Journey Home and Farewell

The journey home was long and bumpy, but after the first 20 hours, we all had a fairly relaxed outlook and I heard students talking about their jobs, their families and their lives back in the US.  I could tell that they were ready to re-enter, though I felt that Dennis and I were just getting our South African pace going.  My ability to re-enter should be strengthened with each visit, but I find that I am still unready to pick up the tempo of American life until a few days pass.

Appalachian class with Bhekani Buthelezi (2nd from left back row) and Herman Oosthuizen, far right front row)

South African colleagues used the phrase "2nd home" referring to our welcome in South Africa, and it truly has become a second home country for us.  Around every corner, I found little sights and tastes that I wanted students to see or try.  A spice, a condiment, a musical genre, an unofficial language, a custom, etc. Even at the last moment, my friend Herman appeared in Durban ready to cheer us on home with a round of springbokkies (a South African drink) for the gang and some great stories about everything from Bhekani to Botswana.  Bhekhani is the choral director for  University of Zululand Choral Society, and his friend Herman became our friend in 2010 during my Fulbright visit.

The Association of Tertiary Zion Students Choir

True to the spirit of African experiences, the farewell concert at the University of Zululand held a great surprise.  It wasn't a VIP or a sacred dance or anything like that.  It was the experience of the electricity going out  all over campus right at the start of our concert.  Dr. Rob Baum, the new Head of Department for the Creative Arts at UZ, Bhekani, and I all decided to continue, though challenges of darkness (performance was held in a black box theatre), lack of ventilation and the over-capacity crowd  gave a few of us some adrenalin-filled moments.

In this setting, pre-concert festivities are the most fun, as students and visitors geared up for the event by singing short solos, or performing 30 second dances, while everyone clapped to give them some rhythms.  It doesn't matter if you are American, religious, in a heritage costume or what-what, because everyone participates in this anticipatory set in whatever manner the spirit moves them.

Dominique giving a snippet of her repertoire to the people gathering for the farewell concert

There isn't much in the way of photos or video from the concert, since it was performed in the dark, but outside the building, the full moon shone brightly enough for the last minute exchange of emails, little gifts and hugs to take place, moving me beyond words.  I realized that my students were finally able to have the experience of an African farewell that they will never forget.

The Hluhluwe Game Reserve Safari 

Now We sit on South African Airways plane headed home.  Zoom.... See you soon!

After a long farewell concert performed in a black box  theater without lights or electricity, we hugged Mrs. File and Mr. Buthelezi one last time.

Walking, working, and singing--Zulu 24/7

At 3:00 p.m, Monday, May 20.
A hundred or so students have been gathered outside the admin building of UniZulu where I am in a meeting  for the past hour.  The staff here in the building are not concerned, since they have not received any texts or emails of alert.  After someone from UZ management addressed the crowd, they sometimes cheered, sometimes chanted and sang, but eventually they dispersed. Apparently, more gatherings of this nature have taken place over the past year.  If the issues really serious and the tone of the crowd aggressive; they are called "toyi-toyi" and can pose danger to unknowing, but interested bystanders.  Fortunately today, App students were on the other side of campus in the safe care Bhekani Buthelezi, the UZ  choral director.

At 9:00 p.m Monday May 20
Now it is evening, students are safely in their house having a tutorial on reading tonic solfa, used for learning composed music in black South African choirs.  Dennis and I are looking forward to visiting a school for children with special needs in the morning.  The Appalachian students will teach music, Dennis will play soccer at recreation time, and I will visit with the teachers and the grannies who take care of the children.

Tonight, I will dream of four part harmonies, beautiful children and ankles that never swell.  All is well in Zululand.

We walk everywhere in Zululand, sometimes long journeys. The walk to choir practice is always worth more than diamonds.  At rehearsal's end, we sing favorite pop songs or ditties to gear us up for going home.

Our studies in Zululand began today.  After a greeting and photo session  from the Vice Chancellor NM Mazibuko, Sister Biyela, Professor of Language in Arts and Education gave us a lesson in speaking isiZulu.  Students quickly picked up the words' but we are all challenged by the click sounds.  At every meeting, Appalachian students greet our Zulu colleagues with a song.

Singing for our fundisa (teacher) Dr. And Sister Gloria Biyela

Living the Multi-lingual life

Searching for Venda folkloric music led us to Soewto where people of many languages live and sing in the same choirs. In the choir UJ Soweto.

Here is the way one song ends after a tiring  dance and beautifully sung explanation of why a woman has a light skinned baby. 

Learning from the Witswatersrand

Lecture Hall at the University of the Witwatersrand

professor David Coplan, Anthropologist, South African Music 

:-) /

University of Johannesburg

A little fuzzy from thousands of miles away! And that is how we felt until the singing began. The choir on the Soweto campus of UJ started our "meet and greet" with the swapping of songs.  Here we are learning a song from the Tsonga tradition and moving ....dancing together.

Visiting student Pashy Matlala in our home in Boone - - helping me learn the words and moves for "Njalo" in 2012.   We hope to see Pashy again next week, and meet her Mum in Pretoria soon.

At this moment, we are still in Boone, North Carolina, USA getting ready for the trip to South Africa.  It has been well over two years since we said goodbye to our South African friends and came back home.  We will fly from JFK to Johannesburg on a flight that lasts about 15 hours, and then hit the ground running as fast as we can to choir practices and into the arms of our loved ones there.