So initially, the main (if not only) reasons I was adamant in wanting to see The African Cypher were:
1. because it was a South African documentary and
2. because I knew some of the people who were in it!
It was definitely more than that…
It was inspiring and something that got me thinking once again.
To many of us, we go through this world having shit pretty easy. That is: given a life where your decisions are often supported by your loved ones, given more than one (or more) opportunities to make a success of something. But then there are even more of us who find the one thing in their lives which becomes their difference between life and death… literally!
Dance.
With me having always taking a liking to dance personally, I’ve always known what impact it had on the lives of people who chose to do it as a profession. And yes, I have heard even more stories, watched many programmes and listened to many songs with people describing how dance kept them off the streets. How it made the difference between their lives being a success and them becoming a gang-member, drug-user, etc.
We’ve heard it all before and even though the “story from the ghetto” is pretty much a dime a dozen, I STILL have a heavy heart every time I hear one of this stories.
For someone, coming from nothing, to pretty much take something as simple as dance (an occupation that requires nothing other than yourself) and turn it into something they live and breathe. Their lifeline if you will. Their difference between success and failure, family and loneliness, taking (crime) and giving (teaching others). I’ve also heard many people say “without it I’d be dead or in jail.”
It’s almost unfathomable, the determination these “dancers” have to fight the odds of swimming upstream when the world is telling you to turn around because you wasting your time. Almost incredible trying to understand that something as simple as dance could be the difference between living and dying.
Even though I have grown up on the Cape Flats, I honestly cannot say that I have struggled. Sometimes I wish I did. I wasn’t rich but I always had what I needed and most of the times had what I wanted. And even though I consider myself successful in my own right, I feel that my determination and courage I needed to go for the things in life was at a lower level than those who struggled! Almost arrogant in saying, I always knew I had a back up. But what if I didn’t? What if I struggled? what if I never had the back up?
I can go on and on about this topic, but il end it here and ask you this…
What’s your thing? What is/was your one thing in your life that meant the difference between life and death for you? Superiority and Mediocrity? Something you live and breathe? Your lifeline…
And would you approach things differently knowing you only had one chance? Would you be more passionate and appreciate in your approach to your own life?
