Tami and Nicki Christ event at El Rancho

By B. Claire Bijou

CSMS Magazine

Port-au-Prince, Haiti—About a month ago, while checking my Facebook page, in the event section, I received an invitation to go to Tami and Nicki Christ Album Sellout and Concert on Sunday September 282014, at 6 pm at El Rancho Pétion-Ville. My first thought was that ‘I should definitely go.’ My second thought was a bit perplexed. I didn’t know how. It so happened that I was scheduled to work on that day—yes I work on Sundays. And my shift ends at 7 PM. I was paralyzed by it.

I went home, talked to my best friend/sister and she told me that I should definitely go. But the question still remained the same: how?  Well, days went on, and Sunday finally rolled by. Lucky me, I had managed to contact a good my friend/colleague who, to my surprise, agreed to pick me up and drop me off at the concert. Imagine my excitement! Whooohoooo.

 That Sunday in office was spent a little different than most Sundays. Why? Well, simply because I was too excited. You see, Tami is my best friend/sister, close friend and co-singers in a woman evangelical group called “SARIAH”. As best friend who has become an acquaintance of mine, missing her concert would have felt like a big no, no. Quite an embarrassment it would have been!  

So sitting in front of my computer, my eyes could not stop gazing at the time, every once in a while. I was impatient. At one point, I found myself singing. I was totally lost into my own little world until one of my colleagues brought me back to reality. She was like, “Oh Claire,” staring at my gestures. I can’t say I was not embarrassed. I was caught singing (I’m a bit shy).

Six thirty PM finally rolled by. Our replacement came up, and excitement coursed through my veins. My friend, remaining true to his words, showed up.  I said goodbye to my fellow colleagues and I was out of the door in nanoseconds.

From Tabarre to El Rancho, the suspense was thrilling. I couldn’t wait to get there. Scenarios after scenarios went through my head.  But of course, nothing could be compared to the actual event. At 7:20 PM, El Rancho finally came into view. The first sight that graced my eyes was the many vehicles parked around the premises. Splendid I thought, full house. Instantly, anxiety crept through my body. I was hoping I didn’t miss much.

There, she was. My best friend was dressed in a beautiful purple outfit which blended with the hue of her fancy footwear. Enhanced with light makeup, her oval face glittered under the florescent light ray, looking quite stunning. Upon spotting my silhouette, she edged closer to meet me halfway. On the other hand, I had on grey pants and black blouse with a black wedges sandals. I looked pretty presentable for a concert, considering I was at work (sight).

Linking our arms together, we went to the boot, paid my tickets. I also bought two CDs: One of Tami and the other of her brother Nicki. With our arms still linked, we proceeded to our spots.  The event had started at 6:30 PM, which meant I did not miss much. Hooray for me!

My focus soon zoomed on the stage. Alleluia group was singing one of their popular song titled Rete Gade (You will see). It was then followed by Delie Benson Tande Kriye Haiti (Hear the cry of Haiti) then it was Tout glwa se pou Bondye (All glory to GOD). This was soon followed by a short testimony about his next song Bondye Israel (GOD of Isreal). In the testimony, he told the story of a father whose son had died. He had no money to bring his child to the morgue. So he went to his knees and started singing that song and worshiping the Lord.  In the middle of his worship, his child awakens.

Wow, the atmosphere turned into a moment of worship. Arms were raised, heads were bow, eyes were closed, and bodies were tilting from left to right. I could feel myself connecting. As if in that moment, I could feel GOD presence. At that moment I was so much at peace.

 After 6 minutes of intense worship, Delie Benson departed from the stage. The main light was turned off, the small ones were zoomed in into a white screen. Suddenly appeared Tami and Nicki’s mother with a mind blowing testimony that left the public with tears, laugh and encouragement.

Shortly thereafter, came Nicki. Dressed in black shirt, military pants, guitar in hands, he truly looked like he was going to battle. Indeed his first single was titled “Armageddon,” the highlight of the night that left everyone jumping out of their seats and laughing hysterically. In a blur, 4 youngsters (2 girls, 2 boys) dressed in black and pink burst on the stage and, without any introduction, they started singing (Mache mache mache tout sove (walk walk walk save).  By the third chorus, the public started singing, including I (wink). Their main topic was the reality of life. Prostitution, unwanted pregnancy, favors to obtain a job. Overall, it was a wonderful message that indeed left me thinking.

Nicky came back, molded in black vest and pants with a white T-shirt and red-and-white tie). The public shouted Sa pi bon (This is one is better) in reference to his attire. Deep inside of me, I was totally agreeing.

After two songs, the most anticipated and star of the night walked on stage. Dressed in a black attire herself, she definitely sent the public spellbound, into an uproar.

Watching the commotion, I was awed at how much she was well known in the evangelical world of Haiti. With a smile on her face, she started off with Relew (Calling you) which put the public into a trance. By her third song, a loud bam cut through the night startling everyone. Looking up, I saw the most beautiful display of multicolor firework. Wow! What a dazzling moment it was!

Unfortunately, as they say, all good things must come to an end. Brother and sister ended their night in a beautiful duet which consisted of a mixture of reggae and Konpa and much more. It was so beautiful that I had to stand from my seat and dance. In the meantime, I couldn’t stop starring at one of the guitarists. His different expression, his movement, everything about him screams “be aware, do not disturb, do not touch, I’m totally in the zone”. (Laugh)

It was a splendid, awesome night.

Note: Claire Bijou is a dynamic young lady whose talent in creative writing is joy to observe. She is the new contributor for CSMS Magazine. She lives and works in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She may be reached at [email protected]