Ipharadisi

African Folk Song

Ipharadisi, ikhaya labafile

Kulapho so phumla khona, Ipharadisi

Ipharadisi where all the dead are living May we one day join them all there

Ipharadisi, a traditional South African folk song, tells of Paradise where the dead are, and how the Singer hopes to join them there one day. In this song, we revisit the theme of loss, with an undercurrent of hope.

When the RV Choirs went to Prague for a competition in 2006, another choir taught this song to us. Singing this song brings back memories of a time, filled with music, though now past and never to return.