Watch the black pipers of the Black Watch?

So back from Harare - and time for the blog to kick in again! I have had moans from Harare and, unbelievably, America, about the lack of postings. Thanks, guys!

So - the gala in Harare. Or - as the Americans call it - the 'swim meet'.

This was the Senior National Swimming Championships, in which my youngest two daughters competed. At the same time, Dayna also took part in the Zimbabwe Junior Squash Championships in Harare - essentially for national selection. So the blogs for the next few days will pretty much be taken up with sport!

Except, today.

Different cultures around the world develop different practices, and when cultures merge, some of the accepted behaviors from one culture will be taken up by another culture. And sometimes not. For example, I have taken groups of American women around the rural huts of Zimbabwe, and to see the ladies squirming on the stony ground while I, as a male, sit in splendor on a chair as is the norm here, is quite funny. But my guess is that they didn't take that cultural norm home with them! And when we, as Zimbabweans, travel to England or Europe, it comes as a shock to us that we can't just stop the car, get out, and have a roadside pee. As we do here.

So what happens when you take one of the most distinctive of cultural practices - for example a bagpipe marching band complete with kilts, sporrans, garter tabs, and tasseled hats, and then plonk it down in the middle of Africa. Would that work? Possibly not, did you say?

Surprisingly.......

So Europe represented by Scotland, and then there was an American-style Jazz Band.......

Of course, there was other music too - the traditional African marimba band in attendance with wooden keys above calabashes.......

This, then, was the Opening Parade of the Gala - with the Bagpipe Band leading the various provincial teams out (a total of around 250 Swimmers, at a guess - you can see them all in the background ready to march)...

The folk running the Gala did a fantastic job. But.........more of them tomorrow.

So nice to be back!!!! Have a great day one and all.