DCMA

One of my favorite things about Zanzibar is the Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA).  It’s on the beach right around the corner from our apartment (or, rather, a short zigzag through the narrow streets).  

It’s in a gorgeous old building—the former home/

mansion of a young married couple from the early 1900s, and it’s designed in the old Zanzibar style, with walls made of coral cemented together with lime.  Like most of the old buildings here, it’s painted mostly in white, with painted floors in bold colors.  It has little nooks and crannies that were probably used to display prized possessions during the mansion’s heyday.  Best of all, it’s breezy and cool, even on hot days, because it’s designed with a large courtyard and with windows that open to cross-ventilate with the cool sea breezes.

The mission of DCMA is to make music—and especially traditional Zanzibari music—accessible to the people of Zanzibar.  Musicians from the DCMA do outreach performances for schoolkids, offer affordable music lessons to people of all ages, and present monthly concerts to the public on various themes. 

We’ve spent quite a bit of time at DCMA since March, when Oscar and Calvin started taking traditional drum lessons there.  People in our neighborhood are now used to seeing us traipse through the streets with drums under our arms.  The boys love their lessons, and Brady and I both look forward to going twice a week and watching and relaxing in the beautiful setting.  Their drum teacher, Kheri, is relentlessly positive and has taught the boys several traditional songs over the course of the past few months, gradually working from one to two and now to five drums apiece.  There is no printed music, no metronomes, no explicit teaching philosophy (anything as complex as a teaching philosophy would be difficult to convey, given that Kheri’s English is about as good as our Kiswahili—which is to say, fine for getting a basic point across, but not so useful for the fine points).  On a few occasions, Kheri has had Oscar and Calvin practice with dancers—dance being part of the normal ensemble with traditional drums. 

The building is always full of music and musicians of all ages, and the monthly concerts now feel like cozy salon evenings with a mixture of friends and people we know by face and instrument if not by name.  Oscar and Calvin are going to be taking home a drum apiece but, somehow, it’s not going to be the same.

Lesotho and Swaziland

(This post was written by Calvin.) Swaziland and Lesotho are both countries next to South Africa that are not part of South Africa because they fought off the Zulu tribes and stayed independent.  You have to go through immigration and customs to visit them because Swaziland and Lesotho are both their own countries even though they are much smaller and are nearly surrounded by South Africa.

In Lesotho, there are pretty much only villages, snow, sheep, and good bread.  We got there by going up a very steep road called Sani Pass. If you go to the top of Sani Pass and you’re cold or thirsty, you can get hot chocolate and tea. You should bring a coat in wintertime as it 30 degrees F. We were going to hike up a peak called Hodgson’s Peak, but it was way too cold and was too snowy to see, so we just went to Sani Top, visited a hut, and came back down.

Swaziland is much more interesting than Lesotho and it has rock art from San bushmen and a waterfall hiking trail.  Oscar and I liked climbing around on rocks on the trail, but people who mind getting hurt should be careful. I got a scratch on my face when I hiked there but I don’t think other people would get hurt unless they try to polevault on the rocks with a big stick like I did! There are lots of antelope there that are called blesbok, and we also saw a wildebeest and zebra. If you’re a birdwatcher, you can see a bird called a mousebird.  It’s called a mousebird because it’s a primitive bird that has very soft, thick feathers and it looks kind of like a mouse with a long tail. They’re not very good at flying.

Snapshots of South Africa: Vuvuzelas

The unofficial symbol of this year’s Cup is the “vuvuzela.”  Whether you can say its name or not, you will recognize its sound if you have watched any of this year’s World Cup matches on TV.  That humming, buzzing sound in the background is the sound of thousands of vuvuzelas resonating with the crowd’s excitement. 

Vuvuzelas are long, plastic trumpet-like tubes that became popular in South African soccer.  They are loud, they are large, and they are sacrosanct at these games.  Although we heard murmurings in South Africa about the possibility of a vuvuzela ban, FIFA’s long official “Stadium Code of Conduct” for this year explicitly states in its fine print, “Unbranded vuvuzelas are not considered Prohibited Items.” (I know because I checked before we packed Oscar and Calvin’s vuvuzelas—and four sets of earplugs!)  The annoyance of occasional buzzing in your ears—manageable.  Being part of the creation of new tradition in a country that’s trying to start anew—priceless.

Snapshots of South Africa: Ayoba!

It would be hard to be in anywhere in Africa right now and not to be aware of the World Cup.  In South Africa, that enthusiasm is multiplied by about 500.  There, there are billboards and commercials all over the place, welcoming visitors and supporting South Africa’s team.  There are flags from all of the countries in the Cup flying in every conceivable size and place, from miniature flags on cars to full-size ones at businesses and homes.  The most creative show of support we saw was at a local grocery store, where the bakery had made “breads of the World Cup,” representing national breads of the World Cup participating countries.

The aura in South Africa is of pride and optimism. South Africa is justifiably proud to have transformed itself into a country that is supported rather than boycotted by other nations, and into a country that has the infrastructure necessary to support visitors from all over the world.  The message in South African media is Ayoba which I’ve most often heard translated as “excitement” and the charge is to support Bafana Bafana, “our boys” of the home team.

This year for Africa!!

Snapshots of South Africa: (Re)visiting Friends

We weren’t anonymous all of the time in South Africa—and thankfully so. 

On our first morning in South Africa, we met up with my friend Shelley, who was an exchange student and friend of mine in high school.  I hadn’t seen Shelley since she made a return visit to the US when we were in college, but we were able to pick right up where we left off—with the delightful addition of the first bagels and good coffee that we’d had in months!

