Performing in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
This amazing place. My home but not my home. I saw many faces everywhere like mine and for the first time it was strange. I realized that where I come from, I was definitely not the majority. In Africa, it was me. There was a sense of familiarity even through our differences. We saw the Masai walking the streets in royal fashion with their traditional drapes of red and blue fabric accented by their walking sticks. I was told that nowadays, they work in the city as security guards. They are chosen because of their skill at taming animals. There were the healthy hustlers standing in the middle of busy streets selling anything from windshield wipers to ping pong paddles. I would call them aggressive salesmen with the energy of a quiet fire. Women worked for the town in the streets as street sweepers, in dresses and hardhats. I saw women carrying lumber, food, heavy bags atop their heads while, the handicapped sat in the middle of streets waiting for whatever crumbs to come. Since some of them looked to be afflicted by paralysis in the lower body, a few of them rode special bikes they peddled with their hands.
As beautiful as it was to see the hustle and bustle of everyday life, there were certain things that really concerned me. Because of poor emission systems on cars, the burning of sewage everywhere, along with a large number of the population who smoke, pollution there is bad. Makes me wonder about how long life expectancy is in a place with very little clean air. I hadn't the opportunity to see beyond the town of Dar Es Salaam but what I saw is a reflection much like any working community the beautiful and ugly situations coexisting together.
Going to Uganda was a somewhat different experience. I was told that Uganda was the second richest country in Africa. In some ways, you could really see it. Several homes are built with stones and bricks with tiled roofs. I've been told it's prime real estate and many people buy land there. Unfortunately, they have only one two lane highway that hasn't been updated since the 1960's. The pollution is not as bad but it still exists for the same reasons as in Tanzania. Pedestrians and motorcyclist dart between cars and they all give new meaning to defensive driving. Still, I loved the beauty of seeing these beautiful, lean Africans line the freeways to walk home or wherever their destinations takes them, for as many of them drive, very many walk. There are a series of shops and building that align the freeway in all kinds of beautiful colors: red dress shops, orange butcher shops, blue internet cafes, white barber shops etc with the busyness of people everywhere. There is a tropical feeling here with areas of deep palm trees and all kind of trees that cover mountains for days. It's indescribable just the beautiful suns and showers are.
More importantly, I was able to perform and be a part of a movement of music exposed to an emerging market. The people of East Africa gave us love, hugs, dances and congratulations on "the jazz" we performed (that's how they label soul music). Many asked when we would return. We made new connections and this new beginning seems to be the start of something a cry far bigger than us. It's always fun to watch an Amp Fiddler show and to be added to the bill just filled my heart with pride and joy. He makes me want to be a better artist and I thank him for that. Hopefully, we are opening the door for more artist like us to come through. I can never say enough how grateful I am for such an opportunity. I walked away making new friends and having a new hope for things to come.
They say Africa is supposed to change your life. Personally, I admit that it changed mine. With a renewed spirit, my heart knows nothing should be taken for granted. I plan to apply this knowledge to everything I touch going forward.
