Our last night in Kochia, the girls from Ombogo put on a show for us with dances, song, skits and acknowledgements all around. During this celebration the girls got to really show their stuff. At the beginning of the evening, a few of the honored guests hadn't arrived yet, so the girls entertained us with spontaneous singing. This music moves me deeply, and reminds me that our culture has largely forgotten how to sing. These girls are very unselfconscious about singing and fall naturally into beautiful harmonies.
Once the show got rolling, the girls pulled out all the stops. They seemed most excited about the fashion show in which they modeled some of the beautiful cloth traditional to this region (although in a more risque form than most of the women typically dress). One of the highlights for me was their reprise of the dance they did as part of a competition earlier this year. The dance, which was built on the more traditional forms of dance, told the story of young women who were forced to sell themselves for sex because of poverty and having no one to care for them or protect them. It was very powerful.
At the end of the evening, we went out into the dark, and the Kochia dancers, who had performed for the President and the Prime Minister, were there to dance for (and with) us. The evening ended with all of us dancing until we couldn't catch our breath any longer.
Then it was time to say our goodbyes to the girls, with promises to write and keep in touch until the next Western service learning group comes again next summer.
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