Myspace

People in the US famously encounter significant others on the questionable cyber streets of Myspace, Match.com, Facebook, you name it. But I never thought I would be one of those individuals who meet people from online. I have never used a dating service, but of course I’m an avid user of these friend connecting pages like the good ol Book of Faces and Myspace. And yes, I have ‘friends’ on these sites that live in other countries, friends I have never seen face to face. For various reasons, I’ve connected with individuals who share common interests, usually having to do with music in the countries I intend on or already have visited. But like I said, I never thought it would go beyond the computer screen.

The other day I was standing in line at a movie theater on a Saturday afternoon in downtown Maputo. A line, well, perhaps a little huddle of move goers. Five to be exact. It seems few Mozambicans are interested in catching a Spanish flick at a Saturday matinee. Regardless, I was pulling out my 50 Meticais to pay for the entrance to see ‘El Orfenato’ when I noticed a guy talking to two girls. Nothing spectacular, just that I thought I new this man from some where. The logical side of my brain considered this as possible as I know few people in this capital city. Still, I knew him from some place. I was standing there, and noticed that he too was glancing my way and I could feel him thinking the same thing. Then all of a sudden he asked my name, I gave it and req uested his and when he told me he was Matchume, we both started laughing. See, back in September I was doing some research on Mozambican music and found a page on Myspace of a Timbila player who is well known in Europe and in the city. And it was him! We had recognized each other from our online photo albums and here I was, one year later, exchanging greetings with someone from across the world I had no intention of ever seeing face to face. Normally he’s in Europe playing at world music venues, but he happened to be in town for a show at the French-Mozambican cultural association. What a coinkidink.

Similarly a conscious hip hop artists from Maputo extended me a friends invite on Myspace last year, finding my picture connected to another Lusophone artist. We exchanged greetings here and there, I listening to his tracks online, nothing really major. He told me when I arrived in the city I was to contact him, which I planned on doing to check out different events, etc. I sent him a text message and went to the nail shop to get a pedicure where I saw him on MTV. I had seen his music video on myspace, but I didn’t think he was so famous.

And it doesn’t end there. The day I got to Zanzibar I received an e-mail from a guy in Kenya who had read my blog and simply wanted to extend an invitation to Nairobi. At that point in time I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it to Kenya, but in the end I was able to spend a few days outside the capital. I was staying in a city called Ongata Rongai and when I sent a message to him, I found out he also was living down the street. We were able to meet up and it turned out he had produced a documentary film while a student at the university: right up my research alley! We spent a few hours discussing each other’s work and making plans for the future,etc.

As I am writing this I have received a message on Myspace from another musician on tour in Europe who says that she can see on my profile that I am in Mozambique, her country and that although she is not here, I can meet up with her family or contact them if I need something. It’s really quite incredible the ways in which we can interact across oceans, across continents and cultures, through the internet. Through our spaces.