Papua Choir Was Stranded in China Too

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Papua Choir Was Stranded in China Too
July 25, 2012

A congregation in Madisonville, Ohio, applauding for the Gema Chandra chior on July 15. (AP Photo/The Enquirer)

Jayapura. The Cenderawasih University choir stranded in the United States earlier this month because of botched travel arrangements went through similar ordeals on previous trips to China, a top official has revealed.

Festus Simbiak, the university rector, said on Tuesday that he would meet with the coordinators of the 49-member Gema Chandra choir to find out how the group became stranded in Cincinnati, Ohio, for nearly a week and had to rely on donations to make a cross-country bus trip to San Francisco to catch a flight home.

“In previous years, the Cenderawasih University choir experienced the same problem during visits to China,” he said.

Festus declined to say when the choir was stranded in China.

The choir had gone to Cincinnati for the World Choir Games, but because of a delayed departure from Jakarta they only arrived there on July 14, shortly before the event’s closing ceremony.

The group had little money and had not arranged transportation from Cincinnati to San Francisco to catch their flight home .

Despite missing their scheduled opportunities to sing, the choir put on several impromptu performances in Cincinnati, where listeners donated money to help the members get home.

Festus, who has repeatedly denied that the choir was neglected by Indonesian officials, praised the students for continuing to perform despite their situation. “What they did there was great, and they wowed the people there,” he said.

Antara

ENDS

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