different people in the crowd and sings especially for them. People are visibly moved by what he is singing. Sarah, a young singer of 17, also sings from the Psalms, as does Kamala. As the concert comes to a close at midnight, four hours after it began, many people are dancing and the atmosphere is relaxed and happy. And when the team starts distributing tapes containing the songs that were played, as well as some explanations about the Bible, people rush forward to get copies. About 400 tapes are distributed, as well as many Scriptures. Exhausting but rewarding
It has been an exhausting but rewarding night for the concert team, all of whom are volunteers and receive no payment for their work. Also, coming here and singing and speaking openly about Christianity is a risk. “I was praying throughout the entire concert,” says Gulshan. “I prayed for people to be open to what they were hearing and not react negatively.” In fact, after the concert, a number of people approached some of the team to ask questions. Vahid was invited into one home in the village where he spoke until 4 a.m. with a group of people, sharing passages from the Bible and answering their questions about Jesus. Namik, too, spent a few hours with a group of young people who were curious about Christianity. He gave out Scriptures to people who seemed open and interested. And so, in this small village, among small groups of people, Kitab Shirketi and the churches are planting seeds – seeds that they will continue to feed and water by regular visits and by providing Scriptures for people who are seeking answers. This story relates to projects 50610, 71803, 71815 and 71818. (WR 408/2 - 01/02.07) [10 photos] |
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