London African Gospel Choir

“This is where the London African Gospel Choir was born,” says founder and director Crystal Kassi. We’ve turned off a busy south east London street into a secluded enclave ringed by trees and terraced houses, their wooden, brightly painted verandas overlooking a communal garden with seats half-hidden by shrubs. Exchange the UK foliage for palm trees, and we could be in Latin America, the Caribbean or Africa. It’s a fitting birthplace for a musical venture rooted in community and creative expression, and that’s brought African gospel out of the black churches and into the hearts of audiences worldwide.