Sweet banana

My ass was vibrating, and not because I had suddenly learnt how to shake it myself or because I had my cellphone in my back pocket. No no no. The man at the drums was drumming so hard the entire floor was shacking, and as luck would have it, we were seated front and centre, on platform of vibration otherwise known as the wooden floor at the Alliance Francaise in Pretoria.

On their FB site I just saw the word "free", which to my poverty-stricken status means a chance to get out of the house. I had no idea what to expect from Stone Aged Souls, the "free-form musical-visual synthesis" group that is being sponsored by the Alliance to travel around Southern Africa.

The whole concert as such was strange. It felt a bit like a bunch of hippy friends all banging on instruments and "jamming". The lyrics were terrible though. I may be a cynic, and critical, and perhaps too easily so, but when someone chants silly things like "did you know you have wings?" and "sweet banana sweet banana sweet banana" and "the mother who fathered children" it feels a bit pretentious to me, as though the lyricist was wanting to conjure complex imagery but fails in his/her language use. For instance, what does it mean when one sings "like human beings I'd rather be of human beginnings"? I know it sounds great, all that repetition of similar sounds, just tell me what you actually wanted to convey?

During the performance, one member would go to the back and swirl sand around on a lit glass plate that was projected onto a screen behind the musicians. It was interesting to wait in anticipation  of what images would be formed next, and how they would connect to the music. Don't know if it really was a synthesis though since the equipment kept going into sleep-mode during one of the painting sessions, and the camera's spot meter was always in the middle of the image.

Overall it was a fun night mostly because the Alliance provided the some great Glühwein to the guests and because the friends I attended it with made it seem not so strange. It is not as though I am opposed to the strange if it is wonderfully so, but this seemed as though they could require a bit more practice in how to stage a show. Although I must add that the Alliance does a great job in providing free, varied entertainment and in supporting local/international artists. So it is natural that the previous event I attended, featuring Dobet Gnahoré, was a lot more engaging for me, but that this one might have been much more fun for other attendees.

Leaving

This is what the moon looked like in March,2010. And what it looks like tonight, strangely. 

Tonight I went to a friend's 21st, and it was lovely to spend the time with her, but I felt a) old, b) like my life would never move past Pretoria and c) in a difficult place because some of the friendships between the girls that were present appeared superficial.

In friendship, I want to be able to say whatever comes to mind without having to worry about being judged or not accepted or chastised. This was an interesting week for friendships because I spent two days with friends I have known for years and both days were great because it was so comfortable to be in each other's company.Another day spent with a different person was a bit awkward because the not-so-close friend seems to see us as closer than what I feel we are and we differ strongly in our views, but it is not one of those friendships where one can argue both sides of the coin and still be tight. The fourth lady I met this week is like a dementor that sucks out all the happiness and fills every surrounding space with negativity. Nothing is good in the world for her, and I would actually prefer not to spend any time with her, but feel that it is my duty to try and understand why she is so miserable and if it could be changed. The last friend stopped by today, and even though we abuse his knowledge of DIY-stuff, it is again one of those friendships where it is just comfortable to be around a person and there is no stressing about what to (not) say or what could be construed wrongly or so. It is strange to think about how much we interact with people on a daily basis and how much the positive in these interactions depend not only on the way we view others, but also on the way they view us. To one I might be a raging bitch, to another an embracing personality, and to another not of importance - we all perceive people differently.

I'm heading to the coast again and because it was a last minute decision I will try to post while I am there. Sorry that the blog revamp that I have imagined in my head will have to wait another two weeks.