After Africa

The TedxDar Mix Tape (Cover)

I didn't go to the TedXdar, but I contributed with photos. This photo taken a year ago in a small village close to Njombe in the southern highlands in Tanzania has now ended up as a CD cover which was given out at the event.

The woman in the photo is named Esther, and she was having a good time at a wedding which took place in the village I was visiting last year in July. Read more here. In fact the spirit on the grounds where the photo was taken was high (with homebrew and loud music).

Always happy to see my photos end up in decent graphic design, used for interesting occasions.

Tracklisting

1. Muthoni the Drummer Queen - Mikono Kwenye Hewa
2. The Noisettes- Never Forget Me
3. Nneka- Uncomfortable Truth
4. Nneka- Kangpe Feat Wesley Williams
5. Nneka- Heartbeat
6. Nina Simone- Don’t Let me be Misunderstood
7. Iyadede- Emergency
8. Hugh Masekela- Chileshe
9. Nakaaya- Mr. Politician
10. Albino Fulani Ft Sugu & MwanaFA- Nafasi
11. Amin -Robo Saa
12. Gorillaz- Dirty Harry
13. MGMT- Time to Pretend
14. Mzungu Kichaa Ft Prof Jay- Mikono Juu
15. Habib Koite- Din din wo
16. Asa- Fire on the Mountain
17. Fela Kuti- Lady
18. Nguza Viking- Babu Seya
19. Baloji- Independence Cha Cha
20. Remmy Ongala- Kipenda Roho
21. SantiGold- Les Artistes
22. Oliver Mtukudzi- Ndima Ndpaleza
23. Abdullah Ibrahim- Mannenburg
24. Master Jam Feat RJ Benjamin- Change the world
25. Queen- Under Pressure
26. Miriam Makeba- Pata pata
27. Just a Band- Fly
28. Nas Ft Damien Marley & K’naan- Africa Must wake up.

Click here to download! (not sure if it works)

Bella Vista

  
 
Someone, a young passenger in my car on a trip somewhere in East Africa, once stated, while pointing out there at the African horizon: 'Though these people might be poor, this beautiful view must make them happy.'

If only life was as simple as that.

It isn't. Neither in Africa, nor in Europe.

Views don't make up for poverty, boredom, restlessness or the fact that you're struggling to find the meaning of your life. However, some views are better than others, and it might not be a bad strategy to aim at a higher frequency of top-quality horizons to wake up to.

This one from the top in Barga, Toscany.

Italia. Totalmente!

 

Like the untainted waters of a languishing African river in no hurry to find the ocean...

I found this piece of text in a description of the South African punk band, 'éVOID' who put a characteristic mark on the 1980ties of South Africa (and redid it a tiny bit):

...to flow like the untainted waters of a languishing African river in no hurry to find the ocean, where you will only merge with many other rivers and lose your distinct and evocative individuality.

I think the metaphor is one of the better.

You know that gravity will lead the river to the end eventually - as well are our lives put together by momentums - that is if you live according to the expat existentialism. 

In my case gravity took me from my Tanzanian momentum to another in Europe, where it is a huge challenge not to go mainstream.

Soundtracks:

'Shadows'

'Taximan'

and The Kwela Walk: