Another long day,
The sun is a teasing glow
I annoymously follow a crowd
The security officer smiles,
I nod an acknowledgement
A flagging sign greets me:
theguardian HAY FESTIVAL
The box office is an alert face
'Can I help you sir?'
An old man holding a cane stick
for support moves to the counter
I did not wait to see him flirt
with the girl
The blank screen on my computer
stared back
I typed my name TINASHE
It was the reassurance I needed
that I am still sane...
I talked to Ishmael Beah, the Sierra Leonen writer. He told me about his Zimbabwean friends in America. 'You know, the situation in Zimbabwe is worse than war. I feel sorry for you guys,' he said. I wanted to say no, you are exaggerating, but I realised the gravity of his words. Beah has survived the worst. He is a former child soldier, who has managed to survive the ravages of war, to reform, and tell the world the story of his life, the story of Sierra Leone, the story of war and conflict. Ethopian Dinaw Mengestu discussed what it means to be an African immigrant living in the United States. There was a stunned audience in the silence that was broken by a long ovation. The story of Africa may be sad but it also tells how humanity triumphs.I used to think that when a writer gets very old they loose touch, forget easily, make nonsense of themselves. At 88, Doris Lessing is still alert. She talked about the inspiration of her new novel, The Cleft. Memories drawn when she was a 19 year old girl in Rhodesia. Later in the night, Doris Lessing, was honoured with the 2007 Hay/Cross Award for excellence in literature.
There was a sense the festival was a big country wedding with relatives from all generations tracking down from whatever part of the world. A famliy that comes to celebrate and share beautiful moments. But then too, comes a day when everyone has to leave, track back to their daily routines. We all attended the staff party aware that tomorrow the wedding was coming to an end.
The party rocked, from stewards to cooks, drivers to security personnel, Peter Florence, Lyndy Cooke the top management, everyone. A festival is the commitment everyone invests in it.It was our time to celebrate the moments, the spirit that bound all of us in the last ten days. Some danced. Some boozed. Some sat in circles. Everyone was happy. For those who have been coming to the festival for many years it was another success. I have a gained a new perspective on life.
