Last Friday
PIH and Rwinkwavu hospital had a party last night here in Rwinkwavu (at the house I live at, because it’s about 200 steps from the hospital, and they didn’t want to keep patients up late because of speeches, food, drinks, music and >200 people of neighbors, patients, and staff) to celebrate the first year anniversary of the hospital. Filled with speeches by staff, director of the hospital, patients who were sick and hopeless now on anti-retroviral therapy for HIV and feeling well and with jobs, thank PIH and the hospital here for giving them a life - with hope of at least another 20 years of healthy productive life. Something to live for. Nurses were honored. Certain staff were commended for being here since day one when there was nothing here, not an electricity line, not a place for anyone to live, not any incentives other than they will be guaranteed a difficult job to do. The directors of the hospital also passed out certificates for the first graduating class of a one week trauma counseling training that just occurred here. Many of the staff switched from their western dress from the work day into their African garb of detailed bright colored patterned fabrics and head wraps for the event. Ocean blues and citrus yellows. Aubergine purples and soft lime greens.
After the speeches, there was food and dancing. The food was traditional brochettes which is like a shish-kebab of goat meat. And the dance was to all kinds of music. The celebration went on into what felt like the wee hours of the morning, but was really only about 11PM. Out here. In the middle of nowhere. I was dancing with women, men, neighbors, people whom I had no idea who they were, but they were clearly enjoying my Mazungo moves and I was enjoying their African ones. One doctor said, at a party like this we should keep it going all night long and that “Slowly slowly we dance until the sun comes up,” and he was doing his African moves as he said this. Although the party did end sooner than that.
The most fun and yet most compelling song to dance to of the whole evening: one I hear regularly here over the radio– that talks about injustice and poverty and the refrain is “Where is the love?!” is the Black Eyed Peas song. Everyone seemed to know the lyrics to this song. People for whom English is not their first language. Rwandans who don’t know any English at all. It was amazing, the comraderie with which everyone sang this in unison:
What's wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma
…
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all
People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love
The love, the love
It just ain't the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone
So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin'
in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover
The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all
People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love
The love, the love
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found
People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
For those who don’t know the song it’s a semi-rap, but singable rock song…and then at the refrain, like I said dozens of people >50 jumping up and down in unison, and singing to each other…many of us holding hands or gesturing at each other in a hip hop fashion, hips bopping, heads bobbing, side to side, forward and back, up and down, old and young, after the lines of injustices and violence, all of us belting as loud as we all can, with determination, particularly when the refrain came:
People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
- “Where is the love!?! Tell me, Where is the love!?!” And then the next song came. A traditional African song…and we moved into those grooves too.
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