This last week I have discovered the
some of Cape Town’s amazing music scene. It started at “Straight No Chaser.”
“Straight No Chaser” is smaller than your average Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts at
home and if Marita had not told us about it I am sure we all would have existed
oblivious to its existence for the entirety of these 15 weeks. The one small
room felt like a black box theater. A
dark stage in the front of the room with stage lights illuminating the performers
faces the roughly fifty chairs cramped into the tiny space. I wouldn’t call it
comfortable but definitely intimate. We
saw the group Zingara perform. I am still not sure how to describe the genre of
the music but the performance was terrific. We all left determined to find
every similar establishment in Cape Town.
Our next adventure took place at
“The Crypt.” “The Crypt” is located in what used to be the crypt of St.
George’s Cathedral in downtown Cape Town, the same cathedral where Desmond Tutu
has given services for years. A group called Afro Fiesta performed and again I
am not sure how to categorize the genre of music but they had half of the room
up and dancing in what seemed to be intended as a jazz club, not a dance club.
They were very energetic. We were also extremely fortunate to have been visited
by Mteto, an operatic singer, who had given a TED Talk:The Power of Listening that we all watched
prior to our arrival in Cape Town. The talk was centered on his story and how
he was able to pursue his passion in spite of the crippling poverty of his
community. None of us knew he was coming and I was giddy to put it lightly.
My last experience was at “Sticks McGee” where we saw a Jazz Jam hosted by a University of Cape Town professor,
Dan Shout. For the second half of the set any musicians were welcomed to the
stage to perform with the band as long as they wanted to perform a jazz
standard. The guest musicians included individuals who had performed with Eric
Clapton and played at Carnegie Hall. These extremely accomplished professionals
shared the stage with students still studying to pass their examinations. All
of this was available to me at the absurdly low cover charge of R30 (roughly
$2).
One of the best parts of these
experiences though was the diversity. We have been exploring Cape Town for just
over a week now and the racial segregation in the country along class lines is
undeniable. There are points in which we clearly cross from a black or coloured
neighborhood into a white neighborhood and usually the only indicator needed to
tell is the environment; the houses, streets, cleanliness, and cars. None of
this is legally mandated segregation as it was in Apartheid but it is painfully
evident that South Africa has not become an equal society. This changes at the
music venues I mentioned. The groups performing and the audiences did not
belong to any single racial or ethnic group. The crowds were mixed and in
attendance for the same reasons. The universality of our humanity and the
urgency to recognize that universality by fighting for equality in the
economic, social, and cultural aspects of our societies, as well as the far
more attended to political and civil aspects, is so loud at these venues. These
give a welcome relief to the unpleasant reality present outside but reaffirm
how imperative the effort for economic, social, and cultural equality in South
Africa (and in the U.S.) is.
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| Drew getting a marimba lesson during our tour of Guga S'Thebe Arts & Cultural Centre in Langa |
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