Music - it will always come back to music

At Blk Sonshine concert in Kirstenbosch with Vuyo (Kedi's cousin), Minicia, and some of Vuyo's family and friends. (ironically if you read the next blog, on of their songs is "Born in a Taxi.")




You see I only have one Christmas CD on my computer. Charlie Brown’s Christmas to be exact- and it’s a pretty good one if you only have on I guess for the background type music. So in order not to wear it out I tried to think of other music I could listen to while doing chores. A Nat King Cole song over- it led me to Ella and Louis (too bad I don’t have the Cole Christmas CD or the Harry Connick Jr one…)

So I am standing doing the dishes and Moonlight in Vermont is playing. And Vermont seemed fitting to think about and made me miss the Wilson family tradition of watching White Christmas. And I started thinking, who were these songs really written for and what are the social and status implications of all of this. And if music has an ability to touch everyone does it matter…

Of course I am one to think everything matters to some extent.

But as performers were they just working for an upper class to perform these beautiful songs. And performing for people that wanted to forget their own lives in the music, but also helped them forget the struggle music and performing comes from. And when is it okay to forget? But what if you just use it to promote your ignorance?

And so I am thinking about New Orleans, Cuba, South African townships and other places where music has come from. And where art and music have told a story that the world wasn’t able to see without touching a different part of a person’s soul. So as disappointed as I am at people using music to cloud over who is really performing and what is really happening- don’t the performers have a right to use it in the same way. And on the flip side it is so important to me that music and art have permeated differences and misunderstandings. I think hip-hop and rap is easier to use in some ways, because it can call out the social problems so clearly.

Anyway this is just me getting out some thoughts, especially in dealing with some of the social tensions in South Africa more poignantly this week.

Music crosses time and place and lets us share our emotions. In terms of church I know if I go into a United Methodist Church and sing certain songs I know my grandmother would have sung those same songs and feel connected. Or our first week at church here singing songs I learned in youth group or being a camp counselor. The connections through music are endless- but I think I was more worried about the exploitation that can come. I guess I feel like music is stronger than a lot of other places exploitation happens, and all the tricks that have been used to truly express things in music.

Photos from Lumbubashi and Sister2Sister Conference DRC

Swahili and the things I learned from the Lion King

(photoed above- Chris Satellite leader from Zambia with Hakuna Matata shirt! And Papa David and I in the kitchen, after I gave him my colored glasses- having trouble with photos now, so sorry both are on top)


Our first day in Congo, was our free day before the conference. We had high hopes of seeing Lubumbashi and going to a market. But in trying to coordinate so many people- the transportation for personal time was not available. Understandable…

Jen, Rachel, and I, along with another co-worker Lucille- who has become a dear friend, were invited to stay with Joyce’s Uncle Jimmy, who works for the government and lives very comfortably. While most of the time we wished we could stay closer to the delegates for the conference, or the center itself- we were welcomed most generously and were also not spending more money on lodging.

So our first day became my attempts at starting to learn Swahili/French.

And I really must say- The Lion King (yes the Disney Children’s movie –no I am not endorsing Disney) was a huge help with Swahili

Asante sana (squashed banana) = thank you very much (probably the most useful to already know how to pronounce

Hakuna Matata = means no worries (probably the most entertaining for people to hear us say and try to figure out where we picked it up)

Rafiki = means friend.

So now we were off to a good start and knew how to say hello.

Well, while the girls were hanging out, I decided to spend the afternoon in the kitchen with Papa David, Papa Paul and Mama Suzanne who were preparing food and taking care of the kids.

I think of everywhere I have been over the last few weeks, even where we are living in Cape Town, that kitchen feels most like home. I am sure it is from trying to communicate on my own with these wonderful people. The other thing to note is- Swahili in this part of DRC is really blended with French, so in places border Swahili is used I may have more trouble.

I was using Spanish, and the few words I knew in French to ask for some of the Swahili words. In my opinion- reading Swahili for pronunciation is far easier than French. And when you are just learning phrases- tenses and plurals and such don’t matter too much. So between the English two of them knew, pointing, and my few words, we had a good conversation and I learned a few things. And then was tested on the basics every time I came back. Later in the week I got to help Papa David with dishes and start joking around more- so I am very serious when I say this kitchen- where we also ate any meals not at the conference- felt like home. They called me akili- meaning intelligent. Mina kupenda means I love you. (I would write more but I am not really sure on spellings, because I was just taking notes for myself)

Also when we would practice counting with various people, many who spoke Swahili had to think about it. I think they all use the French numbers more.

At the conference I also tried to use some of the words, because the satellite projects I am working with are in DRC, Kenya, and Zambia. The site leaders in Kenya and Zambia have good English, but I am also working with 9 sites in DRC where the postal system is nonexistent, internet is a far away concept in some places, and phones can and can’t work. They speak Swahili in Kenya – so I figured focusing on Swahili for DRC and Kenya and then learning some conversational Bemba for when I go to the 3 sites in Zambia.

Then I realized I work on everyone’s reports- which I am pretty sure are written in French from the DRC. So my attempts will continue. Hopefully I can take a class at some point, Jen and Lucy want to as well. And maybe that would help us meet some people beyond each other and the office.

Anyway for someone that can struggle with language- I love communicating and at least learning these phrases. And was blessed by some good translators when I arranged meetings in between sessions at the conference. But I want to hear people’s stories when I go visit the sites and there are already so many other barriers beyond language.

In fact sometimes not speaking words left a different room to communicate and grow close to people at the conference. I’ll write an example soon.

Kwa herini,
Hannah