Gypsy x Lake Of Stars 2014 finale

DAY 3

bracelet maker

We woke up in our usual hangover fashion, haha. This time we were a bit sad, because it was the final day of the festival so we decided to have a nice browse of the local people's market stalls and also meet and speak to some of the artisans, so this kept our spirits high. We also bought some trinkets, bracelets to be honest, we bought a lot of thrm, and we got gifted a couple too, generosity at LOS!

This artist whose name escapes me was so kind and gave us two free bracelets

An artisan fixing his temp shop

Artist on a drink break

Hydrating timr

Next up we decided to catch a glimpse of some happenings on the small stage, the local children from an orphanage performed with an international artist. The crowd was colourful too.

Tilinanu Orphanage performed with an international artist

A musician performs for a chilled crowd

Multinational lake of stars

Crowd

Tilinanu orphanage on stage, crowd control

After all this spectating we were off to do more spectating. We had the honour of going to the local village in Mangochi, to meet the chief and watch some international artists and local ones perform for us and the children

The chiefteness

A british theatre group gave the ugly duckling a Malawi revival

They used props cleverly and the kids seemed so entertained and happy

Clearly enjoying theatre

Malawian Superstar Sally Nyundo also performed to much acclaim

Next up was something I have always wanted to see, the last I saw this was when I was super tiny at my grans village. These dancers are called "Nyau" dancerz, they are spiritualists as well as skilled dancers, usually they are well respected and revered in their respected neighbourhoods. This is also their way of earning a living off tourists who visit the area, so if you ever get to it's good to have some cash on you to support their work and also help the artists earn

Lake of Stars was absolutely an experience I will never forget and I would love to go back there again! I really enjoyed the music the food the lake the people, everything. I learnt a lot zmd I also discovered a lot. I believe the arts have the power to end poverty, bring dignity and rebuild lives all while helping the artisans to earn a living. I heard so many amazing stories from local artists that I will cherish for a long time and I made life long connections. Thank you to Lake of stars and Blackmore Creatives for this experience. I would like to thank Joseph from Sipho M Photography for Capturing the event and experiencing it with me. I also want to thank Benny Blow for his company and all the amazing artists we met from Malawi and neighbouring countries, Zisper and Kb Mpofu as well.
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xoxo
The African Gypsy