E Don Shele

"E Don Shele" translates to "It has happened!" in Nigerian Pidgin, and Victor Demaraji’s lively Christmas composition captures exactly that sense of breaking, joyful news. The song invites the choir and congregation to rush to Bethlehem to see what has taken place. It tells the Nativity story with a distinctly local flavor, announcing that Mary has given birth to the Savior in a manger, just as the scriptures foretold.

The piece is highly rhythmic and celebratory, building up with call-and-response sections and layered vocal parts. As the story unfolds—from the angel's message to Mary, to the arrival of the three wise men bearing gold, frankincense, and myrrh—the energy in the choir loft rises. The lyrics playfully dismiss King Herod's failed plots, declaring that nobody can kill the newborn King whose reign will last forever.

By the final pages, the song erupts into a full-blown festive dance. The choir mimics the sounds of local percussion, singing out drum beats and shakers while urging everyone to "come out make noise make una dance for the new baby." It is a perfect, high-energy piece for Christmas concerts, carol services, or the joyful recessional of a Christmas Day Mass, guaranteed to get the entire church moving.