More than twenty
years ago I was part of a live band playing music at a club somewhere in South
America when a chap sneaked on stage and withdrew a gun.
When I saw a weapon
waving at me and at such a close range, I stammered mid sentence which made
everyone alarmed. Why has the singer suddenly stopped?
By now it was
roughly ten seconds since the chap had found his way to the stage; and no
sooner had he exposed his gun and made his presence felt than he grabbed the
microphone.
Author in action in1988...pic by legendary photographer, Clori Ferreira
Meantime, three of
his mates quickly materialised, armed and equally menacing.
“Everyone get down,
or I will shoot Jimmy Cliff here.”
(Despite the serious danger I found that funny;
thieves with humour and bullets at their finger tips...)
Everyone went down,
ladies were robbed off their jewellery, men let go their pouches, fear loomed.
But mid way, the hotel’s security guards managed to call the police and what followed
was a shooting spree. No-one died, a few people were injured, yet unfortunately,
the crooks escaped.
Few years later.
Beginning of 1993 I
was going to a huge concert in Salvador Bahia, north eastern Brazil. Two well known
and respected musicians headlined an outdoor gig. One of them, Gilberto Gill( pictured during the Montreal Jazz Festival of 2008), would
later become Minister of Culture.
So we are in a
large fully packed bus around four in the afternoon. Passengers of various
nationalities including local Brazilians are chatting and happy. We have just
driven past the splendid seaside area of Rio Vermelho (Red River) when I notice
a group of four suspicious looking young males. Unlike the rest of us none has
a female partner. They are closely studying and surveying us. As soon as the
bus gains speed, one walks down to the end, he does not sit but maintains a vigilant position while his mate stays mid way; the
other two take strategic areas- near the
door, and next to the driver.
