by Larnies Bowen
“Well the way how them have Colón, it’s the Cinderella of the whole country. That’s how they have Colón…The Cinderella of the whole country. The reason why that happened is because there was too much black in that area. Yes, that’s how they have Colón. The Cinderella of the whole country. So they never cared to do nothing for Colón. The government, they don’t care.”
–DJ Carlos Winthrop
by James Collins
Before I came to South Africa, I sent a very naïve email to the CEO of the Field Band Foundation enquiring about the nature of their “facilities” in the townships. The reply I got back simply said, “Hi Jimmy…We have no facilities in the townships. Field Bands = fields I’m afraid.” Though this fact became clear to me when I began working with the bands in September, I suppose it never really hit home until a few days ago…
I was teaching in Cullinan and had just finished my usual warm-ups with the drummers. We started working on a new drum solo, but after a few minutes, I heard something hit the ground next to me. I looked briefly at what seemed like a small piece of glass lying there and turned back to continue my lesson, only to find a cluster of very shocked faces staring at me. Boy then screamed “ICE ROCK!!” and within seconds they were all gone.
I stood there for a moment trying to make sense of what had just happened. Where did they go? Had there been some sort of cultural misunderstanding? Or perhaps there was some danger I wasn’t seeing? Then another piece of “glass” hit the ground. Then a few more fell and it finally hit me that “ice rock” = hail!
I looked back at the field band truck and saw some kids frantically trying to get the instruments packed away. Only a few brave souls had stayed behind to save the instruments; the rest had fled for shelter. I listened for a moment to the surreal sound of hail beating against the drums and then ran to help.
I managed to find a hat and a plastic bag to put on my head. Others found umbrellas and most notably, Sello and Boy were shielding themselves with a set of plastic chairs they had found by the truck. Meanwhile, four kids had formed a pseudo assembly line inside the truck, trying to get everything in before it was too late. Then all hell broke loose outside as heavy rain and some very serious lightening began to mix with the hail.
The “assembly line” didn’t prove to be very effective and those of us standing outside of the truck wound up getting completely soaked as we waited to pass the instruments inside. It was a total mess. But, somehow, the initial shock and panic gradually turned to laughter and smiles as we stopped caring about the weather and began to enjoy this very strange experience we were having together. The hail had mostly given way to torrential rain by that point and everyone had already gotten so wet that it seemed pointless to worry about it. The instruments would have to wait until the assembly line was ready for them. And finally, after a few more soggy minutes, everything was safely inside the truck.
With our mission accomplished, a bunch of kids jumped into my car and I turned on the heater at full blast to the delight of more than a few shivering bodies. Then I drove them home and made the hour-long journey back to my apartment in Johannesburg feeling like I had just stepped out of a swimming pool. Yes, Field Bands most definitely = fields.
The hail begins and a few remain to save the instruments.
The assembly line forms inside the truck.
A very wet marimba makes its way into the truck.
Sello and Boy shield themselves with plastic chairs.
Panic gives way to laughter.
How did my camera survive all this?
Click here to email James with your questions or comments
The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
by James Collins
*Additional footage by Shani Van Straaten
I met Sello and Boy when I first visited the Cullinan field band a little over a month ago. I was excited to see the band because I had heard they had some talented drummers. As much as I love working with beginners, my favorite lessons are always with the more advanced players. They tend to pick things up very quickly and really appreciate what I have to offer.
Cullinan is a small rural town outside of Pretoria. It has much less crime than the urban townships and is actually quite peaceful and clean, though, like most of South Africa, is not without its problems. For example, drug abuse is major issue in the schools.
It took me almost an hour and a half to get to Cullinan from Johannesburg on my first visit. When I arrived in town, a guy named Peter greeted me and led me to the school where the band rehearses. As we were pulling up to the field, he casually mentioned that the band’s truck driver had recently quit and that they didn’t have any instruments for rehearsal. I almost jumped out of my seat, thinking to myself, “I drove all the way up here to teach these kids and no one cared to mention that they don’t even have instruments!” But, I kept my cool and asked if there were some way to get the instrument truck to the school. Peter told me they were trying to find a new driver, but until then they would have to rehearse without instruments…
by Aaron Shneyer
YES! We have videos online! These clips are from our 3rd and 4th meetings. The first shows the band playing and improvising over a classical Arabic song called Lama Bada Yata Sanna. Wissam Murad taught the song to the group to give them a taste of the Arabic scales and rhythms and to get them improvising. Clearly he succeeded on both accounts. The song is in 10/8, which for all you non-musicians means that it’s not an easy rhythm, especially for any student of Western music. The students in the band picked it up with no problem. I especially love how you can hear the jazz backgrounds of a few of our players coming through their solos and fitting in perfectly, bringing the song to new places. I’m sure this song has never sounded like this before!
