My weekend in Pietermaritzburg, 27 – 30 October 2016

Background

On 7 August this year, I was privileged to be part of a trio concert with two of South Africa’s jazz legends – Errol Dyers (guitar) and Mervyn Africa (piano). It was held on a Sunday night, at the Catholic Welfare and Development (CWD) building in Athlone, and it was well supported. I performed some of my original songs, and I learnt a lot from the experience of performing with these two fine gentlemen. I had worked with Errol before, but it was the first time I had worked with Mervyn. I remember feeling the distinct stirrings of a new energy - that feeling of some kind of new beginning. I knew that, in time, life would reveal to me what that was about.

Once all the photos and comments had been posted on various Facebook pages, someone in Pietermaritzburg, from a sister organisation of CWD, called PACSA (Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action), contacted Andre Marais, in charge of the cultural programme at CWD, to invite the trio to repeat the concert in KZN (KwaZulu-Natal), another province in South Africa! We were hired to do a jazz concert, as part of the 2016 Maritzburg Social Justice Film & Arts Festival.

Something I’ve encountered a few times in my life, is that some of the best (or most profound) things that happen to one, are often preceded by drama, or adversity of some kind. Without going into detail, let me say that this was no exception. Eish!

But, all’s well that ends well.

Thursday, 27 October

On Thursday, our party of five flew to Durban, in great spirits: three musicians, plus two people from CWD. Errol and I travelled with our guitars – a first for me. Shortly after our arrival in Durban (King Shaka International Airport), we were collected and driven to Pietermaritzburg. I felt a bit overwhelmed, as I was experiencing many layers of emotions, and not just the excitement of the trip and the anticipation of making music as a trio. Being in Durban took me right back to the four and a half years I’d lived there as a child, decades before. I remembered the feel of the place, the tropical heat, the humidity – so very different to Cape Town’s drier climate.  I realised something I had almost forgotten – I loved that climate! I was very happy to be back there. I kept thinking, “I have to bring my children here!”

                                 Mervyn Africa and Errol Dyers, on our arrival in Durban. 

After a drive of more than an hour, through the lush, rolling hills of KZN, we arrived at our hotel, the Regal Inn Xpress, in a suburb called Scottsville. It was a five-minute drive from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Pietermaritzburg campus, where we were to perform.

That afternoon, we checked in and settled into our rooms. Some went for a walk, in search of bunny chows, others rested. I’d seen a small shopping mall across the road, so I took a short walk to get a light meal. I was ravenous, and the bunny chow shop sounded far away. I was happy with my room, which had DSTV (don’t have at home). Later I discovered there was WIFI in the common areas, which enabled me to stay in touch with my children and post updates on Facebook.  I probably spent way too much time on my phone, as a result. (Sorry, guys!)

                The dining room at the Regal Inn Xpress, in Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg

That evening, we had supper at the hotel, then sat outside, enjoying the beautiful evening; it was nice to just hang out, talking and relaxing. Travelling with such colourful personalities guaranteed much laughter.  We chatted on the phone to the organisers, who arranged to pick us up the next day, and eventually retired to our rooms for our first night in balmy KZN. I was so happy, I wanted to run around shouting it out loud.  I loved the absence of my usual housework - ever-present, demanding, consuming, brain-numbing, always preventing me from connecting with my music. I loved having the freedom to be who I essentially was - a musician. I showered, played guitar till my eyes started closing, then fell asleep.  I must’ve slept with a smile on my face.   

Friday, 28 October

I savoured the luxury of waking up without an alarm, but my body clock ensured it was not a late sleep. After my  shower, I went downstairs  and enjoyed the experience of a hotel breakfast, with all its options.  So cool!  A total mom, I missed my children, and remembered our trip to Pretoria in 2013, when they’d experienced their first 5-star hotel breakfast buffet.