And, since my parents visited South Africa in 1979 and met a nice family with a daughter my age, I have been writing to my pen pal, Brigitte.  We’ve compared our experiences, we’ve exchanged recipes, we’ve sent birthday greetings and little gifts, and we’ve generally kept in touch on and off for the past 30 years.  I’d met Brigitte’s older sister when she visited us in the 1980s, but I’d never actually met Brigitte face to face until last week. 

Brigitte is married now and has a son who is in between Oscar and Calvin’s ages. We had a great day with our families, mostly chatting and catching up, but also playing a bit of soccer, both in their backyard and—when the boys wanted a bit more of a challenge—in a kids-versus-adults match at the local soccer pitch (the adults put forth a good show, but could not match the tricky ball handling skills of the kids).  It was an experience of a lifetime to get to “meet” someone I’ve known for so long.

Snapshots of South Africa: Revisiting Autonomy

When we’ve done tourist things in Tanzania, we’ve worked mostly with tour guides because that mode is the norm in Tanzania’s national parks, museums, and historic sites.  We’ve certainly learned a lot from the guides we’ve worked with, but we’re used to more autonomy.

In South Africa, we rented a car (a TINY car, as it turned out) and were able to get off the beaten track a bit—sometimes a bit farther than we would have liked, given that South African roadways have been changing at a pace too fast for print and virtual mapmakers to keep up with!  Most nights, we stayed in “self-catering” cottages, and we enjoyed the chance to be anonymous and autonomous for a while.

Snapshots of South Africa: Revisiting Modernity

For 10 months, we’ve been in Zanzibar, where there are no freeways, specialty grocery stores, or well-stocked libraries and bookstores.  While other World Cup visitors were worried about things like the availability of electricity in South Africa, we were getting back to our roots as people who drive on freeways, use credit cards, drink tap water, and make decisions about what brand of peanut butter to buy. 

The modern convenience we appreciated most was grocery stores.  We spent a total of probably 3 hours of our trip in various grocery stores—partly because we were a bit like deer in the headlights with the array of goods available (including South African novelties like bacon spread), but partly because we enjoyed and were entertained by being able to pick and choose exactly what we wanted to eat.  What luxury!

Snapshots of South Africa: Revisiting Apartheid

Like many World Cup visitors, Brady and I were interested in contrasting post-Apartheid South Africa with what we knew of the country from our formative years, and on our first full day in South Africa, we visited the visually, emotionally, and intellectually stunning Apartheid Museum.  The museum includes lots of photos, artifacts and commentary, as well as two films—one of the history of the country up to Apartheid, and one focusing on anti-Apartheid activism in the 1980s, including memorable footage of the Soweto uprising (which was commemorated in a national holiday while we were there: Youth Day, on June 16). 

It was with that context in mind that we drove through the countryside to the Drakensberg Mountains and in the Afrikaaner Voortrekker country, and as we listened to people conversing in the eleven official languages of the country.  It was with that context in mind, as well, that we traversed the areas around Johannesburg, saw the legacy of the old townships, went to Soccer City in Soweto, and stayed in housing in the mostly white enclaves that are still considered the safest places for foreigners affluent enough to visit.

In visiting the country and driving through countryside that looked to us remarkably like parts of the American West, we were struck by our countries’ parallel histories of white privilege, stubborn independence, activism, and religious diversity.  It was as though we were visiting our own country, but with several crucial differences at key points in history.

South Africa still has a ways to go to overcome the history of what several people we talked with called “the bad old days,” but it has made really remarkable progress.  

Prelude to Snapshots of South Africa

It would take more time and space than we have remaining here in Tanzania to do justice to last week's trip to the World Cup, so I’m going to give a bit of context here and move on to a few snapshots.

We were in South Africa for a whirlwind tour from June 12-21, in which we saw 3 countries, 2 friends, something like 1400 kilometers of countryside, snow, heat, and a World Cup match (Argentina 4: Republic of Korea 1).  There’s no way I can do the trip justice, but here are some snapshots.

Father’s Day

This post comes a day late because we spent Father’s Day in South Africa, celebrating the World Cup and joining in the worldwide support of South Africa as it continues to recover from Apartheid and to build a new democracy based on ideals of equality and respect.  

Being in South Africa was a fitting way to celebrate Father's Day, as I'd first become interested in visiting Africa when Dad and Mom went to South Africa in the 1970s, while my brother and I--too young to make the trip--stayed with relatives in Oregon and Washington.  Dad was doing research on Apartheid and its sociopolitical context, and his modeling of intellectual curiosity and his commitment to social justice made a lasting impression on me. 

Dad and Mom came and visited us here in Zanzibar this year, and some things were very familiar to Dad, as on the trip he and I made to the University of Dar es Salaam and to various government offices from which I needed research permits.  Some things, though, were new, such as Calvin's taxonomies of crabs and Oscar's intricate "paper video games."

I want also say happy Father’s Day to Brady.  We’ve had some really wonderful family times here this year, and I can’t imagine a better partner to have shared this time with, or a better father to help the kids enjoy and get the most out of this year.  

Brady has modeled curiosity and has shared his knowledge of many things, from Premier League Soccer to little insects and other critters we've encountered.

Out of love for our boys, he has unselfishly given--among other things, the watch off his wrist and the limelight after he caught his first deep sea fish.

And he has enjoyed and played with our boys, helping them to grow into the fun, curious kids that they are.

Happy Father's Day!