Generally, I feel a bit sorry for singers or musicians when they are faced with a lazy, uninspiring audience. It's so uncomfortable to observe that, no matter what he or she tries, the people in the crowd just can't be bothered to even stop chatting to each other or get out of their chairs for a little dance. My feeling is apparently shared by the majority of the Sudanese people here in Kosti; they are true stars in making a singer feel at home and supported! Last night we visited a local fund-raising event with, indeed, one of the many local singers on the evening program. It was not as busy as the organization had hoped, and unfortunately the majority of the plastic chairs in the open-air venue were empty. But,..as soon as the singer started to produce his first tunes, a few men jumped up, climbed on the podium and stood around him in half a circle. Their 'support act' consisted of clicking their fingers in the air in the direction of the singer (-who received this gesture with a big smile!-). After a few minutes the men left the stage again and sat down on their seats like nothing ever happened. Not long after that, a group of three young women climbed up the stage to do the same thing. And you can imagine that it became an ongoing finger-clicking-activity throughout the evening. One could question whether the evening was a success, because of all the empty chairs and the small amount of people who had turned up. But at least the singer surely had a good time with his support acts!
