Les Artisans de la Paix

At a department reception held for me last week, there were three highlights that I need to mention before I board the plane (in a few hours).

1. A choir, called Les Artisans de la Paix (roughtly, The Peacemakers), which features a friend's daughter sang three songs in English, including a heart-stopping rendition of "Go Down Moses."
2. One of my graduate students read Langston Hughes's poem "I Too" along with a translation he wrote of the poem in Kikongo (of Bandundu).
3. The feast included roasted caterpillars, and some homemade wine which I comissioned from a friend who teaches chemistry.

The week's other highlight was a UDPS-organized nude demonstration in front of the UN HQ here in Kinshasa! I am starting to think that Tshi-Tshi and company might be the real "artisans of peace."