Concerts, concerts, concerts...

What a wonderful evening! We’ve just gotten back from our second Swakopmund concert and we’re tired but exhilarated. There is nothing quite like singing with Mascato, even if we didn’t get to hear them on their own. We went outside after the concert, as is traditional, and did some singing and dancing together. Singing Ti Mama with them tonight is sure to be one of the high points of the entire tour. Their sound is so warm and beautiful. Our host, Werner, said to me that what he enjoys so much about Mascato, and about Afro Shine (the young men who wrote Ti Mama) in particular is that they don’t sing about feelings they don’t have -- they sing about their feelings and their lives, and that makes it real and warm because it comes straight from the heart. I thought that was very astute and true.

Today was mostly a day full of concerts, though we got off to a leisurely start for a change with an 11 a.m. call time. Last night was our last rehearsal with Mascato before the concert, which went quite smoothly. Scott asked the group to sing a few pieces for us and they obliged. Every time we hear Mascato sing African music, we realize that there are so many levels to this music and that we have barely scratched the surface.

Especially exciting -- Wendy Gibb arrived in time for our concert this evening, a little tired from her long journey, but glad to be among us finally. All the Mascato singers who came to Canada last year flocked around her for greetings and hugs -- it seems like Wendy draws young Namibian choristers to her warmth and compassion as easily as she does young Canadians! Everyone wanted to say hello to her and update her on their lives since they last saw her! Wendy’s son, Andrew, did a great introduction to one of our pieces tonight (Shed a Little Light), talking about how we are all brothers and sisters in our common mission to see our world united in its diversity -- and I think if that’s true, if Kokopelli and Mascato are brothers and sisters, then we have amazing and strong women like Mrs. Venter and Wendy to thank. They act as our mother figures, pulling us together and inspiring us to make them proud of us. Ti Mama Se! How blessed we are that we have traveled around the world and found that we’re still among family.

Tomorrow is another concert day, this time in Walvis Bay. We have a free morning, time to visit with our hosts and maybe get some laundry done so we can leave Swakop with clean clothes.

And -- here are a few pics from the last week:



The crazy Atlantic swimmers, about to jump!



One particularly crazy Atlantic swimmer!



A group of us in front of Namib High, where we've been meeting and rehearsing all week.



John and Jen, newly engaged!



Jen and John, once they had some time to calm down.