Ladies Night

August 18, 2010

This week the Baptist Church across from my house hosted a three-day women’s prayer convention for a number of churches in neighboring villages. I knew the three days would be interesting when I saw the first truckload of women ride up the street. I watched from my porch as women and children each carrying a small sack poured out of a minivan one by one reminiscent of the scene where an infinite amount of clowns step out of a VW Bug. They came in swarms and by nightfall the church had been turned into a carnival.

As I stepped inside of the church the beat of the tam-tam rang loudly in my ear. A group of 5 women vigorously shook the equivalent of an Africa maraca and the party had begun. Children sucking on sugar cane ran wildly throughout the makeshift sanctuary unattended but knowing they were under surveillance.

A circle had begun to form and the women danced joyfully. One step two step…. bend over at the waist…. butt in the air….. pause….resume….. one step two step….bend over at the waist…butt in the air….pause….resume. An anonymous hand reached trough the crowd and dragged me to the center. It was my turn to entertain them. To a loud applause and a few amens, I mimicked their dance….. one step two step…. bend over at the waist….butt in the air….pause….resume. I couldn’t act like I hadn’t done this before, it was not that foreign from the dances me and my girls do in the clubs throughout D.C., Baltimore, Philly, and Chicago.

The women pick up the pace and soon the circle becomes one big swirl of color. Children tethered to their mother’s backs hold on for dear life and beads of sweat appear on our brow. Sing, Pray, Dance, Sing, Pray, Dance.

When I finally take a break, I step outside to look up at the stars. They look like lumps of ice floating in a sea of blackness. Ice that I would love to place at the nape of my neck to relieve the heat. Once I’ve caught my breath, I return back into the mosh pit of women and children singing, praying, dancing.