Beat the Drum
The other day I was watching some tv while working on my last beading artwork. It was a dark and rainy, late afternoon. A cup of tea on the side table and the hope to find something interesting to watch on cable tv. It is true what they say: so many channels, and nothing to watch. Well, I caught “Beat the Drum” right as it was beginning. It’s not often that you get to watch films about Africa; last time was a month ago, when I saw “Tsotsi” (very good, I recommend it).
So… Beat the Drum is the story of a KwaZulu kid that has lost his entire family of AIDS. Only his grandmother and few other people are left in the village. Therefore, he decides to go to Johannesburg and find his uncle, who had moved there months earlier, to find a job. He walks for days and days and finally arrives in the huge town.
I won’t tell you more of the story because it’s really interesting and moving. Also, it reminded me of when I had been to Johannesburg, a few years after Mandela was freed. I was around 13 years old and I have a lot of memories. The funniest one is of the day I entered a Men Only bar with my mom, while my bro and my father were gone buying tennis shoes: the very instant we opened the door, the entire bar went totally silent and we just said “woooops, sorry”, and rushed out.
But most of my memories are a mix of astonishing beauty of the nature and a very, very deep sadness for the social conditions.
I am going to Africa this summer, and I cannot wait! Started my vaccination program yesterday…sore arm but man is it worth it!
I cant Post some times.
But I want to go to Africa anyway.