Functions Africa style

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Hi

I didn't mean to write again but it has been an eventful day. I have settled in to my grade 3's and learned some of their names. The weather means that the track to Jo Slovo schools is like off road driving and I did have a stiff neck and not much sleep last night but the children were fun. They get through pencils at the rate of knots. Felt tips dry out in the heat and our school is exposed and hot but they love coloured pencils and rubbers and pencil sharpeners. I got them all exercise books so I could keep track of their work.

The school stopped early and the visitors started to arrive. Those on the platform which was the raised pathway were from the local government. It is all in Xhosa so you have to concentrate to pick up the odd word in English. The audience were the local cleaning cooperative. There is no garbage collection in the township so they go round with blue plastic bags collecting rubbish within the towns and in the brush around.

There are always prayers and hymns and they all burst into song and get up and start clapping and moving to the beat at any opportunity and the audience led some of it. Marina and I had tried to watch from a sideline but they insisted we come and sit in the front row of the audience. The coop had raised the money themselves for their school to have some basic sports equipment. Wednesday is sports afternoon and I discovered today that those who don't play sport do music or dancing. Various people led prayers and spoke. The school tribal dancers performed some Xhosa dancing which is very rhythmic with much stamping and high kicking and everybody singing and clapping. The choir sang and then the cleaners supervisor got up to speak. It was a bit like Arthur Scargill - she is a powerful woman and there was much cheering from the workers in the audience. You get the drama and the implications even without the words. I picked up enough from her speech to realise she was talking about the litter situation locally as there were some words in English - Litter, paper, plastic and condoms. Someone came and sat next to us and asked us for our names. After I had written it I noticed that at the top it said something about weekly collection of litter and I said to Marina that I thought we might have signed a petition. One of the dignitaries was Waste Management from the local governement and he also seemed to have signed it. We got up to leave and while we were waiting for our bus a couple of people came out and wanted to take our photos with one of the cleaners and the organiser of the function for the local paper. The cleaner insisted on throwing off her overall and we all had a group hug.

After another very bumpy trip out of the township and home we had a windy walk right to the end of the beach and back. One of the volunteers is celebrating his birthday today - 72 - I think. The hotel organised a small as he has been here before and the hotel choir gathered out of the laundry, the kitchens and the housekeepers office and we had more singing over our afternoon tea.

Marina is leaving Jo Slovo tomorrow and they are having the "function" for both of us although I will be there another week. I think they may be on function overload and they break up for a two week holiday when I leave next week. I seem to be fated to have my farewells before I go. I can hardly believe I only have one more week to go after this.

Love to all Sue

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