Tokunbo

We danced with the dog…
This afternoon we took a break from constant translation (10 hours a day… it is harsh) and popped into a café we had come across on a jog (I KNOW – I go outside and run sometimes… even I am shocked…).
I will have to blog about the most amazing cheesecake we had another time, because while we were sitting and playing some board games I noticed a poster on the wall.
It read:
Imagine you are in Germany.
The year is 1937.
You are black.
To those of you who don’t know me that well, I love reading depressing books. If it isn’t about war or a diary of some terrible misfortune it is unlikely I will flick through it. Also, I love free things…
So, seeing it as a sign, we went along. More to see other people and have a drink than anything else. You see, we have barely left our apartment for two weeks. This job finishes on Sunday and we will then have to wear something other than pajamas all day – haha! I cannot wait…
The event sounded great. It was a short preview of a film that had been made. In the end, we didn’t stay long enough to even watch it, as we were panicking about rushing home and completing our work tasks, however we were lucky enough to come across Tokunbo.
This band was just a filler during presentations and talks, but to me she was the star of the show. I remember picking up her flyer and putting it down again, not wanting to accumulate more rubbish. However, after about a millisecond of her singing I grabbed the flyer back. WOW! I have never heard such a beautiful voice live. She sang alongside a head-banging guitarist who was really getting into his playing.
Let me tell you about her:
Born in Nigeria, she moved to a small town in Germany at the age of 10. She is currently writing her second album with lyrics that come from her own experiences. She told us about her first day at a German school. A little girl came up to her, not thinking she was weird for being another colour or from another country and they became instant friends. That afternoon, Tokunbo was invited to go for tea at her new friend’s house and as the song goes, they even danced with the dog. It was magical. If you close your eyes, her voice fills you to the brim – so much so that you cannot feel and think about anything else. Truly amazing. I am going to have to stalk her and become a groupie. How exciting!
So the moral of this post is: if you see a poster on a wall that is advertising something for free, go go go! You might attend, hoping to see a small part of an interesting sounding film. You might leave having heard the most beautiful sounds.
Hopefully we will get to watch the film when it comes out – I’m sure one of us will blog about it, so watch this space.
Follow her:
www.facebook.com/tokunbo
Listen to her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKW-4nIqmp0