We Finally reached Molopo in the Kalahari not to far from the Botswana border.
In single file like a troop of lemmings we marched up the hill to meet the crafts people of the Kalahari.
In a patch of desert sand behind a tree which had been struck by lightning sat the tribal crafters and their famillies.
They just seemed to get on with their lives baking humbly in the hot dry dessert sun.
I felt dislodged like an intruder. These truly warm heated desert people welcomed us, and treated us as if we had known them for years.
We were introduced to the leader of the tribe, and then to "Rooikat" who later became a central figure in the documentation of this Kalahari adventure.
I was introduced to one of the children Skampie , who with two ever ready batteries, attacked each battery imaginitivley as if they were toy soldiers.
It became clear to me that this was the first signs of appropriation or re purposing of objects, a creative escape of which i am rather familiar with.
Imagination ignited the objects fueling a playful objective-Fun.
Skampie then, interupted by my presence began by rolling the batteries over to me, and i returned the gesture rolling them back to him...
The batteries roles in meaning and purpose continued to shift into new narratives at the child's own peril.
As i looked closeley at the " dead" tree mentioned earlier i noticed how that too had been appropriated as a cupboard for hanging and placing clothes.
I later learnt from the leader of the tribe that the tree was still being used also for firewood and was not to be perceived as dead at all.
Deep in the heart of the Kalahari i have experienced the re-use and appropriation of objects. It seems that this type of behaviour can evolve from a place of necessity, as well as playfulness.
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