report english version "Wema and Muhingo in Austria"

My dear friends,

Actually I wanted to send this kind of report a week ago, but I found myself not able to finish it. We were just too busy. I guess even Wema and Muhingo were very weak when they arrived, they have done a very good and exhausting job as we were in a tight program nearly every day.

At the arrival, the coldness was bearable, but the following day it was really horrible. It was as if there was nothing else in this world anymore than ice and wind……

Of course there were many new things to see. The whole city- system with it’s public transport was a “museum” by itself. For Wema actually everything was completely new, and extremely fast. The escalator seemed to be the first challenge for her but at the end she’d won the fight with rolling staircases.

She was kind of amused, when she saw shelves with dogs' and cats' food in it the supermarket….”ata mbua ana budget huku” (even for a dog you have a budget here)

They found out very quickly, that cars here wait very nicely to let the passengers cross the road, but the public buses do not wait for anybody, especially during our first Austria- last minute Marathon, because we left too late and had to catch the train.

Wema was really brave, as she came with me the second day after arriving in Vienna, to the CD- presentation of my sister. Wema “They are not dancing, and why are the people clapping hands for so long?” The music, was maybe more a noise annoyance to her, as she was not used to violins and Austrian Yodelling.

In the first days we visited the EAWM- office and the HIV- Aids Center where they do counselling, testing and treatment.

At the end of the week we travelled to Salzburg where the Bürmoos- event took place and the handing over of the award to PIUMA through Gerhard and Wema.

It was a very nice event with very good musicians from Zimbabwe. Wema was first little nervous reading from a paper, but when she told her own story freely, and started to sing, the audience was moved and we got a big applause.

Later on the Zimbabwe musicians called Wema up on the stage again to sing the Tanzanian hymn, and later on again to dance together with them. It looked like they had been doing the performance together for years. The event ended up with all people dancing in front of stage, and us in the middle of the crowd.

Next day we had a little meeting with Mr. Ruf and a little community of the Salzburg congregation which have sponsored regularly for PIUMA. We also visited a common farmer to see how they get about here to make business out of fields and animals. I guess it was quite strange to watch machines milking the cows, and other machines carrying away the dung- throwing it outside.

And the farmer added modestly “This is just my hobby, actually my farm is too small to live on”. I think for people from Tanzania it’s questionable how it can be a hobby when machines worth of few hundred thousand Euros, are used.

On the 21st, we travelled to my home in a little town called Pöllau. I t was a long journey.

My family were very happy to meet us. My dad showed her through the big church up to the bell and clockwork and the organ- was most impressing to her. An instrument big as an house, can produce music through wind pipes…..

Next day we went to a place nearby where they produce all kinds of oil out of seeds from different fruits and vegetables.

In the nearest town Hartberg (were I was at collage), Wema entered a cinema for the first time, in this case the screen had 40 times 40 meters, which must have been a bit scaring at the beginning. Even the topic about “skydiving”, must have seemed quite strange to her. (some crazy wazungu jumping out of the plane to fall for about 18 seconds…..)

Sometimes it was very hard for me to get her thoughts. As she was very quiet many times, working in her head on new impressions and many times not mentioning if she liked or disliked something.

My father invited us to visit the choir which he is conducting and which had contributed donations as well for PIUMA last year. They were very interested and very impressed by the way of Wema´ s dancing and singing. At the end everyone wanted to hug this Mkinga- lady because they were so touched.

On the 22nd, we went to the next city, home place of Erika Trojer, Graz. She was very happy to see us and in the evening we had a presentation for the Women- group, where Erika is an active member. There, for the first time, I had the feeling that Wema was talking freely and light-hearted. It was a big pleasure for everyone and the audience was asking a lot of questions. She intensified her message with quite wise conclusions like:

“I have no special education, but I use that what is in my head, and that’s enough”

“PIUMA was protesting and fighting for their rights, and now I have the feeling, that it’s carrying the weight of the whole district on its head”

And how true it is. Those who speak out the truth, get the weight at the end as we all experienced. And even I could see it like PIUMA is now carrying the weight of fear, despair, aggressions, intrigues, incriminations, disappointment- all the feelings of the highest officers when they are offended and hindered to steal and bring the fighting ones down.

Our next public appearance, we had at the “Eferding Life Gala”, which have sponsored already PIUMA in 2006. It was a big event, organized by the local Green Party, where people usually wear very generous costumes. This was very new for Wema, less for Muhingo. they liked the performances a lot.

