Sept 28, 2012
My first Friday night in Mbita and I’m going out! I didn’t
think I would find anywhere to go out dancing in this little one lane town, but
I had my feelers out for the social scene – however small it might be. Somehow
I managed to find a German girl and two Kenyan guys who work at the insect
research center here who were also looking for a night out.
We walk down the one lane towards the sound of African
music. I start things off on the right foot by stepping directly into a giant
cow pie. Lovely. After a bit of shuffling to remove my pie, we enter the
“club”: a dark little hall constructed of tin sheeting, lit up with colorful
plastic chairs and coca-cola sponsored plastic tables, complete with a stage
and small dance floor. Live music fills the tin hall. As usual, the drummer is
the coolest band member, banging out a rockin’ rhythm on a big plastic box. Young
fishermen sip their sodas and beers, a few brave souls venture onto the dance
floor… soon limbs are flying this way and that, the floor filling up with men
dancing with each other*.
My new friends and I join in the fray, spinning each other
to help block the advances of a few more assertive dancers. The music soon
takes over my body and I lose any sense except the sense of movement. I love to
dance. It just makes me feel completely free. But I really love to dance in
Africa. I should say it’s the music, the beats, the open air… but if I’m being
completely honest, it’s the freedom that comes with already being labeled as
different. I am totally free to move however the music moves me because I can
chalk up my weird dance moves (I said I loved dancing, I never said I was any
good at it!) to being a foreigner. No one has to know the truth that the weird
moves are uniquely mine! So it’s just me and the music.
*Note: Unlike in the U.S., straight men in East Africa
frequently hold hands and dance with each other. You’re “not allowed” to be gay
here (it may even be illegal) and it would be extremely dangerous to come out
as gay, so there is no question in people’s minds about why two men are dancing
with each other. Also, it’s mostly the men who go out dancing, so if they
didn’t dance with each other, they’d usually be dancing all alone!
4 comments:
So glad to hear you are dancing!! I know how happy that makes you :) And how freeing to know you can do/be whoever you want and it doesn't matter, cuz you already stick out like a white thumb ;) Not that it ever stopped you before, lol. That's one of my favorite things about you, you're unwaivering courage to be exactly who YOU are! I love you!!!
You are a great writer, Joelle, and I can't wait to read your book some day. I love reading you blog and want everyone to know that you are my niece. I am so proud of you!
Aunt Heidi
Hey, question: when there's no question about why the men are dancing with each other, do you mean that they just are - that they couldn't be gay, or do you mean that they are in the closet and using it as an excuse? Sorry - my American mind is having a hard time wrapping itself around straight men holding hands while dancing and what that could mean.
From the land of men looking as intimidating as possible,
B
I mean that in society's eyes, there is no way that they could be gay. Of course that's not true and there are many gay men in East Africa (very often in the closet because it can be extremely dangerous to come out). However, I think straight men hold hands here as simply a sign of friendship and don't think anything beyond that. I hope that clarifies a bit.
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