Day 7: Reflecting on Relationships

While sitting on the front steps of the Mokanzubo Kalinda Cultural Center at the Chikuni Mission, I began reflecting on the past few days of our time here in Zambia.  Absorbing the peace and tranquility of the sun warming the field and drying the clothing on the wash line as the distant sounds of rosters called and goat bells jingled, I thought of the contrast between this and the flurry of activity we experienced in Lusaka even on our relatively free day on Saturday. 

            We began our final full day in Lusaka after sleeping in until the late hour of 8 a.m. After a quick breakfast, we journeyed to Lilya where some of us saw some adorable rescued baby elephants and relaxed at the resort. After finishing our walks around Lilya or basking in the sun by the pool side, we headed back into the city.  A quick, rather overwhelming experience at a downtown market continued our day, which was a maze of colorful chitenges, suitcases and spoons for sale, and both market customers and vendors giving confused looks and shouting questions at us.  After a short break at the hostel, we ended our day in song.  The two-hour concert brought us to a surprise party hosted by Sacred Heart Choir back at our hostel which wrapped up rather quickly after the music and lights caused the transformer to burst and the power to go out.  And this was all just one day!

            Despite the exciting encounters since arriving, I struggle with understanding our purpose here.  I know we are here to sing and “exchange” with Zambian culture, but what does that really mean?  What is balance between being a visitor, a learner, and an ambassador?  What are we contributing?  These are all questions I have felt, whether whispered or shouted internally, throughout our time here.  Our privilege keeps popping up in various places.  For example, when looking around the jam packed relatively expensive resort, I only saw one family group that was not obviously of European decent.  The privilege came in particularly drastic contrast when, for example, a man came up to an open window of our bus at a stoplight asking for money because he was hungry.  A student from the choir, without a second thought, handed the man a granola bar.  I will never forget the beaming smile on the man’s face as he moved off the road and turned to energetically wave goodbye to us.  I see interactions like this, and I realize how lucky we are to have the change to travel like this. 

            The thing is, that is only one side of life here in Zambia.  Just like we have homeless people asking for money on the streets of United States’ cities, there is the opposite in Zambia, too.  After the morning mass with the Sacred Heart Choir on Sunday, we had a lovely BBQ at the beautiful home located in an upper scale neighborhoods of the city. Our host was a successful banker, as well as a Sacred Heart Choir member.  Clearly, there are two sides to every coin.  It’s easy to get sucked into the one story we have been told of what life is like in Africa (the poverty, the illnesses, the struggles, etc.).  It is also important to see the other side.  While the culture may be very different, life for some Zambians is not as drastically different as you would think from the various ways of life experienced by some Americans. 

            Realizing these things, I, again, struggle with what we are supposed to be doing here on this choir tour. As the concert came to a close on Saturday evening, I began to find my answer.  Father Joe spoke of priests from years back who had a connection to Gonzaga University.  With time, however, these connections weakened.  Our visit here, he said, strengthened our relationship once again. The emotion with which he made this closing statement began to shed light on the importance of such relationships across continents. 

            At the party back at the hostel, too, the conversations and connections made between members from both choirs emphasized this even further.  Though we talked about many things from Zambian culture and politics to his own personal aspirations, in my conversation with a Sacred Heart member, he mentioned several times how surprised he was that we actually came.  “I kept expecting it to be put off a few months or even cancelling,” he told me.  He was so grateful that we were able to have the opportunity to work together, and he looked forward to organizing their own tour to visit us. The relationships established through the exchange meant a lot to him, too. 

            The moment of true realization, though, was after the BBQ on Sunday.  The friendships made and fostered the night before only continued as we ate, played soccer, and shared stories together.  When it was finally time to load up on the bus to leave Lusaka, our Sacred Heart friends gathered beside the bus to say their goodbyes and shake hands one more time.  As we waved goodbye, they began to sing “Over My Head”, the song we had taught them for our joint concert.  One young man ran along the side of the bus until the end of the street finishing the end of the refrain began by the bigger group with, “I hear music in the air.  There must be a God somewhere.” As the bus continued on and we all looked back to see our new friends smiling and waving, I teared up a little.  This difficult goodbye was only an example of the relationships we have created in such a short period of time, thanks to the open hearts of the Zambians we have met.  This is what these exchanges are all about.  Genuine human connection established through sharing a mutual love of music. 

McKenna Emmerich, Class of 2017