Bethlehem
Babatunde Olatunji (Composer)
Wendell P. Whalum (Arranger)
We are glad that we have a Father to trust.
We are glad to have a Father to rely upon.
Where was Jesus born?
Where was he born?
Bethlehem the city of wonder.
That is where the Father was born for sure.
Praise, Praise, Praise be to Him
We thank Thee, We thank Thee for this day,
Gracious Father.
Praise be to Thee, Merciful Father.
When Nigerian Musician Babatunde Olatunji was a student on a Rotary scholarship in the 1950s at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, he collaborated with Wendell Whalum, the director of the collage glee club, to create this carol, which may have been based on a traditional anthem in the Yoruba language. Olatunji would later gain international fame as a jazz-drummer. In the accompanying acrylic on paper painting, Liberian Artist Lawson Sworh transplants the Nativity story to rural West Africa where the birth of a baby boy would be an event celebrated by the whole village in their community hall. As the new day dawns, the roof still glows with brilliantly-colored celestial fireworks. (John Kohan)