Later that morning, we were fetched by the PACSA staff, whom we met for the first time, and were taken to the campus, to rehearse. I sat around, enjoying the guys’ rehearsal, then rehearsed my songs with them. It was really good to get the feel of the venue. The rehearsal went well, and I was excited about performing that night. When it was time to order lunch, I opted for a bunny chow, something I had last eaten years before. It surpassed my expectations, and now I need to find a Cape Town place that can match its perfect combination of taste and strength (not too strong!).  Wish me luck.

There wasn’t a lot of time between the rehearsal and the evening, but it was enough to get back to the hotel, to  shower and prepare for the evening - and in my case, take a couple of selfies. Ja, ja! Once again, the PACSA people made sure we got to wherever we needed to be - five people and two guitars.

                                                       The obligatory pre-concert selfie

The concert was great fun. I loved listening to Errol and Mervyn, and even managed to record some of their stuff on my phone. We did one set, followed by an interval, during which we were invited to eat in a huge marquee I’d seen them erecting earlier that day. Again, yummy food, with a tasty vegetarian option! After the break, we did our second set, which also went well. My personal opinion is that I sang better during the rehearsal. The crowd loved our music, and responded enthusiastically.  Such a good feeling!

                                        The crowd's response to Mervyn and Errol's set

In the break, a young lady asked if she could sing a song with the guys. To my delight, she did a spine-tingling version of “Ntyilo Ntyilo”, a moving Miriam Makeba song.  The vocalist’s name was Thandeka Ntembi, and I sincerely hope she pursues singing as a career, because she’s got that X-factor. She’s actually remarkable!  We took a couple of photos together, and I got to meet some of her friends, including a young lady called Micky. Thandeka and I exchanged contact details and have been in touch a few times since I got back. I suspect that life will make sure we meet again. 

                               Thandeka (cap), Micky (black top) and a friend, posing with me

Post-gig adrenalin

As usual, I was so stimmed after the gig, that I couldn’t sleep. I’m not sure what the others did, but I went to my room and tried to come down to earth after my exhilarating evening. Like I had done the night before, I walked over to the ironing room, and ironed my clothes for the next day, including my gig clothes, just in case we ran out of time. I showered, watched tv, played my guitar, watched more tv, and eventually fell asleep. I was thoroughly enjoying my time in KZN, and I started feeling sad that it would soon be over. My mind raced as I considered the logistics of coming back to KZN - with my kids.

Saturday 29 October

Woke up without an alarm, but once again way too early for someone who was finally able to sleep in. I showered and went down for breakfast, happily connected to the WIFI, and contacted home and Fb. The guys pitched up, one by one, and I found myself spending a prolonged time in the dining room, hanging out with them, each of us so different, yet connected by this really cool experience.

We were fetched by the PACSA people, and attended some of the activities at the festival. Because of limited time, I didn’t get to see any of the excellent documentary films, but I managed to attend the Food Fair, where everything was free of charge, and interesting people dished up food from their countries, for us to try. I have a very sensitive stomach, so I avoided anything that looked too outlandish. One thing I did not want to do was spend any of my precious time over there being sick.

                                                                      The food fair

And then the second most exciting part of my trip happened – I attended a ‘’Fees Must Fall’’ discussion forum, where university students spoke about what had been happening, what was currently happening, and what they hoped would happen. They spoke about the brutality of the security personnel, the one-sidedness of most of the media reports, and the awful experiences some of them had had, in the course of the student protests – including being shot at, having teargas canisters thrown into their second-storey hostel rooms and their doors forcibly locked, and being locked up in prison and deprived of food for more than 40 hours. Even though my presence at the festival was in my capacity as a musician (that beautiful, magical part of my life), I felt privileged and grateful to have attended that meeting, because it put me in touch with the pulse of the country’s youth. I was moved and impressed by the depth and insight of the students, and especially by their sophisticated political understanding, something few people acknowledge, thanks to the diluting of their cause by the media. They had organised a public meeting for a few days later, where they would address parents and other members of the public, to present their side of the Fees Must Fall movement.

