Thursday 29 October 2009

Belgium Again



Last time I said Belgium was the land of beer and bikes, this time it's more like bellies and breast-feeding. Seriously, everyone we know there is expecting a baby or has recently had at least one. It's the capital of the european union.... and reproduction.

The reason for the trip is hard to explain, (not least because it would involve the explanation of my partner's PHD research, and believe me, you don't want to hear that from me).

But let me say this:

There were clowns, musicians, and dancers. Professional and amateur entertainers who were so passionate about their belonging to this project.

There was a wild dancing fairy dressed in red and glitter, and an angular, slow-moving Scandanavian angel with a blunt fringe and enormous white feathered wings, who bent down to speak to most people, cupping her hand over her mouth and whispering into their ears.



There were children painting T-shirts with the project's logo in one corner, and learning to walk along a tight-rope in another.

A documentary about the healing in South Africa as a result of this project.





and me, hanging back feverishly, smiling, observing, documenting.

6 comments:

  1. What an opportunity! My brother in law just came back from South Africa. I will have to show him this! Thanks.

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  2. Sounds fabulous. I hope there was cherry beer in hand whilst you were hanging back :)

    Cait

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  3. Oh my goodness - Cait just reminded me of cherry beer! Kriek Lambic isn't it? What I was going to say, before being waylaid by cherry beer memoirs, was that I love it when you do that smiling, observing, documenting thing - and then report back. Your photos are stunning.

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  4. wouaohhhhh!hello hayley!muy encantada encontrarme en tu "blog" si asî se puede llamar!prefiero la idea de un patchwork de tu vida de alma creadora y espectadora de las buenas energîas!me gusta!
    hasta luego
    camille

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