by Aaron Shneyer
Hi Friends,
This has been a very hard week. From Jerusalem I can’t hear the rockets or the gunshots but what is happening in Gaza and in the nearby Israeli towns is felt in every corner and seen on every face. For me, the most frustrating part is that many people here are only concerned with the loss of life on their own side. Why does our national identity come so far before our human identity? Over 115 people have lost their lives this week. I sincerely hope we as humans can find compassion for each other and stop this bloodshed.
by Phally Chroy
After a long day of shooting b-roll for my documentary, I thought of doing something fun with the interns. Cut to the chase, I decided that we were going to eat bugs. You see, I like food, and it would just be ignorant of me not to try insects while I’m here in Cambodia. I mean, if my parents ate them when they use to live in Cambodia, I surely have some insect-eating DNA in my genetic code. So here it is. And just for reference, I have eaten cricket before, but these were Cambodian-style crickets so I didn’t know exactly what to expect.
So what’s on the menu? Black spiders and Cambodian crickets. And these spiders were not pretty at all. I tell you, they were long, black, and hairy. My mind was racing… how was I supposed to eat them? Well, I did and we shot it on video. In fact, since this is a very giving month, a special treat! I also ate a cricket, which is in this video too. Thanks to all the interns, Muth and Kawick for their help with the other camera, and eating the buggers as well.
Accompanying this video is a classic Cambodian song about going to the “New Market.” It is a popular oldie, which the singers sing that they are going to the market to look for girls but in this video, (obviously) we are going to the market to look for insects.
Phally
Click here to email Phally with your questions or comments
The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
by James Collins
Wow… It’s hard to describe what an incredible experience this was. I was honestly blown away. For some reason, I had pictured the National Workshop as a rather serious affair with lots of practicing and note-taking and all that sort of thing. Though there was certainly a lot of hard work and an incredible amount of dedication on the part of the participants, it was, more than anything, a week of fun, friendship and creativity for everyone involved. This was one of the most inspiring and invigorating things I’ve seen in a long time.
by Larnies Bowen
Talk about being thrust into the “real world.” Only a few months after graduating, I pushed aside my fears, swallowed my anxieties and successfully relocated to a foreign country where I’ve secured my first very-own apartment, made new friends, expanded my network of contacts, and delved head-first into a new field of study. In the process, I have learned a great deal about my strengths and weaknesses. One particularly important epiphany was that somewhere along the line I started equating asking for help with relying on people. Since previous experiences have shown me that people aren’t reliable, this asking for help thing is something I’ve been struggling with. However, my circumstances and the nature of my research have forced me to accept the reality that I simply cannot do everything by myself. So while stepping way out of my comfort zone and overcoming many of fears has been extremely empowering, I also feel as if I have been humbled as well.
by James Collins
After over a month on the road, I’ve finally completed my journey through South Africa. It was truly a special experience and my understanding and appreciation of this country have grown enormously. South Africa is an incredibly varied and beautiful country, both in terms of its people and geography.
Rather than elaborate with more writing, I’ve put together a slide show to narrate the trip. Hopefully you will get a sense of the beauty of South Africa and of the success of the Field Band Foundation. I don’t have many photos here detailing the conditions of the townships where the bands rehearse, but bear in mind that these kids live in poverty and have to deal with conditions at home and in their communities that most Americans would find appalling.
Click here to email James with your questions or comments
The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
by Phally Chroy
Kong Nai is one of the few remaining Cambodian living masters in the world that has managed to survive and play one of Cambodia’s most important traditional instruments, the chapie dong vien. In part to an Australian TV show, the TV station set up a shot at a local Cambodian venue where Master Kong Nai played music for a period of 2 hours. Through my internship with Cambodian Living Arts, I was very fortunate to be around masters like Master Kong Nai because a big aspect of my research is to identifying practitioner of music who survived the genocide, and most importantly how they are able to able to reach to the people because these practitioners are using these classical Cambodian instruments in the music.
Click here to email Phally with your questions or comments
The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
