On Naw-Ruz: It's Nice to See My Baha'i Peeps

Photo: Centre national bahá’í à Paris

Melimeli's at it again with a description of the performances at the Naw-Ruz celebration in Paris that is so vivid, you feel like you can see and hear them.

lovely france: Monday was Naw Ruz, and the celebration at the Baha'i Centre was just wonderful. So so lovely. Lots of songs in camerounese (? they said, camerounien. from Cameroun), in a nigerian language, in persian and french. At the end, a slam poetry performance in English. And a concert at the end by Mussia, a band that one local Baha'i, Charles, is in, and it was so beatiful: a combo of Charles on the guitar and vocals (he's the Camerounian), a white Francais man on the saxophone, and two African guys on drums and percussion. One was a big guy and he did the harmonies with Charles in this high, sweet voice, and he kept on smiling while drumming and looking so happy. He sang this beautiful, beautiful song, in I don't know what language, but he told us the words later, about why do people fight each other and hate each other. And a beautiful little Baha'i youth band, one member of which did the oddest, most creative, and truly weirdly brave interpretative dance to the music of Charles' band. It was not a performance anyone knew would take place, but the big guy on the drums was very, very amused, and we had a little percussion interlude that I think was to fully showcase this dancing. At the end of the performance, the big guy thanked Mathieu, the dancer: "He is not like other people, definitely a special person." :) It was nice to see my Baha'i peeps after being so busy and not seeing them for a long while. And the music, the music, there is something so healing in it, it was the greatest way to start the new year.

melimeli, March 22nd, 2006, 02:44 pm, Live Journal

P.S. One more Naw-Ruz item, if you please. In this blurb, it's not who you see, but who you don't see that's nice--your teacher. You don't have to practice your music because your music teacher practices Baha'i.

Its the first day of Spring and i have been given a wonderful gift. Thats right. By a series of FORTUNATE events- I dont have class till one. And even that doesnt count as a class. Its my lesson. And then I just have quartet rehersal today. My first class was cancelled a week ago and then last night my aural teacher cancelled class because she practices baha'i and its a religious holiday. So she's taking it off.

musicnote137, "March 21st Goodness," Live Journal