At Kitwe, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), in the hub of the Copperbelt, a convention was scheduled to be held during the visit of the president of the Watch Tower Society in 1952. The site was a large area on the outskirts of one of the mining camps, in a place now known as Chamboli. The top of an abandoned anthill was leveled, and a thatched shelter was built on it to serve as a platform. Other thatched shelters for sleeping, with double decks, extended out 200 yards [180 m] from the main seating area like the spokes of a wheel. Men and boys slept in some; women and girls in others. Some of the delegates had traveled two weeks by bicycle to be present. Others had walked for days and then finished the trip on a primitive bus.

During sessions those in the audience were very attentive, though seating was on hard bamboo benches in the open. They had come to hear, and they did not want to miss a word. The singing of that audience of 20,000 brought tears to the eyes—it was so beautiful. There was no accompaniment by musical instruments, but the harmony of the voices was exquisite. Not just in their singing but in every way, unity was manifest among these Witnesses, though they were from many backgrounds and tribes.

[Picture on page 269]

Open-air convention in Kitwe, Northern Rhodesia, during visit of N. H. Knorr in 1952