Rocket Raps

Yesterday was the grand opening of the Rocket Tea Room. A Tea Room established with the goal of empowering women through environmentally conscious business. I hope that it will become a sustainable business, a place of creative baking and experimentation, a hub for environmental workshops and panels, and a Tea Room that though will probably not have the atmosphere of a beloved Boston café, might just embody some of that feeling. Right now we are open and selling tea, chaptis, eggs, and my own mandazi/pancake fusion with either frosting cream or jam. While I am looking forward to establishing a garden there, hosting environmental talks, hanging out with the women, and having many cooking classes, I do find myself in the unfortunate position of teaching business, establishing rules, creating roles for managers, and saying words such as ‘capital’ much more than my natural inclination to do so. But since it just started, I am not worried about my lack of business training. I am loving how I walk in and they serve me tea and I drink it where I know they are using an environmentally friendly stove that is next to a tiny gazebo soon to be framed by a orange and tangerine tree and their own beginnings. Maybe it will last, maybe not, but who can really complain when your beginning includes an attempt at environmental justice, pancakes with frosting, and a tangerine tree? I’m not.

And now for the rap that began the ceremonies:

I hear there’s a Rocket Tea Room; yeah I’m hearing it’s around,
Well then, you must have some environmental justice in this town!

Yeah, I’m talking Chilengiwa in Tumbuka that’s what they say,
Yeah, take that extra firewood, it’s time to put it a-away.

Serving tea and pancakes well, nikhumba sono, sono.
Going to get news to all my friends, calling em’ up on the telephono

Tell them there’s a fire up in here, but yeah it only burns for justice,
cooking with less fuel well it’s sorta a mustice.

And some people they say, well cooking on a three stone its…its…its

REMIX!

(Insert singing of a couple of lines of the Zambian classic and Malawi favorite ‘It’s Part of Life’)

Back into the rap now, nyengo gha kupanda some makhuni
and if you think the world can’t change, well I think you’re kinda loony.

Cuz the air is getting cleaner, the mphepo, yeah I say, and I’m hangin in Malawi,
and I think…what? sustainability, justice, and me, yeah, we’re here to say. What?!?! what!?!? (Ended with appropriate scratches, and whatnots from the DJ)

Glossary:

Chilengiwa- Environment
Tumbuka- Local language
Nikhumba sono, sono- I want now, now
Mustice- A invented word that rhymes with justice and conveys a sense of urgency concerning the need for justice, derived from the English word ‘must”
Nyengo gha kupanda makuni- Time to plant a tree
Mphepo-Air

The next rap was done solely in the head of Johannah Margaret Murphy (inspired by the fact she realized her dress was too short) after event where above rap was débuted.

Back out on the street, walk away from where they sell tea,
Guurl, you better watch it, you are showing some knee!

Oh ok, so you are going to back it up real slow,
Yeah I see you got some environmental change, got it in tow.

Mmmhum I see you planted some trees,
And all you can say is ‘Can I hear a beat from the maestro please?’

Whoa, wait our style isn’t stealin’
And you just took a beat from DJ KOOL? Gurl, you be reelin’

And did you know ‘reelin’ is a protein in the brain?
Ick, stop that, that’s digressing, and in rap it’s a pain.

Oh, ok, so those last two lines were sorta weak,
and the end of this rap is lookin’ sort of bleak.

But the knees were showing and this came to mind,
It’s time now to get back to justice, back to work, back to the grind.

wicca wicca wicca, what? what?