capetown and old friends

It is something extraordinary that feeling when you have spent some extended period “on the road” and you find yourself in a shared space that so deeply feels like home. I am heading back to Pretoria now after a short stay in Cape Town where a childhood friend is living. Arriving tiered, the first time not on the move I have had since something close to July but being at peace, comfortable and relaxed just on entering the door and the hug greeting me. I relayed to him a memory that got brought up at the dinner party of his girlfriend later that week as Tahila used to run around naked. In turn I told the group he was right there with the rest of kids, all minus the cloths…

The memory: As children on Beach Hill Pond, clothing was option at the pond; swimming with something on would get in the way of the water and never occurred to me as something to do. One frightful day Chris brought someone from school to the Pond. Someone mainstream could be said. In the moment I saw him and ran behind a bush I became conscious that we were not suppose to be running around naked together still at age 8 or at least that the way we lead our life was quite different then most of the kids I went to school with.

One of the most enjoyable parts of my life are those moments now. I seem to move and listen and explore as to have those shocking moments of confrontation. The feeling is a jolt my system craves and then the processing of my new consciousness. A fractured reflection of many instances, of my life experienced. Or a readjustment in confusion as I’m sure was just the beginning of my processing at that young age.
Cape Town was a breath of air and a deep education in the South Africa that I only touch in the city where I get to visit my apartment now and again. Pretoria and Johannesburg are known to be very unsafe cities. This morning I got an email from the office of an alert to not open your car windows even a crack at intersections. With a new tightening of guns the new high jacking strategy is a particular liquid to your face, carried in syringe or cup. It might be the chemical sprayed when braking into a house so that the occupants don’t wake. Leaves you a bit debilitated but im sure happier than with repercussions of catching someone in your house. Everyone has a story. If it isn’t with a violent component than be happy and move on.

In my arrival to South Africa it was nice to see other “white” people. A month of people being interested to touch my hair and standing out so extremely made the first glance of cultural diversity of multiracial streets make me feel safer from lack of standing out. Soon the realization kicked in that in the square near my place where we were sitting there were so many people and so many tables. Mixing of people at each establishment but not within the tables. Egual cuando caminando los calles. There is some mixing of groups, seemingly from the work place at lunch time, but in my university area it is hardly the norm.

The beautiful day spent in Joberg going to the Annual Art Fair was incredible for some of the work, the textile lecture, the gallery that re inspired me to possibly share my work again, the performances pieces, incredible work from a collective university group from Sawato and the integrated room and groups of people. The night followed to see a concert of Freshly Ground. I highly recommend this group who are opening for the World Cup and had a house of alive people dancing and clapping and emotional. They are sometimes political and have energy in live performance that I have not seen in a while. Their new CD will come out in May. Joberg is different than Pretoria. Pretoria is the commercial/ governmental “filing cabinet”. Me in the most conservative of locals it seems…

Not to be mistaken by these words, I have met some wonderful people and gone to surrounding cheetah saving/education sanctuaries, seen incredible things and danced some wonderful nights here… but cape was still wonderful! and I look forward to my return in June.

In cape I enjoyed a couple days off to lounge in the park and paint, go to Museums, meet some lovely new friends, good food and not to leave out the beautiful wine of the wine region. And I rode my first public bus, no problem but not for the night time or dusk.

was to be continued...but this is some weeks old already and a trip has happened to Jordan in the meantime..so...