House on Fire

The first weekend that we were in Mbabane (pronounced ‘buh bon a) we were lucky enough to attend the annual music festival, Bush Fire. People came from all over southern Africa to attend the festival. Usually, the PAC doctors don’t arrive in-country until mid-August therefore just missing the festival – hence our luck in arriving 24 hours beforehand. An entrepreneurial family in Mbabane built the facility called, House on Fire, in order to showcase local artists and once a year they sponsor a 3-day music festival. The proceeds from the Bush Fire festival benefit, ‘Young Heroes’ which is an organization in support of orphans. Additionally, there is an underlying theme of ‘call to action’ which speaks to getting involved in the community and ‘knowing your status’ as it relates to HIV. There were a number of acts throughout the weekend, including both tribal groups and mainstream artists like the (apparently) popular South African headliner, Johnny Clegg. Apart from the music, there were ‘tents’ that housed local merchants and craftsman and there were also games for all ages. For example, young children were drawn to the ‘4 wheeler’ ride, that was exactly like a ‘pony ride’ in the States, but instead of riding a pony around the bales of hay, the children road a mini 4-wheeler. The adults had the opportunity to patronize a ‘piercing’ tent or a 'tatoo’ tent. These obviously became more popular attractions as the day went on and trips to the beer tents increased. All-in-all, it was a great festival, a good weekend and an awesome way to get to know the veteran PAC doctors. [Picture 1 below from left to right: Dr. Doug, Dr. Erin, Dr. Stephanie, Dr. Matt, and Doctor's Wife, Paisley - Picture 2 below: Bhunya Bombers]