Reviewed by George Luke

The Stefanos Foundation is a Christian humanitarian organisation which offers support to victims of the ongoing religious unrest in central Nigeria - which to date has claimed the lives of an estimated 60,000 people, many of whom are Christians. This album was compiled with the aim of raising money for the foundation's efforts, which include paying the school fees of orphaned Christian children, giving job training to widows and helping pastors in stricken areas supplement their low incomes. Although there are six people on the CD cover, there's no information given on who they are, nor any credits given for the music - except that the songs were donated to the Stefanos Foundation. The songs are in English and Hausa, and comfort, forgiveness and reconciliation are recurring themes (well, not being a Hausa speaker, I can only assume that the Hausa songs deal with the same subjects as the English ones). Musically, it ranges from the lilting reggae of "Share A Little Love" and "You're Not Alone" with its shades of Ben Okafor, to the Hi-Life vibes of "Akunamatata" (yes, it does mean the same as in the Lion King song) and slushy pop ballads such as "Lonely Child". For the most part, the music is top notch, and it is a labour of love, for which it deserves all the support it can get.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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