Magic in the Music Part 2

The little orange classroom was bathed in sunlight and vibrated with the sounds of old South African greats like Miriam Makeba and Hotep Galeta, as well as newer ones such as Mango Groove and Mafikizolo. The seven teenagers, with shiny faces and new hairdos seem to have grown in confidence and stature since I first saw them just over a week ago. They were smiling, animated and comfortable with their performance.


In smart costumes with a clever blend of traditional African and modern Western, they represented both the past and the future of our country. They debated whether the colourful collars of their white shirts should be up or down. The girls had braided their hair  and looked chic in their fitted dresses of many colours with beads around their ankles, wrists and neck.

We had come to see the dress rehearsal. The chief supporter, in the form of one of the grannies was in the small audience while Ian, the director, looked like a proud father.  It had been a challenge because of the age limit of 18 – they are the Delft Big Band beginners, but the performance was anything but beginner.

Yesterday my daughter and I went to wave them off at the airport. It was quite an emotional departure – many tears mixed with a lot of excitement. As they waved goodbye to the small group of family and friends, they were saying farewell to many familiar things – they were about to get a taste of the big world out there, broadening their minds along with their horizons – a story to tell their grandchildren.