Djudju Dalimalau, a 12-year-old girl from Taiwan’s indigenous Paiwan tribe, has received an invitation to give a series of performances in the South African State Theatre in Pretoria from Sept. 4 to 13.
“She has a magical voice that renders old songs more beautiful,” said Camake Valaule, director of the Tai-wu Elementary School Chorus, of which Djudju has been lead singer for the past three years.
“Her voice is so expressive, it has the ability to move an entire audience at once, whether she is singing love songs, ancient ballads or ritual chants,” Valaule added.
The Tai-wu chorus toured several European countries in 2009, including Germany, France, Luxembourg and Belgium, where audiences were astonished to hear their unique way of singing.
Taiwan-born violinist Huang Yih-Fang, who toured with the chorus in Europe, was deeply impressed by Djudju’s voice and helped to arrange for the invitation, sources said.
Raised solely by her grandmother, Djudju has had a difficult childhood. But through her music she has found a way to cope with sorrows and misfortunes, such as when the disastrous Typhoon Morakot ravaged her school in August 2009. “I sing when I am happy; I also sing when I am sad,” she said.
Asked whether she feels nervous over her upcoming South African trip, the sixth grader replied, “I am not the least bit afraid.” (KL-HZW)