Celebration of Meat

To bid adieu to the teachers and learners going to Mmera, the teachers at Ramojapudi planned a farewell function for them. Although they prepared for three months, the schedule, guest speaker, and photographer were decided upon two days before the event. I’ve been to events that ran on a strict schedule, but this was not one of them. Luckily for my cynical eyes, Becca came to enjoy the day as well. The original program is below, with my comments in italics and pictures included where I could.

PROGRAMME OF FAIRWELL FUNCTION

DATE : 27 OCTOBER 2005
TIME :09H00
Female teachers started cooking early in the morning and continued throughout the program. The program started at 9, so that’s when people started to arrive. Drum majorettes in bright green and yellow uniforms and furry hats escorted everyone inside. They even escorted cars! At 10:30, the principal told the programme director (MC) to start the program. People (including the guest speaker) continued to arrive until noon.

Programme Director: Molokomme N.L

1. Opening Prayer: Makgae G.D
What meeting, function, meal, or anything really would be complete without a prayer? Just as the prayer started, the sound system stopped working. She continues the prayer and it’s fixed during the welcome.
2. Remarks
3. Welcome : Molekwa A
4. Introduction of guests: Boya N.T
The guests, who include all of the teachers from other schools, Becca, the induna, and myself, are listed off.
5. Musical item: School Choir
6. Speech: School Principal
Between each item is about 10 minutes, spent waiting for the speaker or group to appear.
7. Musical item: Khutsong Care Center
Gogos from the local home-based-care center. They are extremely excited to be here and especially to sing! Grannies not part of the group yell, “eii eii eii!,” if they really like the song or run up to the group, paw the ground and yell, “kga kga kga.”

8. Messages of support
8.1 Ntone, Poetry, Masakana
Guests who arrived late are introduced. Ntone and Masakana are traditional dances. The dances were very similar to the ones in Moletji, except they wore different clothes. The gogos really enjoyed it and yelled a lot from the sidelines. Poetry is skipped. In-between the dances, the induna interrupts the program to speak. I think he talked about the importance of welcoming me into the community, but I couldn’t really tell. During the speech, the photographer comes.

8.2 SAP, Gumboots
Long speech by a South Africa Police officer followed by a group of boys. The boys were dressed in their father’s work jumpsuits and rubber boots. It’s kind of like Stomp, with rhythms beat on the boots with their hands and the boots stomping on the ground. They pantomimed a boss beating his worker to huge laughs.

8.3 Inspector
1. Beauty contest
Young girls in swimsuits doing their best cat walk. It was really funny to see the grannies get up and cheer when their relatives walked by. The gogos got much closer than in the picture below!

2. Funny
Boys dressed as girls and boys dressed as girls. The boys hit on the girls then the girls either except or decline getting big laughs.

9. Musical item: Mmera Primary School
10. Speech: Mmera Principal
11. Item: Aerobics
Exactly that. Odd to see girls in bicycle shorts kicking in the red dirt.


Drama
A grade R play . . .cute but all in Sepedi and lost to me.
12. Introduction of Guest Speaker: Shapo MP
13. Keynote address: Guest Speaker
Guest speaker in his hood and bat robe. His speech is long, and he doesn’t seem to really understand who’s leaving and why. It was getting hot and I was getting really bitter.
14. Items: Kwaito 1 &2
South African hip-hop dancing. The music was kind of like Michael Jackson’s Thriller without the words and the dancing was a combination of break dancing and crunking. Unfortunately I couldn’t get a good picture. The learners were amazing!
15. Presentation of gifts & Manganyi S.V
Presentation of awards by: Modise M.J
: Morumudi M.J
Awards in academics, athletics, attendance, and cleanliness. The gogos were very excited whenever a family member was called!
16. Musical item : School choir
17. Vote of thanks: Mabetwa N.M
18. Announcement: Mello M.M
19. Singing of national anthem

20.LUNCH*********LUNCH*******LUNCH*******LUNCH********
There was rice, bogobe, coleslaw, potato salad, mashed potatoes, beans, tomato gravy, beets, butternut squash, lettuce salad, beef, and chicken AND lots of cold drink and juice! I ate very well. Teachers and guests ate first and then learners and community members had whatever was left.



On Monday, Ramojapudi invited Mmera to lunch because they still had too much food! I went with the teachers from Mmera but I didn’t enjoy it as much as they did. All that was leftover was bogobe and nama. I ate a small amount of bogobe but the teachers each filled half of their plate with bogobe and the other half with meat. I think they each ate a pound of beef. Many teachers were shocked that I don’t eat meat and kept saying, “but you’ll die!” or “you’ll eat meat today!” I replied, “but if I don’t eat meat, there is simply more for you to enjoy!”