A Circle of Community

Saturday Afternoon, March 11   We were very excited to be invited to a birthday party in the village of Tweefontein.  And this was no ordinary birthday party:  it was a 21st birthday party, which is a very celebrated birthday in Africa.  And, this was no ordinary 21st birthday either!  It was a 21st birthday party for twins, making it worthy of great celebration and extravagance.  The parents of the two girls invited us to be special guests.  While the villagers sat outside on the ground, we were ushered into a tent and an entirely different world within.  It was decorated as we would decorate for an American wedding reception and we were seated at the family tables.

After eating, we left the tent and the children and women gathered in a circle with us.  Time to dance and sing again, much to our delight.  This time, the children had the stage and we watched the range of older, more practiced teens to the youngest beginners.  It was just wonderful to see how the more accomplished dancers encouraged and affirmed the young learners.  No teasing or smart comments here.  The crowd suddenly began to shift toward the entrance to the village when they realized that the guests of honor had arrived.  They were danced into the community by dancers in colorful costumes and ushered into the family tent.

One of the dancers.  Photo by Melissa Lemke.



By now, I was too embedded in the crowd to see what was going on in the tent.  But I heard the girls being celebrated as fine, beloved women.  And then, I heard Kristen Wood, the singer on our team, serenading them with a song she had written for this trip.  I know that they considered Kristen's song more honoring even than the 12 chickens we had brought as a gift.

You know how you can sometimes go to a party, and feel like a wallflower?  You don't know anyone, and everyone appears engaged in conversations with old friends.  I don't think that awkwardness can ever exist in Africa.  They welcomed each of us with a big smile that said, "We're so happy to have you with us" and gave warm handshakes and hugs to emphasize that.  It didn't matter that we couldn't speak each others' languages.  We were there, we were welcome and we need only smile and say hello to someone to make a new friend.