Originally published here -> https://ondiso.weebly.com/movement-as-a-way-of-life.html
It can feel very isolating to be a minority in a place. To be the only one that stands for reasons beyond your control is isolating and sometimes lonely, Think Africa to me is this oasis where I am not so lonely. A place I can share with people like me and bring my friends to show them a brilliant example of my culture, where I come from, the stories, the rhythms, the texture and sounds and scents, that are familiar, and comforting.
During the summer, I got the opportunity to share my culture, my story, and my art with fellow artists at the Afrojazz Club Goes Alppipuisto. A festival in the park with music, marimba lessons and drum circles, waistcoats, jewellery and food, and a thousand and more people laughing, dancing, playing and just being happy. I had performed there before sharing my music with the crowd. This year, however, I got to bring a creative storytelling project I’ve been working on with Think Africa called Creative(s) Corner.
Creative(s) Corner is a monthly themed meetup where creatives from the Diaspora based in Finland share their journeys in making art and their life experiences. Each month, creatives in different fields, whether it be fashion, music, or film, are invited to share their stories. The Corner has hosted artists like JC Muyonjo, who gave us a peek into how he creates music and tells stories. The audience got to hear him perform live and sat down and asked him questions about his experiences, his music and his journey from Kampala, Uganda to Helsinki, Finland.
The Creative(s) Corner has also featured Liz Ndegwa, a fashion designer in Helsinki who inspired the audience with her story of how she learned to sew, design and become an entrepreneur on her own, and what style means to her. Allowing the audience also to explore their style. Participants at the Corner have also learned to make origami, and have had interesting conversations. It has become a beautiful and spontaneous space that feels like home to me.
Photo by Jukka Luoma
It’s a warm and breezy Sunday afternoon in the greenness that only the end of summer can offer. Next to picturesque ponds populated with ducks and lily pads, beside the tents serving Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Senegalese food (I, myself, ate the Nigerian food) past the marimba lessons with kids, and past the Brazilian and Mexican food truck, there is the stage that will host the Creative(s) Corner. The theme today is ‘Movement as a Way of Life’. The artists on the stage are myself, Ajak Majok, a dancer, and Njara Rasolomanana, a choreographer.
I spot Ajak Majok from afar because her outfit is amazing. Green trench coat, cool hat. If she and I were friends, I would have borrowed many things and failed to return them. We soon meet Njara Rasolomanana, who has this energy that is both strong and gentle. He seems immediately like someone you can rely on for anything, and hope you would be able to offer the same. And his dancing shows that. All three of us move to the stage, and our conversation commences. We talk for two hours and their lives and stories are incredible. Both of them have lived their lives using movement to change lives, make an impact, a visible change.
Ajak, through her work in the city council, her poetry, and her community-driven creative projects, is using her voice to speak for those who might be overlooked or unheard. Njara, through his dance studio, teaches, shares, and performs with a focus on showing what brings us all together. The stories he tells in his performance pieces always feature themes of inclusion and identity, and have an epic sense of destiny and grand beginnings to them. Around him, he has built a growing community of people with love for dance. And so many of them could be seen there in the crowd with branded shirts worn proudly and dancing in the audience. I loved to see it. And it reminded me so much of home.
Right after our conversation ended, Njara Rasolomanana had to rush to the bigger stage (a little late because our conversation went over time because it was too amazing.) And seeing a crowd of 500 and more people following Njara, and dancing with such joy, such spirit, such togetherness, was inspiring. I have no idea how he does it, he is a superhero, and his superpower is connecting people through dance.
Having that shared conversation on stage with a listening audience, surrounded by such rich displays of culture and heritage with that scent in the air that should be named nostalgia, surrounded by sounds, textures and rhythms of home… it filled me with energy I will carry until the next time I get to feel it.
The Creative(s) Corner will have its next session on 6th October. We’ll have a conversation about songwriting in the modern age, with a live performance. There will be music, snacks and people to share the evening with.
I am glad Think Africa is around because the people behind the shows and events are lovely, and work so hard. They have someone like me who feels isolated every once in a while and have created a home away from home where we share the best of each other with a community of people from everywhere who want to experience that feeling too.
This is an audio of the conversation between Ajak, Njara, and me. The recording starts a little late because I forgot 🙂 but it’s definitely worth a listen. https://youtu.be/Dk6O_JZNKHA
Written by singer-songwriter ONDI
