Bamenda's Got Talent

Here you go, pictures from last night! It was great fun dressing up and going out (especially being goggled at as we walked down the road and caught a taxi in all our finery), although the show was a little different than we thought. Although the ticket said it started at "4pm Prompt," it took about 2 1/2 hours before it actually got rolling... If I was any newer to Cameroon I would have been appalled at the lack of organization and punctuality, but every day I'm learning again and again just to go with the flow. While waiting we amused ourselves by taking pictures and watching some of the Olympics that were playing (it was some game I'd never heard of or seen before - looked like water polo without the water), and then finally we got to walk the red carpet and talk to some guy with a mic and camera. They filmed most of the show, the "Bamenda Best Talent Awards," and apparently there's a chance it will be on tv, though I doubt we'll ever be able to find it and see ourselves.

 

We were seated in front, and only had to wait for a bit more until the show began. It was a mixture of dancers and singers and even a preacher who yelled about Michael Jackson being possessed by demons for a bit before praying for everyone. We didn't understand much of it, between his Pidgin and the extremely loud, static-y sound system, but it was interesting, to say the least. :D There were all kinds of dancers; one guy who did Michael Jackson, and another who was so good he could have been Beyonce herself if only he put a wig on. There were also groups of "country dancers," which is more traditional dancing, and a whole lot of rappers.

We couldn't help ourselves - we laughed through most of it. Most of the dancers were fantastic, but the singers were pitchy at best and and the rappers simply comical (even more so than American rappers). They also had a bit of modeling, but our favorite was the salsa dancing, put on by Derick and his students. We left before it ended, because it was going so late, so we never found out who won the competition. But we had a jolly time all the same.

When we got home we all made a beeline for the kitchen and made soup and pudding and spagetti, then went straight to bed. And today we are starting school! Pray for the internet to remain stable and that we will be eager to learn in the coming weeks!