For the last two weeks or so we've been gearing towards the end of year school play. We've done endless rehearsals of the songs and poems they'll be performing and the kids have also made loads of artwork which we'll display in the hall on the big day-all to tie in with the theme of the concert which this year is 'South African Culture'. At some point I mentioned to the staff that a few years back I wrote a football song to inspire the English national team, namely "We're Bringing it Home". I was asked to play it to the school and they absolutely loved it. It was then suggested that I change the lyrics to support the South African team in the coming World Cup. Crystal and Harriet were both adamant that I should teach it to the kids and that it should be added to the itinery of the school play. I was really flattered and extremely excited by the prospect so knuckled down to the lyrics straight away and here are the fruits of my labors from that creative session
All the Way (enthusiasts of my work will notice I have another song by this title but who's to know that out here) -)
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We've waited so long for the world cup to come to Africa,
And now its here we're gonna sing and cheer.
In 2010, eleven men, are gonna score again and again,
And we're behind each one of them.
(boys sing) And I know..
(girls sing) Our boys will do us so proud.
(boys sing) And I know..
(girls sing) They will if we're singing loud.
(boys sing) And I know..
(all sing) The world is listening now...
'Coz we're SA, SA, SA and we're gonna blow all the others away,
They'll be amazed at the soccer we play,
We'll go all the way e-o, e-o ay..
Yeahbo
Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town our song will ring all around,
And all the rest will fear the sound.
'Coz when we sing, we can bring, team spirit for our country to win,
And then the party really will begin!
FIFA have recently announced their world rankings and I think South Africa were placed around 150th on the list so the above could be accused of containing an element of mindless optimism but that not the point now is it?! I literally couldn't believe how quickly the kids picked up the lyrics-they had learnt them all well before I or any of the teachers had. I must say, to hear a load of African kids all singing my own song and words was one of the most touching moments I've had since I've been here. Kids as young as 3 who to my knowledge could hardly even speak English were singing their hearts out. As you can see I included some Zulu words into the lyrics which I thought would help the kids to identify with the whole thing a little closer. "E-o, e-o-ay" is a Zulu chant of encouragement and "Yeahbo" means 'Yes' and I'm afraid this represents the sum total of my Zulu vocabulary... I tell a lie-one of the poems from the play is in Zulu and having heard it a million times I'm able to recite a few lines from the middle which describes the process of milking a cow! "Si-wago-fuzi, si-wago-fuzi, sittin dah-sitty-futa.."-so that should come in useful if I'm ever stopped in the street by a Zulu and have my knowledge of local dairy farming put under scrutiny.
Anyway, back to the song, Harriet thought the whole thing was such a success that I should take it to the local radio station-East Coast Radio and see if they would have us all in to sing it. I went along there some days later and was told to call back in the morning and speak to the program manager-he has been a tough cookie to pin down however but his PA and others from the station seem to think its a brilliant idea and that he'll be well up for it so will keep you posted on developments there-would be totally incredible if it happens though ay.
As I mentioned before, I have to play the part of Nelson Mandela in the play-or Madeba as they call him here, which means 'father'. I decided to invest in the face-mask myself so as to spare myself the school-money saving alternative of just painting my face black which I decided would unlikely lead the audience to the conclusion that I was acting the role of Mandela and more the conclusion that I was just some white guy who had painted his face black. I also picked up a Mandela shirt and again called upon Bills cream sock-display trousers to finish the look. What was to await me when I put all the clobber on I was totally unprepared for.. these kids literally lost the plot to the point of hysteria. I wasn't sure if maybe some were too young to even realize it was a mask or not but they literally went crazy. So much so, Crystal decided I must wear the mask for every rehearsal so the kids got desensitized to its charm in order to preserve order on the big day. This was not to be the case and since the day I first put on that mask, I haven't been Teacher Matthew anymore but Teacher Madeba!
Well the play went really well in the end, I had the duty on guitar for 5 songs then piano for the World Cup song and also for a song called 'Making Melodies' as Theresa needed hands free to rally the audience into a mass sing-along which she did to great effect. I spoke to a lot of the parents afterwards and the big observation from the crowd was the lack of attention to detail in fielding a Mandela look-alike with white arms on display! (should have bought the long sleeve shirt). At the end of the play they got me up on stage and gave thanks for my work at the school-it was a really nice moment but felt like a gooseberry during the excruciatingly long round of applause.
I really feel like I've been a big part of things since I've been here which is ace, not just a background tea-guzzling TA but a real 5th teacher at the school. I know so many parents and grannys (or go-go's as they're called). It seems to me that the granny really plays a huge role in the family out here-usually because the father of the child does a runner and the mother has to work crazy hours and/or is HIV positive. All the families were really keen to meet me from the start-and I chat outside the school gates to them everyday, all such nice people and so encouraging with what I'm doing out here. The school reports are due in on Friday and have actually been modified so as to include a box for me to write a little on each child so I'm currently wading through the paperwork trying to get them all done of an evening (such a hard life out here!)
Found out something pretty interesting from the Zulu teachers the other day-each one of them of a pre apartheid-abolishment age has a Western name as well as a Zulu name and in fact Agnes’s' real name is Fikisiwe. Basically during the Apartheid the whites told them they had to come up with a western name as they wouldn't even acknowledge their native name-it’s really sad and I actually felt a bit embarrassed to be a white man hearing this story. Zinelly told me that her western name is Abigail. All of their native names are actually Zulu words so I went through the register with Agnes and she told me what they all meant. Zinelly's name means 'enough' which is reference to the fact that her old man didn't want any more kids after her! The man clearly loves banter.
South Africa
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