There is something about February and Africa Night that we have yet to figure out. Africa Night has been going on now for close to 10 years and we have been checking the records; February is always the leanest month in terms of patronage. This Africa Night was no exception. All signs were already pointing to the obvious when we got a last minute call asking if we wanted to have a live act to perform at the show in February. Sensing this was a chance to buck the February trend, we acquiesced even though it was at a very short notice. This also meant that we had virtually no time to do any promo activities. The group, Percus Nomades, is a three-man act of body percussionist from Benin Republic.
The show itself was very fascinating. Three guys making all sorts of sounds of music with their bodies. We’ve never seen anything like that before. Hopefully, none of those pseudo human rights activists was present on this particular night. We remember thinking to ourself that these guys must really have a thick skin what with all the beatings they were giving to each others’ bodies! With great enthusiasm they also played instruments as the calabash, talking drum, bamboo sticks and bottles to produce the rhythms Tipenti and Kaka of Benin. The organiser was, because of extraneous reasons, too preoccupied to really enjoy themself. It was a short act lasting about half an hour. The audience seemed to enjoy the whole act.
And now for something completely different! You know how it feels when you are meeting a pen-pal for the first time in body and flesh? You are wondering if it is worth the while, if the person is the same like you imagined he/she would be like? Sometimes the reality plays a joke on you. Sometimes, the reality is just a friend. Well, two members of the Africa Night forum visited the show for the first time on this February edition. We knew they were coming because they already announced this on the forum. So there they were! In body and flesh! In reality, it just felt like we knew these two ladies already a long time. In a way, we already met; virtually. One just feels rich meeting these kinds of people. Different ages, different countries (one is from The Netherlands, the other from Belgium) and on the surface, different lifestyles. Still one thing in common, they both have a fascination for things African. What struck us most was their openness and emotional generosity. We are not sure if these two people (Kompo and Tine) also had a chance to meet themselves on the night. But for us, having these people in our vicinity make us feel really blessed, honoured and thankful.
Discover the joy of African music & dance!
