The Evenings

The evenings here present a calming atmosphere which only a village could provide. Often my family sits under the pine tree that graces our small yard to relax and enjoy one and other's company. Here I can lean back and attempt to retrieve bits of conversation in a language I can barely begin to comprehend. To my left I can watch the sun sleepily make its descent behind the silhouette of the mountains. Each sunset is a unique treasure often accented with low clouds reflecting it ever changing colors. The air cools during this period and provides a blanketed feeling of peacefulness.

Life teams everywhere: the birds make loud evening calls to one another like gossiping neighbors catching up on the unsuspecting sparrow's latest love affair. Children run, meandering through the paths, filling any vacancy of silence left by the birds with their taunts and giggles.

The village has its own soundtrack: each neighbor competing to play his music louder than his counterpart. Today the melody from a CD of traditional music graces the air. I am fully aware that tomorrow night may be overtaken by the lyrics of Eminem or Tupac.

Directly in my line of sight are the waters of the dam. Currently they are a dull grey but tomorrow their colors will change again as the sun makes its path across the sky.

There is a vibrant sense of mixture here: traditional huts survive as heartily as the brick structures next door. Goats and pigs wander freely under electrical lines. Women wash their clothes in buckets as trucks drive by on the paved road. A child is wearing a Roxy shirt while holding the had on her mother dressed in brightly colored traditional clothes. Grannys carry everything on their heads: wood, buckets of water, televisions. Tradition and culture come together and evolve in a multitude of ways. Africa is rooted in traditions but life in this world must make certain strides in order to achieve development. How much do we give up and how much do we retain in these dynamics?