by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
Our last stop of the day was spent venturing down into caves. When we arrived we all put on our very lovely protective hairnets and helmets. We then met our guide for the tour and made our way to the cave entrance, only stopped twice to get a bit of back-story about the caves. Occasionally while in the caves we had to duck, slide and crawl to make it through, which proved to be a bit difficult for the very tall people or those still in their kilts (Mr G). Our group even managed to have a ceilidh in the caves, Kathleen played some AFO music on her phone while we jumped about as much as we could. ...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
After our morning performance at the church we took a drive into Soweto and got off the buses for a short walk before lunch. In the whole world there is only one street on which two Nobel Peace Prize Winners have lived and it is in Soweto. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu lived on Vilakazi Street. Mandela’s house is now a museum, however we did not have enough time to visit. As we walked JP stopped every so often to tell us more about the history of the place and the Apartheid. He also explained that many of the videos that we saw while at the museum were from around that area. It was interesting to find out more and expand on what we learned from the day before; the stories are both heart breaking and heart-warming at the same time. There was so much tragedy in a time not too long ago, but with people such as Mandela and Tutu so many good things have happened since. The things we learned we will never forget....
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
We began our day at morning mass in a Catholic church in Soweto. Personally I have never spent much time in Church so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. But I am glad I had this opportunity to witness the spectacular singing from both the choir and the congregation. The music rang out through the magnificent church with its high ceilings and stained glass windows. Everyone there very well appreciated our music; they even called for an encore. We participated were we could with smiles on our faces, and as we walked out of the church at the end of the service many of us were stopped and complimented for our contribution and we had many conversations about the orchestra, everyone seemed very interested in what we had to say. ...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
The last concert of tour was our best one yet. The orchestra we so energetic it was night and day form our first concert in which barely anyone smiled. The second violin section definitely out shone the first violins with their synchronised dance moves. It was a full set and we were delighted to be joined with some members of the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra for a few numbers, they are all fantastic musicians who kept up with our fast pace Scottish tunes superbly. It was a sad concert for some of the senior members of the orchestra as for them it might be their last. I know they have all had an amazing time on their last tour and don’t want to leave their AFO family behind. However I don’t think I am quite ready to go yet, so I might just stick around for a while. In true AFO fashion the last concert of the tour called for a practical joke to be played on our musical director David Moore. Many of the senior players and myself put our thinking caps on about an hour before the concert and came up with a plan. During our final number Eightsome Reels we stopped about a third of the way through, following which our drummer rocked out and was then joined by our bass guitarist Niall McHugh, our lead guitarist Ross Brain and our piper Andrew Spence. Once they had finished their set three senior boys lifted David off the stage and I put down my double bass, came to the front of the stage and conducted...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
It was a harrowing and sobering day as we walked through the museum with JP – one of our Johannesburg guides – as he talked and explained the events surrounding the Apartheid. We were all very shocked that we hadn’t heard much about it before the museum, as it was such an influential topic that changed so many lives. By the end I was very eager to find out more and might do some of my own research when I get home. Unfortunately we had limited time there and didn’t get a chance to see everything, so it would be nice to go back one day and spend a lot more time reading the stories and watching the videos. We ended our time at the museum at the gift shop and café while thinking back on everything we had just learned. P.S. We were not allowed to take any pictures inside so i only have a few from outside....
Recent Comments