(Continued from p.2)

Meanwhile, further down the street, on one of the playing fields scattered throughout this town, a large tent has been erected to hold hundreds of people at another party. An electric rock band plays music with decidedly country-and-western melodies, then breaks into "La Bamba" followed by "Wimoweh" (yup, it's still sung here!), Zulu Rock and even a little Greek music thrown in to ensure variety. Their harmonies blend with the uniquely African rhythms of the Xhosa women singing traditional songs at the initiation party nearby.

Of course, this is only what is within earshot of our house. Tomorrow it will be some- thing entirely different, as it has been every day since I arrived here to do some archival work a few weeks ago. I should have known this would be an extraordinary trip when I was greeted at the airport by my host, Andrew Tracey, blowing a loud Kudo horn. Try that in an airport in the US!

Grahamstown is supposedly an English town. And yet, through all of the recent changes it is free to be so much more. On Tuesday, there will be the big multi-denominational candlelight service at the Anglican cathedral. It is an annual event sponsored by the Grahamstown Rotary Club, and this year organized and directed by ILAM's secretary Cynthia Webbstock (a former music teacher, now preparing for ordination in the Anglican church). The music will be carols and other Christmas music played by Andrew Tracey's Steelband and David Zena's Xhosa band "The Two Way Singers". All the pageantry and music are under the auspices of the English Dean who has been responsi- ble for switching services to Afrikaans, and who is also much relieved that his long-time marriage to a Xhosa woman is no longer illegal. The event ends with all the assembled moving out into the square surrounding the cathedral to light the Tree of Life while still singing the carols.

This is a place of striking contrasts and inter- mingling cultures. People seem the better for it. This has certainly been a Christmas to remember. Happy 2000!

Curt Wittig

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