Thanks to a brilliant and awesome friend I've made here by the name of Mohammad Shabangu, I had the opportunity to meet the beautiful lady that you see in the YouTube video above.
Her name is Gcina Mhlophe, and she is a South African poet that has performed pieces with the likes of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and is often referred to as "the country's story-teller." Not only did I meet Mrs. Mhlophe, but I had the privilege of fetching her and her daughter from the airport. Mrs. Mhlophe received an Honorary Doctorate from Rhodes University this past weekend as a part of their THREE-DAY LONG graduation exercises!
Mrs. Mhlophe is a beautiful spirit, open to sharing her experiences, and that which she loves about the lived life! She was candid and warm. We sang hymns together, and fellowshipped in the Presence.
On the way to Grahamstown from the Port Elizabeth airport--an hour and a half drive--Mrs. Mhlophe told me all about her experiences in the U.S. Her recent trip to the U.S. was as the writer-in-residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. We were talking about the culture of violence in the U.S., and her time in Boston was at the forefront of her mind because she was in the city during the Boston Marathon Bombing. I kind of stiffened up, and my eyes widened, for I too was living in Boston during the time of the Boston Marathon Bombing. And while it struck us just how small the world is, it was also a bit overwhelming to know that we could have been at the finish line that day. However, we were blessed to be safe and sound elsewhere, and to, a year later, share the same hour and a half car drive together, singing of the gifts that God has blessed us with. We sang for life, for love, for peace, and for the sisters and brothers that we lost that day half-way around the world.
Please listen to her poetical stylings in the YouTube video above, and below. Blessings!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zzkZk4RaEg
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