It was a pity, that we had only very short time to talk, but at least in front of a big audience.

handover of a cheque after the concert

In the following days, back in Vienna we met several journalists from newspaper and Radio, like FURCHE, SÜDWIND, FALTER, RADIO AFRIKA, OKTO TV and others.

24^th and 27^th, EAWM planning meetings as already discussed.

On the 28^th, we visited the school for arts, the students of which had designed the Kangas. There we were shown many different types of printing. Wema felt like home, and became a student very fast- sitting with the others drawing and printing with big concentration. And as astonishment for all students, she did very well and understood fast, although she had never used such instruments in her life before. Together with Wema, the students printed the PIUMA- kanga. Within the process we could see, that this technique can be performed quite easily and maybe one day even by PIUMA- members. It’s just the question of teaching, structure and careful usage of the printing- equipment.

Another visit at the HIV- Aids- Centre, helped Wema a lot about learning and knowing her present state of health.

In-between, we had to get used to statements from Muhingo and Wema like “The sun get’s out of the fridge every morning, to raise up a little and go down after a little while again”, or

“The sun is sooo lazy here”- might be true, the sun rarely appeared.

30. 11. 2007, visit in the parliament and charity concert for PIUMA

It did not seem, like it was crucial for Wema anymore, whether she was talking at a little coffee party or in the parliament in front of 140 guests. She did not feel nervous at all- must have become routine already, different with me, I never had entered this building before and didn’t feel the same like visiting Erika´s women’s- group.

Her speech in there, was probably the best in Austria, shared with Gerhard Raxendorfer.

She demonstrated enthusiastically, genuinely and significantly the goals and fights of PIUMA for their right of treatment, rights for women, financial transparency and their aspire for movement and development.

“We are not sick, because we are stronger that all others, who stay quiet because they fear. We have the strength of a lion and we will not stop fighting, till we have reached at the target”

“On this picture you can see a woman with her husband and their baby. But this baby was just born because my family forced me to, although we knew about our health conditions. God thanks I got the chance of the ARV therapy, to reduce the risk of mother-child transmission, and this year I tested this baby and he is HIV- negative!”

After this we got a big applause and after the program, many people came to see us and shake Wema´s hand- congratulating her for her strength and courage. The message had reached the people at its best. I can say it was a big success.

After this we hurried up, to get to the charity- concert for the last preparations and Wema´s sound check. I had to convince her for 20 minutes, till she agreed doing a sound- check, to let the technician test his installation. At the end we did it together, she could not understand, the meaning of singing before the concert has started. …

Wema and Gerhard at the Parliament

PIUMA charity concert:

About eight, the hall was filled with over 200 people and the concert was opened with the ensemble NETNAKISUM, where my sister is playing in.

After that, it was our turn to get on stage and do our program. Wema was talking very nicely, and after that, we performed together “study za maisha, tuta shinda ukimwi” (“We will successfully fight AIDS”). The song was very moving to the audience and somehow this moment turned magical. A black musician from the audience joined the song with a bass- voice and many other voices from the back were singing as well, what gave the song a special sound. Even the people started clapping their hands.

The hall was filled with PIUMA´s strong and happy spirit and this was possible even on another continent, with one PIUMA- member. A small, but big Mkinga- lady.

After those glorious minutes, the musicians went on and raised the ambience to a great extent.

At the end of the concert the audience was dancing, Austrian Polka to the brass music, and even Wema and Muhingo were doing very well in dancing to Austrian melody and rhythm.

At the end all musicians performed together and Wema and me joined them on the stage.

This kind of musicians or most of them, I have to say, are usually performing for over 6000 Euro per evening. It was a big privilege for us having them here performing free for PIUMA.

Beatboxer from Nottingham “Lyrikool Lipz & Lippicool“, a capella group “4she”, and a Brass group with horns and trumpets’ “Mnozil Brass”. The presented by the boss of the “Vienna Art Orchestra”, Matthias Rüegg. The following day the brass band left for Japan, and the beat boxer for Great Britain.

We all are very thankful for this successful event. The income was about 2000 Euro- a fine result for free entrance. All people were leaving with words like “I didn’t imagine it would be great like this” or “next year we’ll be there again”, “Can we hire Wema for doing her performance at another event? For salary of course!” It was definitely the highlight of the whole month for all of us, and I’m sure it made its very nice contribution.

Even if it was not easy all the time, and sometimes exhausting, but I know for myself, that the decision to choose these two people was the most effective one. I think we had a great time.

Thanks for Muhingo and Wema for their big contribution and proved strength against the cold in Austria!!!!

Elisabeth