Grahamstown

I don't have my pictures yet, but I thought that I would post a picture of the artist I saw last night -- Simphiwe Dana. She is a very popular "jazz" musician that reminded me a bit of Erika Badu. Her voice was amazing and she combines her cultural roots with modern music. She sang mostly in Xhosa, but her intros were in English. To hear her say: "We must teach the children about their roots, about apartheid, about Steve Biko, about Nelson Mandela..." Then to hear the crowd erupt with every word was awe inspiring. Even though we couldn't understand the words, to watch her movement, to listen to her voice, and then to hear the crowd (constantly) reacting throughout all of the songs was an amazing experience!

I don't know if I mentioned, but we are staying in the dorms of Rhodes University here in Grahamstown. The university is beautifully old, and the rooms are all singles with built in wooden dressers, closets, basins, and shelves. Aside from sharing bathrooms, it is really cool! Here is a picture of Grahamstown -- the university is on the bottom right.

Tomorrow morning we head out to Umtata, which is apparently not that safe since we are in a walled-in hotel and are instructed to only go out in large groups. Yikes! I have been enjoying the freedom of movement here in Grahamstown, so I am thinking that it is going to be very uncomfortable for me to be there. I guess I have to wait and see...