Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The kind men gave me their bed, offering me an African nightdress in which to sleep.
We all had tea as Finesse looked around their small living room, sitting on the couch they
were adamant about sleeping on so that I could have a good night's rest.
As I found out, Finesse and Tchale had left their families when they were very young.
They had been playing music in Benin since they were twelve, but there were no jobs for
them there, and being a musician in Benin paid even less than being a street musician in
Aix-en-Provence.
“Not as many tourists,” Tchale joked.
They had rarely been back since, moving around Europe over the years. They never
called any place home for longer than six months, until they had found this little apartment
in the South of France, where they had found enough success to believe that they could do
more than just survive: They could inspire.
“Sometimes, I think, should we go home?” Finesse explained, his voice weary. “But
then I remember, we are carrying the music of our home to other people. How would we
ever learn to speak the same language if we were not willing to leave our villages, our cit-
ies, and share our hearts with other people?”
“You are bringing them the music of Benin?” I asked.
Finesse leaned forward and said in the clearest English he could muster, “We are bring-
ing them the music of love.”
I woke up the next morning with my own spirit's rhythm humming within me. It didn't
hurt that Finesse and Tchale were already outside on their patio, playing music. I joined
them in the courtyard for breakfast when I heard a French voice calling down from above.
There was no way that God could be French, and I'm not saying that just because I'm Eng-
lish. But it wasn't the voice of God, just Finesse and Tchale's neighbor Wilfred, who was
intrigued by the men's bald visitor.
Wilfred explained, “They play music all day, every day. They work music; they live mu-
sic. They don't play for themselves. They play for all the people.”
He laughed a little before adding, “They play for the world.”
The two men had long given up on returning home, but what they had received in return
was the ability to connect with the world.
After Wilfred left, I shared with them, “To me, the fact that you are doing this, inspiring
other people, is an inspiration to me. You know, when I saw you on the street yesterday, it
was your music that made me come talk to you. Your music has touched my heart. And so
have you.”