                                                         UKZN, Pietermaritzburg Campus

I left there wanting to put KZN students in touch with students from my province, so that there could be greater cooperation and understanding, on a national level, and greater solidarity, in the face of the kinds of brutality, both physical and systemic, that the students had been experiencing. I felt outraged that authorities were treating the problem on a campus-by-campus basis, when it was in fact a national crisis, and not just an educational matter. The country was in crisis, and it was conveniently being side-lined as a protest by lazy students. These students have more understanding and courage than many adults I know. If only they were afforded the respect and audience to have their concerns and demands heard.

It disturbs me deeply that people who themselves were marginalised and treated as sub-human, not so long ago, can do the same to others, once their own nests have been feathered. Brings to mind George Orwell’s book, ‘’1984”.  What was that classic commandment? ‘’All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.’’  

Saturday evening

With very little time between the afternoon’s activities and the evening performance, we nevertheless were ready in time and were once again fetched by the friendly PACSA staff. By this time, I was used to the sudden thunderstorms, and loved the fact that rain didn’t automatically mean cold, as it did in Cape Town. 

The second evening was a poetry evening, and the trio was to play a bit of music here and there. As it turned out, there was such a big response to the open mic poetry session, that very little music was played, and I didn’t even get to sing. Still, I was happy to have been there, to have heard Errol and Mervyn make their magic, and to experience a night of student poetry.

                                      The stage at the Colin Webb Hall, at UKZN

Language has always fascinated me, and that night was no exception. Even though most of the poets spoke in isiZulu, I could follow the emotions and essence of what they were saying, and the audience’s response was contagious.  I loved the intensity of the poets, I loved the rhythm and cadence of their voices, and was mesmerised by their obvious passion. These people, the youth of today, inspire me.  I have the utmost confidence in their ability to put this country back on the right track, given the space to do so.

We once again had delicious food served in the marquee, during the interval, and I tried to take photos of the thunderstorm, but it seemed the lightning was playing a game with me, disappearing everytime I clicked. Anyway, it was exciting standing in the rain and watching the storm. I felt alive.

                                           The best of the lightning pics I took. 

And then it was time to say our goodbyes. Mervyn Abrahams, the Director of PACSA, took us out for drinks, to say thank you and goodbye - a nice way to round off our time there. I think I flopped into bed after 1am, after packing my case and making a list of last-minute things to do the next morning. Before I knew it, it was time to get up again. This time I used my alarm, as we were being fetched for the airport at 9, and there was one last brekkie to be had. And WIFI.   

Sunday, 30 October

We ate our last breakfast together, and all the time I was aware of the time constraints. I felt slightly sad, when we handed in our keys and said our goodbyes to the staff. The drive to the airport was long and melancholic. Every now and then, I became aware of the others in the taxi, and noticed they were also quiet. Maybe they were feeling like I was. I stared outside the window, and took a few pics, trying to squeeze as much of KZN into my psyche as I could. 

                                                     The green, rolling hills of KZN

At King Shaka International Airport, we offloaded our bags, took our leave of the driver, and went through the formalities, before boarding the plane. Errol took his guitar on board, but I left mine with the prams, relieved that this time they put a tag on it and gave me a counterfoil.

The flight back to Cape Town was strange. I loved the excitement of being in the air, and of course that wonderful feeling of going home to one’s loved ones, but part of me wished I’d been able to spend more time in KZN, especially to visit my childhood friends in Durban.

Maybe next time.

This weekend opened my eyes and made me question many things, about my own life choices, as well as about my country. 

I am deeply grateful to the wonderful people at PACSA for inviting us to perform as part of the 2016 Maritzburg Social Justice Film and Arts Festival, for flying us over, accommodating us, providing all our meals and shuttles, and for treating us with so much kindness and respect.  

I’m sure many people reading this are frequent flyers, and might think that taking a two-hour flight somewhere is no big deal, but to me this weekend was special, and I will never forget it.

Till we meet again.

Peace