Music on the Streets of West Africa

written by Nathan

 
If you love the culture or are from the Caribbean (in my case the Gulf of Mexico’s coastal parishes) you would feel right at home in West Africa. Here, the people’s sway, their excited conversation, their public life…the love of family, community, respect for elderly, the deference of small children, grown-upness of teenage youth, all concedes the same spirit: warmth of life, of markets, of churches and worship here, the public parade and royalty of music, these are here - and move around you in social forms, in group spirit.

Life musically sustains streets as civilities exchanged maintain sacred orders on manner. One needs to be from these new lands to see what is evident and obvious. To not be inculcated into the naturality and ital spirit of a group of peoples obstructed from their kingdoms by 500 years of strange oppression would be foreign for most outsiders, which it is not for us. Days leave streets evacuated as blinding light gives harsh and partial visibility to white walls; while sleeping forms muddle in darkness of the thickest tree shade.

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Coffee and Ethiopia

written by Nathan

 

Another quick note on coffee loving and Ethiopia. For those who love coffee, Ethiopia is your Jerusalem. Not only is this birthplace of humanity also the origin of wild ‘Arabica,’ our coffee ancestor still growing in forests here, Ethiopia still produces the meanest Cup o’ Joe that I have practically ever had.

For those readers who know that I proudly decamped (½ time) for Colombia almost ten years ago, this comes of course as a shock to all of us…. Especially me. Not that I did not love or know coffee before Colombia, café culture is a pride of my childhood new Orleans and Francophile Louisiana.

Of course, we have not found Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts even trying to compete with this 1000 year old coffee culture. Not that you can’t get a soy double latte here, just don’t ask for sugar substitute. Soy lattes are called ‘macchiato fasting’ indicating refrain from drinking cow’s milk (2-4 birr or less than 30c).

*** As we try and cull what themes come from our blog as it moves abroad (now transferring our content again subjects from East to West Africa the North Africa this next month), obviously travel - it's thrills, chills, strains, and magic moments of discovery - always rings true.

Focusing on aspects of each place, we are aligning our experiences with what we think other travelers may be interested in; and, writing more reviews.

Look for our 'Picks and Pans' list of favorite spots we have found along the route thus far in upcoming blogs.

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A land of handholding and coffee!!

written by Nathan

Ethiopia is a delightful culture. Beautiful smiles are everywhere here. Public hugging and holding hands is commonplace. A certain happiness, contentment, and familiarity rings from all corners.

In some ways, culture forms building blocks bringing us together, giving a sense of 'belonging," making us feel comfortable. Culture is pervasively public in Asia and Africa.

For many years I have probed the subject of what makes a great culture. There is no shortage of answers easy or complex. So, for brevity's sake - this is my exposition of simple traits of great cultures….

Many years ago I came to a personal discovery of what makes great culture: coffee and bread. Part of this comes from my pride of being a New Orleanian. If we have given the world Jazz, Creole culture, American food, Franco-American opera and the like, what you cannot get in any imitated form outside of New Orleans is its coffee or 'French' bread.

After a bit of travel, I concluded that the places which felt most cultured to me in the best sense of the word had these two defining characteristics embedded deep in the cultural soul: good coffee and delicious bread. Paris has the bread and coffee culture. Buenos Aires has it too. Ethiopia ranks happily on this quality culture list.

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