Saturday 12 June 2010

OYO comes to Scotland








 
Cultural differences make life interesting but can lead to misunderstandings. The British have a tendency to circumvention, the Namibians to literal interpretation. When I say to my colleague Fenny "It would be great if you could handle the visas Fenny" she hears this as a statement or an observation rather than a request. So when Leonard and Bizack, the Zimbabwean musicians, were due to arrive and we check the arrangements, there are no visas, we haven't applied.

The visa office say no chance, it takes weeks to process an application and I am told stories of visas taking many months. Leonard and Bizack are due on Sunday, just five days time. Fenny is eventually given some forms to fill in which state they can only be signed by those for whom the visas are required, and of course the applicants are in Zimbabwe. The clouds start to gather. A performance has been arranged for the National Theatre of Namibia in less than two weeks time, immediately ahead of a high profile event in Cape Town, OYO and the Zimbabweans performing before MPs from seven southern African countries. The musicians and the dancers need to rehearse.

Finally I manage to get hold of the mobile number of the Assistant to the Permanent Secretary for Immigration and Home Affairs, promising not to reveal who gave me his personal number. I call him on the Tuesday afternoon. Mr Kamati is very helpful, advises me to fill in the forms and sign them myself, get copies of passports, which I had done, and a letter from the VSO Country Director, explaining the situation. "Time is very short" he says, "but we shall see". He arranges for me to meet with the Permanent Secretary on the Wednesday morning at 8 am. Out comes the sun. I attend in my suit but Mr Kamati "is writing an exam" and the Permanent Secretary is not in. "He will come in and then go straight to a meeting" I am told by the brusque receptionist "a meeting all morning, maybe all day". I ask if I can wait.

I sit dissolutely in the Permanent Secretary's ante-office leafing through a translation of the Bhagavad Gita, curiously the only book on the highly polished glass coffee table. After twenty minutes, the previously frosty receptionist comes over to me and smiles. "Do you think you will sit here a long time?" she asks. "I think I may, Meme" I reply. And so she invites me into the Permanent Secretary's office, red carpet and walnut veneer desk. She sits in his large black leather chair and gently swings from side to side. "So tell me your story" she says, and I tell my sorry tale. Meme Kalungula leans forward across the desk and smiles "This seems very straight forward" she says "we must arrange the visas, without delay!" And off she goes. Ten minutes later Meme Kalungula returns with another lady, Meme Kalanga, who shakes my hand warmly, the African handshake, holding, clasping, holding. "We have approved your applications Tate" she advises.
Both ladies smile at my obvious elation. "Thank you Meme Kalungula, thank you Meme Kalanga" I say "this is very important to us". "It is important to all of us" says Meme Kalanga.

As I leave the office of Home Affairs that morning, I notice how incredibly beautiful Windhoek is.

The performance at the National Theatre was wonderful. The fusion of Leonard's Zim rhumba with the contemporary dance of OYO simply stunning. So then to Cape Town and a highly appreciative audience of southern African MPs congratulate the dancers and musicians on their outstanding performance. The
Swedish Ambassador is there and he speaks to our Director, it seems the Swedish Development Agency may be interested in supporting a roll-out of our work over other southern African states, training local groups in dance and drama as a medium for engaging, informing and empowering youth in the fight against HIV/AIDs. I send Memes Kalanga and Kalungula a fax to say thank you. Meme Kalanga phones me and laughs. "You are very welcome Tate Hobbett, very welcome indeed".

Plans are afoot for a Scottish OYO. An independent charity which will seek to build cultural, artistic and youth exchange between Scotland, the broader UK and Namibia, and to raise funds for the work of OYO in Namibia. We plan a launch at the Scottish parliament at the end of September and we are very grateful to Patricia Fergusson MSP for her support in this respect. The first project will be to bring an award winning OYO exhibition, commencing in the Scottish parliament building, to tour Scotland. Still Life is a deeply moving   photo exhibition showing that for people living with HIV there is still life, for it is often assumed that once a person tests HIV positive they are destined to lead a life of pain, rejection, loneliness and bodily
degradation. Developed in collaboration with VSO Namibia, Still life set out with the aim to challenge this negative image by training people living with the virus in the art of photography so that they could document the positive events that go on in their lives. 

We may need some financial assistance in arranging the touring exhibition and Highland Council have already agreed in principle to tour it through the Highlands. The sums required are actually quite modest and - queue sales pitch - the tour offers a unique, high profile opportunity for a patron or patrons to demonstrate their support for international cultural exchange, bringing for the first time to communities throughout Scotland this unique award winning exhibition........The Ecology Centre and Kingdom HA are already on board.

With kindest regards

Alan

No comments:

Post a Comment