25/10/2019
My Dearest Prince Babatunde Jellah Epega,
Greetings from Royal Tunbridge Wells to Your Highness on this cold and frosty October morning.
I trust that you and "Venus Bushfires" are perfectly fine. So too are your glorious Princesses whom I assume are happy and content on this extremely rarely seen early morning.
I couldn't sleep well so I've just woken up. A small miracle for me to catch the dew in the hedgerows for lack of a garden. Flat living can be so tiresome. Gardenless and fruitless; sunshine so rare in these parts. It is far too early for me. I am more of a night person, sleeping at dawn and waking at noon if you're lucky. I guess these are the advantages of being a childless man. Regardless of my daily habits, who in Africa cares? I have been thinking about your Opera and what is African Art? It, for me, has become a cozy home, for those that don't quite fit the mold, the misfits and the rejects. Those that want to confront rather than conform. There has never been a more important time for the emergence of the importance of African Art and I regard myself as an 'African Artist'. The Continent has inspired me to think and be different, as I'm sure it has you too. Things just seen in a completely different perspective and that needs to be celebrated and understood. You and Helen are doing cultural marathons to show others this and the vast opportunities it brings.
You
have inspired me to write again and I want to find a rather different kind
of voice and wrote this, which should become a series of "Letters in the
Wilderness" ~ the wilderness meaning those not wanting to be
brainwashed by creative ideas of the West more inspired by those without artistic formulaic degrees, Masters of Fine Art or even Doctors with PhDs....I prefer to encourage the untrained, those Artistic Doctors Without Borders. Whether this is successful, only time will tell but it is worth building upon regardless.
The Pidgin Opera has inspired me..Tonight I have been teaching myself "Pidgin"....I really LoveitO....but you can use the keyboard characters too...- | ~ } "" { .... and so the symbols mean something too...this is awesome...so inventive and linguistically malleable.
Good luck with tomorrow/today perhaps with the Opera performance to 360 plus kids. They are going to adore you all.
KEEP being FANTASTIC.
May the Gods bless you richly.
Lots of love,
African Joe XXXX
Ps. If you didn't get a chance to see this because of Opera Commitments: Here are the highlights from the England vs All Blacks | Semi Finals
My Dearest Prince Babatunde Jellah Epega,
Greetings from Royal Tunbridge Wells to Your Highness on this cold and frosty October morning.
I trust that you and "Venus Bushfires" are perfectly fine. So too are your glorious Princesses whom I assume are happy and content on this extremely rarely seen early morning.
I couldn't sleep well so I've just woken up. A small miracle for me to catch the dew in the hedgerows for lack of a garden. Flat living can be so tiresome. Gardenless and fruitless; sunshine so rare in these parts. It is far too early for me. I am more of a night person, sleeping at dawn and waking at noon if you're lucky. I guess these are the advantages of being a childless man. Regardless of my daily habits, who in Africa cares? I have been thinking about your Opera and what is African Art? It, for me, has become a cozy home, for those that don't quite fit the mold, the misfits and the rejects. Those that want to confront rather than conform. There has never been a more important time for the emergence of the importance of African Art and I regard myself as an 'African Artist'. The Continent has inspired me to think and be different, as I'm sure it has you too. Things just seen in a completely different perspective and that needs to be celebrated and understood. You and Helen are doing cultural marathons to show others this and the vast opportunities it brings.
I really love Helen's song "We Come in Peace", but to get full audience participation Venus Bushfires needs to
slightly simplify....be more like the football terraces and break it
down. Like 'OH AH CANTANA, OH AH CANTANA'... so what about "FREEDOM
GIVEN!.....FREEDOM TAKEN-AWAY!" - Do a Classic Trump on the Crowd, so all can feel included and nobody has
to have a good voice...it is more of a revolutionary chant....This is
truly a magical song, a mind opener for many, I being ONE!
I
do hope we can meet soon to discuss more. This subject never gets
boring for me. I woke this morning thinking how you switched from
English to Pidgin as Fred (Kingston Gallery Owner | Simon Fredricks) did with Jamaican Patwah at King's and realize it is a
'life-collide'. A journey for identity when the parameters in England are
so very rigid. I have seen this in my own cousins who I grew up with; now with
New Zealand, Australian accents, but I really thought it more a put-on but I realize it is more wanting
to be immigrated fully....In your case my dear friend, it is slightly different but
rather more exciting because you are living between worlds divided. I
wonder what your young girls, your wonderful Princesses, think of it all? They are going to be or already
are, so incredible.
The Pidgin Opera has inspired me..Tonight I have been teaching myself "Pidgin"....I really LoveitO....but you can use the keyboard characters too...- | ~ } "" { .... and so the symbols mean something too...this is awesome...so inventive and linguistically malleable.
How on earth did Helen write her Opera, Mami wata GENIUS.
So this is my first go. Please do bare in mind I can only get better:
"How-u-dey?
Me-dey-fineO.
Wetin-be-u-dayO. Me no-sabi and me no~NO! Dash-me, Gi-me
CoffeeO. Me no-money, me no~friendsO…..
Wetin-dey-happen? Wahala no-dey stopO.
Me comot for safety, me comot for security. Who dem send you?
Me want chop, talkshop dayda k-leg customa. Come chop, abeg...make me no vex you...if you no gree, that-be fineO, Charlie~~~~"
KEEP being FANTASTIC.
May the Gods bless you richly.
Lots of love,
African Joe XXXX
Ps. If you didn't get a chance to see this because of Opera Commitments: Here are the highlights from the England vs All Blacks | Semi Finals
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