Hi my friends,

So I'm back in the Netherlands for a couple of hours now after a trip of more than 24 hours, poohie!
So where was I...
Oh yep we had our performance for the flower/train tourists.
Okay on monday 30 kids showed up, but not the ones we selected, so for us it was a big disappointment. Also the Khoi Konneksion people where late (we where supose to meet on Sunday evening but they drove that night to Klawer), on Monday at 9am they were supose to do a workshop, showed up 9.30am. When they came they were beautiful people, Glen, Garth and Jethro, they had a lot of info about Khoi San people. The Khoi and San are the ancesters of most of these kids, but they know little about their heritage. The 24th of September is Heritage day in South Africa. We were part of the cultural week leading towards the Heritage Fees (party).
Okay going back to Monday, on Monday the Minister of Education Culture and Sports Cameron Dugmore came and we had a lot of kids that didn't really want to be there and were tired, but but but, when the v.i.p.'s came Mireille had them singing the national anthem and playing drums at the same time, THEY LOVED IT!!! So an other big succes.

The next day we talked to the head of School John Cloethe and we got some of the kids we selected and others that were from our group the week before. But we had less and more inspired kids. We made bass drums from oil drums with them,we painted the didgeridoos, the shakers, the Khoi Konneksion guys made mouthbows (I'll put a photo from one on myspace) with them, the bows got painted. Garth made beautiful drawing with them, Jethro made poems with some. It was an amazing week, with lots of cooperation between kids, between "grown-ups" and between kids and grown-ups. Mireille worked on Maragato a Brasilian rhythm, based on a rhythm from Angola. They picked it up amazingly, because it is not easy at all ( I'll download a vid from it). So now we have mouthbow, didgeridoo, poems, rap and drumming. We arranged a nice show with these elements and performed it on Saturday. It was an other big succes, the rhythm didn't go so well, because they were too nervous and kept speeding up and loosing eachother, but the poems, bows, didgeridoo and rap went great!!!

Saturday in the morning we went all together in a school bus to Lutzville, it was a little party with already making a lot of music. Also the Klawer band came with us in the bus, they had to perform also.
Our beautiful children performed second from 8 group I think, they had green stripes on their faces and looked very very nicely. It was a sunny day with lots of culture, dance, singing, theatre, poetry and visual art was exhibitioned (can you actually say that?). Oh well I think I am getting tired, no sleep for over 30 hours, but you get what I mean, right!

On the way back we were so so tired, but happy, and sad to, because these were also the last hours for us, we wouldn't see eachother for an other year...

So here I am...

Well I will try to write 1 more time, with all what we have achived this time, because it seems a lot, which is great!
Okay I can't think straight anymore, so loads of Love,

Lies