The School Corridor Tatler

The power of African proverbs I love African proverbs. They are powerful treasures of wisdom. In one stroke, an African proverb will teach you a life lesson. Achebe Chinua said that proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten. This is so true. The brevity of words, the sharpness that can sting and the clarity of meaning of most African proverbs have a lasting impact. They are condensed, thought-provoking conversations that can be peeled back layer by layer at your own leisure, long after the storytellers have departed. If ever I felt the urge to peg a story within the tapestry of African proverbs, it is the story that I saw emerging from Shafiek, the regular busker, on a sunny winter's day. Shafiek crooning, oblivious of his audience Shafiek, the busker Whenever I visit TEARS, one of my favourite charity shops, I see Shafiek, the busker. I must confess I deliberately dawdle in the area or sit in my car when I hear a few of my favourites “like Hey Jude “or “When I fall in l...

Begging or Busking? The first time I saw Lenny – as I shall call him – was when he appeared at my car window at the traffic lights. Lenny busks along the solid white road marking, moving about or stopping to  serenade to motorists stopping at the red lights.   He is about 12 years old and he is super-confident. This entrepreneur has his own trade tool, a guitar of sorts. The guitar is a 40 cm piece of driftwood with three strings of gut and a dented, white, empty 20ml juice bottle at the end. Then you hear the 3-line song from the busker who looks you straight in the eye. The song is timed to perfection to allow Lenny to woo more than one motorist who is forced to wait for the green light.  My chuckle at this feisty young boy topples into laughter when I hear the key refrain “ en nog ‘n twee rand vir my” ( and another R2 for me ). He had his bottom line sorted – no copper coins here for his talent. I was seriously tempted to part with my R2 when my inner voice rem...