Tuesday 26 September 2017

Have you ever danced in the night?

When I arrived at my house in Bambili it was almost dark and as always in places close to the equator the sun sets fast and within a little while, places were dark. There was no electricity that night and my neighbours had already closed their doors for the night. All I could hear was the sound of the African night, the mixed sounds of crickets and frogs. Bambili is situated in the hills and highlands of northwestern Cameroon and the nights can become quite cold and the houses easily feel chilly and mouldy because of the high humidity. The smell is distinctive. In the room with my boxes, the few belongings I had, two suitcases from Sweden and then some kitchen utensils I had packed and kept before I left Cameroon the year before. I sat down on the cold tiled floor and fear wanted to get a hold on me. Loneliness, as if no one knew where I was and what I was going through. In that moment I remember I stood up, and instead of looking for a blanket or something warm to wrap around me I decided to find my loudspeakers and find my laptop and turn on the music. Right there I did my first dance performance in Bambili. I danced away fear and doubt and let joy and confidence along with faith fill my heart. My circumstances didn't change, the night was still dark outside and only God knew exactly what I was going through but I had learnt one of life's most important lessons, I learned to dance in the night.