Jordanian choir spreads message of ‘peace, conviviality’ in European tour

AMMAN — A Jordanian choir recently performed across Europe to promote the Kingdom’s religious sites and to “convey the message of peace and conviviality from the East to the West”.

The Fountain of Love Choir, founded in 2002, has around 55 members who perform at churches and cultural centres in the Kingdom as well as in neighbouring and European countries. 

Tomeh Jbara, the choir’s founder, said musicians from different churches across Jordan joined the two-week tour, which also aimed to promote Jordan as a safe destination for tourists and pilgrims. 

“Members of the group do not belong to a specific church… We also had some Muslims with us to talk about Jordan in churches in Vienna, Hungary and Sweden, and to promote its safety and the values of coexistence,” Jbara told The Jordan Times.

Performing at churches, the group sang an oratorio, a large scale musical composition usually with a sacred theme and then gave a brief talk about tourist attractions in Jordan. 

Banners were put up and visitors were given brochures, Jbara said. 

The choir performed at the Franciscan Church in Vienna, in Tihany and at Matthias Church in Budapest, and in Stockholm for a concert in cooperation with Musicians without Borders. 

“We went to old churches; we even entered a church that’s 400 years old. We performed at shows with the presence of parliamentary and ministry officials in the three countries,” Jbara added.

The tour aimed to share the message of humanity and peace with the West, he said, adding that the brochures distributed promote the Christian heritage of the Kingdom along with famous sites like Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea. 

“Through music, you can deliver the message…. Many people there were interested in our shows, especially since we are from an area that is usually reported as a battlefield in the news,” he said.

“Promoting tourist sites in Jordan can be done in different ways, but, through musical shows and an orchestra, we can achieve more.”

Jbara said the church in Europe plays an important role in supporting the people and endorsing programmes around the world. 

“It’s a win-win situation. We perform hymns at European churches and they know more about our country.” 

The group has previously performed at churches in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria’s Aleppo, Italy, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

The choir received Papal blessings in 2010 and 2015, in addition to a Papal Medal in April 2011 and a Melody and Music Analysis Award.

Tohama Nabulsi, media and communications director at the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB), said the target audience for such initiatives is Christian Europeans.

“We try to encourage them to visit religious sites here,” she told The Jordan Times.

The brochures given to the audience feature biblical verses that refer to events that took place in Jordan to encourage people to visit the Kingdom, Nabulsi said.

“It’s our way of targeting a very specific category of audience. We provide them with the information needed on the sites mentioned in the Bible,” the official added.

There are some 34 Christian sites in Jordan, including Mar Elias, Mount Nebo, Madaba, Anjara and the Baptism Site, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was baptised by John the Baptist, according to JTB officials.