nottingham, music, toto, africa

The people of Nottingham sing ‘Africa’ by Toto

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do! The people of Nottingham headed to Old Market Square to belt out the classic song ‘Africa’ by Toto.

Hundreds of people crowded in the city centre, in order to sing the song to raise money for homeless charity The Friary and for charity Young Citizens of Rwanda to provide vital aid to Rwanda, which is a country in East Africa.

nottingham, toto, africa
Crowds of people arrived for the sing-along

The crowd passionately sang the 80s tune, with lyric sheets in hands and a musical flag waving in the middle of the crowd.

Olivia Godwin, Events Manager, said: “The idea for the event came about simply because my friends and I all absolutely love the song, and it’s one of those songs that we know is incredibly popular and well known regardless of age.

“We were also inspired by the other Africa singalongs that have occurred in places like Washington DC outside the White House as well as ones in Birmingham and Leicester too.”

The two charities were chosen because they are both run by locals of Nottingham, and are in need of more donations to carry on their work.

toto, africa, dog, nottingham
Even the animals loved it!

But why choose ‘Africa’ to bring the people of Nottingham together?

“I would say Africa is such a classic song because, as previously mentioned, it’s one of those songs that everyone knows regardless of their age.

“The song itself is a bit of a laugh and definitely a good one to use as an opportunity to bring everybody together,” Olivia Godwin said.

Fundraising helper Rebecca Elston said: “The Rwanda Project Support Group is run by my best friend’s mum.

“Over the years I’ve watched her tirelessly fundraising to send aid and support people who need our help and I really wanted to use this as an opportunity to take the pressure off.

“I’ll hopefully be visiting some of the projects that the Rwanda Project Support Group sponsor later this year.”

You can donate to The Friary here and the Young Citizens of Rwanda here.

By Eve Smallman

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