Every year Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, hosts the Emancipation, a week long festival that culminates with a invocation of the ancestors and a festive march-dance through the city on the 1st of August. The march ends at the stadium where various entertainment events are presented and a trade show take place on the grounds. 2007 was no different in some respects but in others it was not going to be the same. To start off it was 200 years since the emancipation of slaves in British colonies and this was a date to pause and mark. Then there was our intrepid Diale who turned up for Emancipation accompanied by a few (too few, it turned out) cases of M’hudi wine. There was no way M’hudi was not going to be at the show, celebrating and aiding festivities. But more importantly the highlight of the entertainment of the event was the performance of none other than Lorraine Klaasen, a fellow South African, international Diva, now resident in Canada. I marched from city center, dancing in gay abandon all the way to the stadium with that happy crowd in its multicoloured Afro finery. The repeated downpours did nothing to dampen our spirits although we squelched in our shoes and wrung our clinging clothes. Lorraine did her opening act and on hearing that I was at the South African stand she needed no invitation and came over to meet the incredulous, elated M’hudi contingent, me, and taste the wines. The camera caught her beaming with nostalgic delight clutching a Merlot. At the end of the opening show our stand was simply snowed under, everyone wanting to meet the South Africans and their wines. Word of the tasting got out and the cases soon dwindled leaving a milling crowd of the unhappy, who had not had a taste and the agitated who had, and had come back for more (I did say they had been too few!). But I then got a chance to go dancing in the rain to the dulcet cadences of Lorriane’s mzansi-bred voice. You got to love TT. - Diale 'Oupa' RangakaM'hudi in Trinidad and Tobago
Every year Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, hosts the Emancipation, a week long festival that culminates with a invocation of the ancestors and a festive march-dance through the city on the 1st of August. The march ends at the stadium where various entertainment events are presented and a trade show take place on the grounds. 2007 was no different in some respects but in others it was not going to be the same. To start off it was 200 years since the emancipation of slaves in British colonies and this was a date to pause and mark. Then there was our intrepid Diale who turned up for Emancipation accompanied by a few (too few, it turned out) cases of M’hudi wine. There was no way M’hudi was not going to be at the show, celebrating and aiding festivities. But more importantly the highlight of the entertainment of the event was the performance of none other than Lorraine Klaasen, a fellow South African, international Diva, now resident in Canada. I marched from city center, dancing in gay abandon all the way to the stadium with that happy crowd in its multicoloured Afro finery. The repeated downpours did nothing to dampen our spirits although we squelched in our shoes and wrung our clinging clothes. Lorraine did her opening act and on hearing that I was at the South African stand she needed no invitation and came over to meet the incredulous, elated M’hudi contingent, me, and taste the wines. The camera caught her beaming with nostalgic delight clutching a Merlot. At the end of the opening show our stand was simply snowed under, everyone wanting to meet the South Africans and their wines. Word of the tasting got out and the cases soon dwindled leaving a milling crowd of the unhappy, who had not had a taste and the agitated who had, and had come back for more (I did say they had been too few!). But I then got a chance to go dancing in the rain to the dulcet cadences of Lorriane’s mzansi-bred voice. You got to love TT. - Diale 'Oupa' Rangaka
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