In June, I had the pleasure and great good fortune to make a trip to Berlin, as the guest of my friend Teju Cole. Our mutual friend Magda Kapa came into the city by train to meet us, and we had a great time visiting museums together, eating some good food and drinking the fine local pilsner, attending an evening of the Berlin Poetry Festival, and expanding our literary friendship into a more personal one. Like me, and like Teju, Magda is a photographer as well as a writer; we all had our cameras at hand. She prefers not to be photographed directly, but I think she'll allow this one. Since she is Greek, we were kidding her about all the paintings that had grapes in them, so it seemed appropriate to photograph her this way!
Magda and I have known each other through our blogs and Twitter for a long time, and we've had a very fruitful relationship as writer and editor during the publication of her book, All the Words. But we were just delighted to finally meet each other in person. We spoke about internet relationships and how we both see them as absolutely real, but also how it helps to meet those people in person, and that this time spent face-to-face always changes and deepens the friendship.
I am determined to get back to Europe soon - it was such a treat to be in the vibrant city of Berlin, new to me, and to be surrounded by its art, music, and architecture, both old and new, and by people from all over the world. Our evening at the Berlin Poetry Festival was for a presentation titled African Voices; we heard strong performances/readings by Kwame Dawes (Ghana/Jamaica/USA), Warsan Shire (Somalia/UK), and Natalia Molebatsi (South Africa.)
As a child of the Cold War, I grew up under the cloud of the Iron Curtain and the sense of Berlin as a grey, divided city. This year is the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; the city's revitalization, energy, and cultural richness were not only visually obvious, but could be felt.
And I hope that this won't be the only time I meet Magda, but the first of many such meetings. As she wrote in All the Words,
Friend: We touched each other in that photograph, now we'll always touch each other.
and
Memories: at the end of the year they hang together like grapes, some sweet, some sour, and wait for us to taste.
Magda and I have known each other through our blogs and Twitter for a long time, and we've had a very fruitful relationship as writer and editor during the publication of her book, All the Words. But we were just delighted to finally meet each other in person. We spoke about internet relationships and how we both see them as absolutely real, but also how it helps to meet those people in person, and that this time spent face-to-face always changes and deepens the friendship.
I am determined to get back to Europe soon - it was such a treat to be in the vibrant city of Berlin, new to me, and to be surrounded by its art, music, and architecture, both old and new, and by people from all over the world. Our evening at the Berlin Poetry Festival was for a presentation titled African Voices; we heard strong performances/readings by Kwame Dawes (Ghana/Jamaica/USA), Warsan Shire (Somalia/UK), and Natalia Molebatsi (South Africa.)
As a child of the Cold War, I grew up under the cloud of the Iron Curtain and the sense of Berlin as a grey, divided city. This year is the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; the city's revitalization, energy, and cultural richness were not only visually obvious, but could be felt.
And I hope that this won't be the only time I meet Magda, but the first of many such meetings. As she wrote in All the Words,
Friend: We touched each other in that photograph, now we'll always touch each other.
and
Memories: at the end of the year they hang together like grapes, some sweet, some sour, and wait for us to taste.
Kia Ora Beth,
Happy to read of your connection with a fellow blogger and like minded person. The world of blogging seems to have really contracted from a few years ago. I am pleased to have met several bloggers along the way, and always have found it a worthwhile experience. And some of those meetings have resulted into valuble and treasured friendships. Seems sometimes Facebook has made us far more into sound byte people than the time involved in sitting down with a cup of coffee and reading a blog. Berlin is a city high on my dream list. Have a great day.
Arohanui,
Robb
Posted by: Robb | July 22, 2015 at 05:43 PM
Beth,it really cheers me up to read this. You are a lucky woman to have such wonderful experiences.
Posted by: Hattie | July 25, 2015 at 12:55 AM
Robb, I agree with your observations - that's been my experience too. And I hoep someday you and I will be among the bloggers who have met in person!
Hattie, sorry that you need cheering up at all, but glad this story did the trick. I do feel very lucky to have the chance to travel some at this point in my life, and it's great when it includes meeting friends.
Posted by: Beth | July 27, 2015 at 01:22 PM