Blurrbs from Durbs

Today we listened to the sounds of Heaven at a choral competition in the City Hall in Durban. Community choirs, university choral groups and long established choirs competed for the provincial music title here in the cultural capital of KwaZuluNatal. This is what makes a city – serendipity and cultural events that draw the populace, entertain, and create an exciting, competitive atmosphere. As we walked the City streets, buses of red, cream, crimson, and white satined gowned women and tuxedoed men unloaded in front of the old City Hall (a moldy version of Greek Revival from Belfast, Ireland). Sniffing an event about to begin, we made inquiries and discovered that the provincial Choir Festival Competition was about to start. We jumped at the chance to hear some live music, paid the 20 rand (3 dollars) for tickets and entered the beautiful hall with the massive organ pipes holding center stage. The choir festival reminded me of marching band field shows in the US-the participants playing with their hair, looking around, smoothing their dresses until their choir director walks out on the stage, bows and turns to lead them. Then the amateurs turn into dedicated professionals as the individuals become one and sing from their soul. Their unpretentious faces took on the look of intensity, passion and serious business. The a capella singing and multiple harmonies were gorgeous to country folk looking for city entertainment. A Hadyn cantata piece was followed by a classical African composition with Zulu words. The finale was choir’s choice of their best. One choir selected a Zulu piece with numerous clicks so that not only did the choir have to stay in tune and on time but the clicks all had to occur simultaneously. Half time speech was given by the daughter of Nobel Peace Prize Albert Luthuli, who stated that her father had found the time to lead choirs and that the music represented the best of the new South Africa. I thought about all of the choir teachers at St. Peters by the Sea and public schools who worked so hard to give the gift of music to my children (without thanks) and the pleasure and joy that the experience had given our whole family.


This weekend marked our first trip to Durban and we are having a fine time!! Tales of muggings on the city streets and crowded beaches have kept us at a distance but this 5 day weekend (started with Freedom day on the 27th and ends with Workers Day on the 1st) seemed like the time to explore our closest city and scout out Zulu beading bargains for the patient occupational therapy program at Mountain High Hospital. Durban is not as chic or first world as Cape Town but it has its own charms. The climate is tropical and the gardens are endowed with blooming flowers, ferns, bananas, and palms in the humid atmosphere. The botanical garden is free and loaded with cycads, prehistoric plants that loom like trees. Along the beach, Zulu rickshaw drivers hold their own competitions for the most extravagant outlandish rickshaw décor. The carnival spirit at the beach is a combination of Phuket and Venice Beach with the bay looking like Santa Monica Bay, causing a twinge of homesickness. The flat city center is ringed with hilly, pleasant residential neighborhoods with outdoor cafes, gardens, small b and b’s and beautiful views of the harbor and ocean surf. Lunch beckoned at the “Taco Zulu” the first taste of Mexican food since we left the US 10 months ago. Simple burritos and salsa never tasted so delicious.



Freedom Day, April 27, marks the beginning of the new Democracy in South Africa – in1994 everyone turned out the vote and a new country was born. Today, Sunday, April 29. A minister at a church in Durban discussed his views on the meaning of Freedom in South Africa. He described training monitors in 1994 in anticipation that there could be a blood bath on election day. He also described the expectations of the liberated people- hopes for a matric (high school diploma) , a job and a house. Thirteen years later the new democracy is still trying to meet these expectations as well as more basic needs such as water and electricity for rural areas. The minister described true freedom as casting off the chains of grievances, grudges, and hatred and putting on love for all people.

The real find of the weekend was the Zulu bead emporium with unbelievable prices and selection. Back in our shopping town of Vryheid, we had been told about the wonders of a shop called Everlasting in Durban where every imaginable gift or craft item could be obtained at less than wholesale prices. We trudged along and found the store, which was located across from a hotel advertising a room for R69 a couple and R129 for overnight. The entrance to Everlasting was a two story cement stairwell. At the top of the stairs, a metal detector screened for weapons. From there one is directed to a bank of lockers with detachable keys for bag storage. After roving dozens of aisles in this monolith devoted to toys, hair pieces, party favors, artificial flowers, someone directed me to the bead department. Every color, style, size, shape, of bead was displayed – metallic, pearlized, glass, plastic, pastels, primary colors, and all in bulk quantities. The choices were too many and the journey home with the heavy beads to onerous Should I keep the bag of hot pink 2 mm glass beads for those young girls that love pink? What about the men who are coming at 930am to their own Jabule group and want real Zulu beads in orange, green, purple and black.

The gathering of the men this week was another serendipity event. The last few weeks the women’s Jabule has had an occasional drop-in male patient but on Monday 8 men came to the Hospital Business office and requested fleece to make hats for the cold nights on the mountain. I gathered up the fabric, called the Chaplain to assist and led the now 12 men into the chapel to begin a formalized men’s handcraft group. I cut fleece hats for them and they requested scarves as well. The fleece was depleted fairly quickly but there is always another trip to town to buy what they need. A Hospital employee has promised to teach the males shoe repair and construction so in a few weeks when the Peace Corps grant money has arrived, we will buy soles for each male patient and teach them how to make a simple sandal. Many of the men do not have shoes or socks of any kind.

Shoe repair and cobbler skills are desired by the men. Unemployment is very high so shoes are a luxury for many men. They want to make their own shoes and learn to repair shoes. Several stores in town sell soles and materials to construct simple sandals

Exciting news this week!! First a young woman delivered a baby on Tuesday and the Jabule quilt was given to her for the new baby. On Wed. I announced to the 18 women in the handwork group that we would start a new quilt for the next baby that is born to replace the one given to the young mother. There were a few anxious looks when I handed out 10 fabric squares to each woman and asked her to sew the squares together to make a row for the new quilt. By Thursday most of the women had sewn their 10 squares together and were ready to assemble the whole quilt together.

Brendon got word from the Peace Corps that his grant application for the AIDs orphans and vulnerable children Psycho Social Support Camp has been approved and we will be assisting the Hospital Administrator in running a camp in July as a pilot project. You are all invited to come and help. Blessings are multiplying at Mountain High and opportunities seem to pop up daily