Oslo.Do you love me?
When I was four years old, my parents insisted on embarking on the arduous journey of studying overseas while raising a small family. We left Canada where my Mum was completing her Masters to join my Dad in Nottingham England. By the time my Mum was my age she had already given birth to a baby boy and was chasing a doctorate. Levels. This is why in some far fetched way I consider Europe my home and why I was often teased relentlessly for always sounding different. We left England for Africa just as I was starting high school and once again I was reunited with my people, culture and family. Since then I’ve been back to visit family in Nottingham over summer holidays and more recently was on tour with artist Naima Mclean in Paris and Glasglow. 2018 sees me back in this strange yet familiar land fortunate enough to hold the position of tour manager for the #Akiobadandyellowtour featuring GingerTrill, P_Kuttah and Dizzy Monks. My Kool Out business partner Akio has spent the past five years painstakingly building networks and relationships across Europe with his music and he has worked himself up to a point where he can invite African acts on his tour in order to foster an international relationship and platform for the artists. We are scheduled to visit over five countries and I constantly need to pinch myself as we are visiting countries I have never but always wanted to set foot in;
Oslo is done and dusted, we stayed in the city for about a week. The trip was a grueling ordeal as we docked into one airport after the other. We arrived in Oslo and immediately freshened up as the boys wanted to catch one of the World Cup matches. We met up with some fellow Africans at the basketball courts which was a clear indication of where the peeps of colour link up in Oslo. We were shook by the Sun still being high up in the sky at 22:00 shining as bright as ever. Oslo reminded me of any and many of the various University campuses I grew up in due to my parents being academics. But what really struck me was the freedom I felt walking down the streets in my aztec mini dress and camisole top. Not once was I greeted with the familiar “Baby girl” ,*whistle blowing*, “my size” comments that haunt me on almost every Jozi street. No one stared at me suggestively as if mentally undressing me and at 01:08 am I felt as safe as if it were noon. “There it is” whispered my soul, as I finally got to relax and drop a couple of guards down. Perhaps Oslo was sensing my familiarity and comfort and needed to remind me of where exactly we were. It seems these European folks don’t take too kindly to large congregations of black people on their streets, I guess its all reminiscent of those apartheid laws that forbade more than a certain number of blacks congregating as this was seen as a threat to the government. Now I see where that paranoia stemmed from as we were often met with drunken hostility and darting eyes on the street as we minded our own business as a crew of blacks. The more outlandish the random racist outbursts became the more I felt i was being tested...this couldn’t be real. The truth is it wasn’t it was just a simulation, a peep into another’s augmented reality more so because these pathetic fears and insecurities were so mild in their intent we couldn’t help but laugh but also rage.
Pic 2: @Calvin_axe Titled: Rage
The next day we got out of the city to a secluded beautiful beach called Hovedoya. I had met Akio’s Norwegian contacts the day before and Berryl had organised a beach day and picnic. Finally we were away from the towering sky scrapers, bustling traffic and hurried people and had ventured into the unknown. Oslo’s natural beauty took my breath away, little did I know that hopping on to a short ferry ride would transport me into the wild. The beach was not what I was use to, there was no sand just rock and seaweed but the water was crystal clear and the forrest trees and rolling hills made me feel at home. It was at this moment while walking into the water it finally dawned on me that I was away from home, lost but safe and my heart slowly began to expand.
Pic 3: @goproakio
I guess something had shifted or I began to connect with Oslo. We even learned a Norwegian game called Kubb! The next couple of days I began to venture on my own, it seemed the Norwegians were a lot more accommodating to a young, seemingly non threatening black women who could do them no harm. There is no questioning that Oslo city is breathtakingly beautiful..and clean. I loved getting lost and having to navigate narrow streets and gorgeous parks. Before our event at Paul’s Boutique the night life was okay... nothing to instagram home about though. Paul’s Boutique was rumoured to be a jump and I couldn’t wait!
Pick 4: Flier Design: akio_Kawahito
The venue was just on the bank of the water, during soundcheck I had met a Kenyan youngster who said he was on holiday and made it a point to tell us that his father was a well known Minister. When we came back for the show there was definitely electricity in the air, the Kool Out Dj’s and DJ Asi (UK/SA) killed the decks and I beamed with pride as Gingertrill and TopGogg took to the mic along with D(US)T and Young Nativv from the Dizzy Monks stable. We set the roof on fire with sweat dripping and drink sipping I was in my groove. The memory of this night has been stored in a precious little bottle in my mind only to be retrieved for the grandchildren.
Pic 5: Chalk Illustration: @lerole_maru
I was finally getting to the point where I was falling in love with Oslo...how embarrassing. There was something so quaint about this city village and the more time we spent connecting with people the more at home I felt. My love for modern contemporary art had me visiting the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art which displayed an impressive collection of some beautiful, strange and sometimes downright weird installations. Kyla and Noel accompanied me on this excursion and they were clearly underwhelmed. Look, I wasn’t walking around with my jaw dropped but there were some pretty gnarly pieces that have been etched into my memory for eternity such as this ;
Art Installation: Dan Colen
https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/59ybpk/dan-colen-takes-over-damien-hirsts-london-gallery
I even got to do a yoga class taught in norwegian which was sick and did a shoot with @goproakio (Instagram). Fore more on my Yoga and Vegan journey abroad follow @organic_nomad on instagram and like the Organic Nomad page on facebook.
pick 7: @goproakio
Congratulations to the boys for a stellar show in Oslo!!! You guys make me so proud to be from Africa and already I feel i have a vault of memories to entertain me for a life time.
pick 8: @goproakio (from left to right) @calvin_axe, @ginger_trill, @strawberryarmpits @akio_kawahito @stateofmindmusicsa @lerole_maru
We are now in Sweden and I feel like i’m experiencing a mild whip lash, my mind is struggling to keep up with all that it is taking in. Look out for my next blog on Sweden. If you are familiar with any of the places we are checking out, or know some cool peeps please make the connection, I’m learning more and more about the importance of solid networks and relationships across the world. Oslo Lesson: “Never underestimate the power of connection”
Instagram: @Banesa.Creative, @organic_nomad
website: www.koolout.co.za