Christmas Cantata begins today at CLA

Residents of Kigali City will get a feel of the Christmas spirit as the annual Christmas Cantata returns. The four-day Christmas Cantata is scheduled to start this evening, December 21, at Christian Life Assembly’s main auditorium in Nyarutarama.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Christmas Cantata is based on the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. / File

Residents of Kigali City will get a feel of the Christmas spirit as the annual Christmas Cantata returns.

The four-day Christmas Cantata is scheduled to start this evening, December 21, at Christian Life Assembly’s main auditorium in Nyarutarama.

Held under the theme "This Child is God”, the Christmas Cantata is based on the story of the birth of Jesus Christ through the eyes of an old man in the bible called Simeon.

The two-hour musical theatre production about Christmas is told through various creative means, crafted by a production team of 200 people including actors, a professional orchestra, a choir, costume designers, stage designers, and audio-visual engineers to mention but a few.

The route starts today and ends December 24 – featuring drama, songs, and dances, among other activities. The event is free, and doors will open at 5p.m everyday starting from today. The production is in English, and is suitable for both the young and adults.

Maya Nzeyimana leads the CLA’s worship team during last year’s Christmas Cantata. / File

Fabrice Nzeyimana, the Creative Arts Director at CLA said that people should expect an amazing and well planned show."They should come early, so that they don’t miss a bit of the show because we will start at 6pm sharp,” Nzeyima said.He noted that the show is open to everyone in Kigali, or those out of Kigali, who would wish to come and experience ‘what we have to offer as a Christmas gift to our city.’Regardless of your belief, you should come and see why we are Christians,’ Nzeyimana added.

In a recent interview with The New Times, Hassan Kibirango, the Youth Pastor at CLA, said that this year, the organisers expect a minimum of 8000 people to turn up.

Kibirango added that the annual Christmas Cantata is an avenue for families to be together.

This year’s production is unique and different from the previous edition.

"To keep every year unique, we tell the story of Christmas through different bible characters,” Daniel Mugisha the Production Director of the Christmas Cantata said.

The Christmas Cantata is gradually becoming a tradition for Christians in Kigali.

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