Photo Credit: Adoatv Ghana
Gifts for Christ: A Sacred Opera of Nine Lessons and Carols was held on the 30th of November (the first Sunday of Advent) at the Association International School in Ghana. The opera combined scripture, songs and story, interpreting the ‘Nine Lessons’ through a Ghanaian cultural lens.
The traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols originated in 1918 as a Christmas Eve service from King's College in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. It’s seen as an alternative service telling the story of the Bible from Genesis to the Gospels.
In this creative Ghanaian production, ‘Gifts for Christ’ narrates the ‘Nine Lessons’ through the eyes of a young Ghanaian girl being told a story by her priest on the first day of Advent. Together, the girl, the narrator and the audience follow the dramatisation of the narrative onstage.
The organisers of this project describe it as an ‘opera’ that, through the mediums of song, drama and scripture, ‘weaves together the traditional service of Nine Lessons and Carols with a dramatic African narrative, tracing the story of redemption from the Garden of Eden to the manger in Bethlehem.’
The Production Team involved the Revd Akua Ofori-Boateng as Creative Director (Provincial Secretary for the Province of West Africa in the Anglican Diocese of Accra), with direction by Joseph Appah, script by Kobina Ansah and additional music by composer Kwaku Boakye-Frempong. Revd Akua says that the project ‘asks a powerful question: “What if we, as Africans, didn't just adopt this tradition, but truly adapted it? What if we told this ancient, sacred story with our own voices, our own rhythms, and our own God-given cultural gifts?”’
The project has been a year in the making. Akua describes it as ‘an opportunity for us to bring our own gifts to the manger, to celebrate Christ not with a borrowed voice, but with our own. The result is not simply a concert. It’s a sacred opera—a completely new way of presenting the gospel. It’s our offering, as post-colonial Africans, giving back to God.’
Adoatv Ghana reported that attendance at the concert was impressive and included prestigious guests such as Her Excellency, the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.
Revd Dr Joyce Aryee (founder of Salt & Light ministries) says ‘All Ghanaians love storytelling… so when you turn it into an opera, you actually touch Ghanaians where their hearts really are.’
See a short video reporting on the opera from Adoatv Ghana.
Learn more about the Diocese of Accra in the Church of the Province of West Africa.