Day #12

5-31-09

Tonight we saw and heard an amazing performance of African traditional music and dance. I've seen something similar at a theater in Vermont, but being in Uganda made it all the more authentic.
Since the costumes and some of the dance moves were awkward at times (especially since I sat in the very front row), my favorite part was the music. The drums were especially impressive. It amazes me at how much work they must have put into this show. He did say they trained three years before their first performance. Crazy... I wonder how long they have been doing this and if they do the same thing every time. So much to remember!
I have decided Africans are extremely talented. I love how dancing seems to come so naturally to them. I'm really thankful we got to experience this part of their culture. I'd love to learn how to dance or even play the drums like an African, someday. So neat.
When the "comedian" was joking about God painting us and running out of paint when he got to Ashley, it was a really good reminder of not only how unique God made each one of us, but the fact that Jesus most definitely was not white (since he was born in Bethlehem and his parents were Jews). It's interesting how all our pictures of him are white.
Similarly, yesterday at "Dwelling Places" I noticed a picture one of the children had colored with crayons. The picture was of a Disney princess and prince and the child had colored them brown. At first this surprised me because in my mind they are clearly supposed to be white. But then I put myself in the child's shoes and it hit me- of course he/she would color them brown, why wouldn't he/she?
It's just so interesting how we all perceive things differently as we come from different races, nationalities, cultures, etc. I think I want to study more closely the variety of people groups and cultures when school starts back up. It's truly fascinating.