Aksilem ak Jamm- Welcome to West Africa! (part 5)
Djembes on the Beach
My third night here we have a fish barbecue on the beach, known as a grillade. The other volunteers came: Mikaela, Monica, Sophie and Julia #1, and a bunch of Senegalese guys; Ahmadou, Moussa, Dominic and some others who played the djembe ALL night long. Magueye cooked up all shellfish, all stuff that I normally wouldn’t eat. In the dark though, I just accepted anything and shoved it into my mouth before I could see what it looked like the firelight. Good thing- I realize halfway through that I am eating sea urchin - tastes like sandy sponge meat.
I sit next to Ahmadou's brother, El Hadj, with really long dreads and an awesome accent when he speaks English. He lived in Amsterdam for years, playing djembe and giving lessons.
Next we have les moules, or mussels, grilled over the fire and smothered in lime juice, so good!
The guys banged on their djembes and Mikala joined in - she's actually quite good and has got rhythm. Ahmadou leads a circle between Sophie, Julia, Mikala and me, and I get the hang of it! But then they change the rhythm and I am lost completely. Moussa tries to teach me a bit on the djembe but I'm hopeless….Poor white girl ain’t got no rhythm.
When the guys play the djembe, with Ahmadou leading the circle, their faces light up with so much motion, especially Ahmadou's face. He shook his hair and banged so hard on his drum. I've never seen emotion like that when someone is playing music.
Julia, Mikala and I dance around the fire, singing to the music and shouting "Olé Olé Olé Olé" In the circle, this African woman jumps in and moves like I've never seen before, with her arms flailing and booty shaking. We dance in the sand, jumping up and down like crazy.
Later that night, I talk with El Hadji and he tells me about his infinite love for Cheikh Amadou Bamba, the marabout and “Gandhi" of Senegal. He teaches me around the roots of Islam today and about how it’s all about sharing what you have and contributing to the community. Islam is incredibly generous and compassionate, which is what it really is at the core, as opposed to its ignorant reputation as “extremist”.