Africa Night, the September 2004 edition has come and gone. It was just like the old times even though this edition started on a very shaky, silent note. We started as always at 22.00 hours with the sound check having taken place half an hour earlier. Everything seemed ok. At 22.15 came the first sign of trouble. A CD got stuck in the CD player and just refused to eject. This happened just as the first guests were coming in! In the next 30 minutes, all efforts were geared towards repairing this problem while bemused guest kept trickling in. At 22.50 hours the problem was solved and the show could begin. Or so we thought. 5 minutes later, deejay Le General (he is named after Charles de Gaulle) came rushing by to announce that one of the CD players was not producing any sound! One could feel the panic in the atmosphere. The whole process of dismantling the CD player could begin again. The time was approaching 23.30 hours and there were already about 80 guests enjoying, with a certain bemusement, the quietest Africa Night ever!
Just around 23.40 hours, this latest setback was surmounted and Africa Night could begin in earnest. The mood quickly switched to that of pure enjoyment and sheer ecstasy as the deejays embarked on a musical journey through Africa and Africa in Diaspora. Guests started swinging happily to the rhythm of the melodious Afro beats.
A thought for one of our erstwhile regular guests and close family friend – Ans Honig. She was extremely conspicuous by her absence during this Africa Night. She was always a major presence. And even though it was a full house, it seemed incomplete without her. She is on a one-year working trip to China (You can read more about her in her weblog (http://hongkonghonig.blogspot.com/) This is the first Africa Night since she left and her exuberance was surely missed.
The night ended with an old R. Kelly slow song around 03.10 hours. Many guests left with a satisfied grin on their faces. Everyone is already looking forward to the October edition of the best show in town.
