While I was on tour in South Africa last year, we drove from the airport to our hotel in swanky downtown Cape Town. The drive takes you past some huge townships, which are basically slums - living conditions for most people are not great. People may have no running water, no electricity, no floor even; A large family lives in a one-room shack made of found materials with a dirt floor, and one chemical portable toilet to share with dozens of other families. Like many tourists, I couldnt believe my eyes. As soon as we got to our (very luxurious) hotel I was googling for any music or youth projects happening in these townships, and I managed to get in contact with Happy Feet Youth Project in Langa township. And I offered to to visit and play a gig. So, this happened. The video here is me jamming with a local Xhosa MC. The electricity was jerry-rigged from a nearby streetlight. Afterwards the MC was tearful in thanking me, saying he never thought hed get to play with a professional western musician. But I had to tell him no, thank YOU, because this was one of the proudest days of my musical life. Sorry the sound and picture quality is not great, its just from Natashas phone. On the plane back to Europe, we sat next to a British woman whod moved to South Africa in the 1970s. We told her about our experience. She said shed never ever dream of going into a township, that we must have been insane, its so dangerous. And that if conditions were so bad, why did they keep having children? South Africa is a beautiful country of beautiful people and, despite this woman, I departed feeling overwhelmed with hope about the future of the human race. I believe that people like that woman are the past, not just of South Africa, but of the whole world. And people like... well like most of us, who care enough to take responsibility for the problems of our nations and our neighbours, whether strangers or friends - We are the future.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 07:00:00 +0000
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