I woke up in a strangers house this morning, on a sofa in a filthy living room. My mouth was dry.
There were at least thirty big boxes of cat food stacked on top of the fridge there, and if i hadn't been overtaken by a strong and sudden urge to watch 'Camp rock', then i might have found it a bit strange.
But i am supposed to tell stories from Africa now.. Um, OK.
THE DANCING AMERICAN
Big chunks of this tragic story is made up. Not by me, but by everyone who's ever told and listened to it, everyone who's ever met him, the dancing American.
He always stands outside of Choosan, a nice little bar/restaurant in Senegambia. Every night, and always dressed up, like he is on his way to a wedding, or to a really good party.
In the beginning he just stands there, looking completely normal, just like the other hustlers the security guards won't let in, they all just stand there outside of the restaurants and bars, waiting for someone who will fall madly in love with them and take them to Europe.
But not the dancing American, no. He has other plans. Every time the band starts playing, and it doesn't matter what they're playing, he starts dancing.
And this is where i get a problem. I cannot for the life of me describe his moves with words.
Think... Michael Jackson on speed... Think... Saturday night fever, only more extreme... Facial expressions like a mix between complete bliss and agony, and a strangely fascinating personal style.
He is weird, but completely harmless and a bit sad. I asked about him and they told me he used to live in the US (he is African, i think, i think). He had children and a wife, he had money. Some say he was rich, but that might be exaggerating to make the story even more tragic.
Anyway, rumor says that he lost it all. His family, his fortune and finally his mind. He moved to Gambia, and now the dance is all that he have. Every night, with body and soul he dances to the rhythm of whoever or whatever playing around him.
I remember once, we came out of a meeting with a night club owner and walked through the garden in his club before opening hours. A band was warming up on stage, preparing for this evenings performance.
And who did i see, standing in front of the stage, dancing his heart out? Yes, the dancing American. How he got past the super strict VIP security guards when we, both expected and invited, hardly got past them is beyond me.
But it made my day.
Oh, look i found a picture of him! One of the few days where they actually let him come inside the restaurant.
The man in the background speaks fluent Norwegian and cheat tourists. He's a bastard and you don't like him either.
Now I'm gonna watch High School Musical 1. Don't judge me and i won't judge you.
(We're all in this together?)