the farm ceremony….

In March, I had a chance to join a ceremony in a countryside 60km south of Harare. The hut was located in an ex-farm, which had been owned by whites that fled after the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980. We had to walk for an hour from the bus stop in the rain without an umbrella to get the venue through the bush, crossing the river waters, which were waist-high. We arrived in an African hut in the field, had supper and waited for the night to come. There was a man who took care of us and after the meal guided us to another hut in a sacred place. The place had been founded by them though the guidance of the spirits which had asked them to build a hut to be used only for the ceremony. One was not to wear red clothes, glasses, and shoes and carry money, which would offend the ancestors. I left the red-stripped sweater and glasses and walked in pitch darkness. I was feeling miserable barefoot, without my glasses (I cannot see without them) and cold, wearing only the T-shirt under my sweater. I cannot describe much on the ceremony because I didn't see at all without the glasses (should have brought contacts!!). However, the venue was grand. The mix of nature and music were excellent so I kept on dancing along the mbira music, trying not to feel the cold. There were some old ladies sitting next to me that suddenly got possessed and started dancing scaring me a bit. Many of participants had already been sleeping though the music went on and I fell asleep in the end as well.