“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
—Nelson Mandela
We spent several hours in the Apartheid Museum. It was a very moving experience and reminded us how fragile life and liberty can be, and the price of freedom. No pictures are allowed in the interior of the museum, but here are a few from the exterior experience.
We headed back to the hotel to freshen up and get some lunch before our next adventure: an African music chorale workshop with Mbuso Ndlovu at the Sandton Convention center. This was an intensive workshop of putting together rhythm, words, movement to traditional African songs.
One song was Phuz’utshwala, a traditional song about a man who spends all of his money from working in the mines on alcohol and scrap cars and his siblings reminding him that his mother has actually rebuked him for doing this. The song is sung in IsiZulu.
The second song, Ingonyama, is a song that celebrates a person or group of people by calling them a lion. We celebrated the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus in song as well as the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa. This song was sung in IsiXosa. There is an unconfirmed buzz that we may be performing this song for President Ramaphosa on Saturday.
After spending the morning looking at how people can be divided, it was heartening to see cultures coming together through the power of music. The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus creates musical experiences to inspire change, build community, and celebrate difference and I think many of us felt that today.
After our workshop folks went off to shop, rest or in our case, have a cocktail at one of the many bars-restaurants in Nelson Mandela Square. A few of us ended up at the Flamingo Bar for some a pre-diner libation!
We had a free night tonight so many of us headed out on the town to experience night life in Johannesburg. Our friend Kyle had been communicating with some local guys and he got a recommendation that we should try Beefcakes in town. After a post on Facebook and some social promotion, about 60 to 70 of the guys ended up at their burger place in town. They had a great drag show and much eye candy. Most of us ended up back to the hotel at a reasonable hour, although I can imagine a number of folks will nap on the bus to Soweto tomorrow morning.