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Who: Michael Stasik
Where: Afrika Studie Centrum, Leiden, the Netherlands
What: Music and society in Sierra Leone
How long: 7 months
What attracted you to this subject?
That is a long story. I was gradually dragged into it. I was studying philosophy in Germany and did my minor in African history and literature. I was planning to do an exchange with Leiden, but ended up doing my masters in Leiden and wrote my thesis on music and society in Sierra Leone.
But why Africa? You were studying philosophy after all?
I'd been interested in Africa for a long time. I'm a huge fan of the Polish author and journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski. He has written many books on Africa. I read them all. I even met him once.
Wow! You met Ryszard Kapuscinski?!
Yes, in 2001 he received a prize in Goettingen. My mum's friend was his assistant and had arranged his presentation.I went there and we had dinner afterwards. I was exited, of course.
What was he like?
I can't explain it. He spoke so wise and intelligently and his knowledge was so extensive. He approached people in such a calm and open way. He is a huge inspiration to me. So that is where my interest in Africa came from. That same year I went to Ghana as part of my social service.
But, instead of Ghana, you ended up doing your research on Sierra Leone.
One of the reasons for that was that I had a Sierra Leonean girlfriend in Ghana. She told me many beautiful stories about Sierra Leone and the capital Freetown, in particular. She made me curious. I guess she was romanticising it. She spoke of Freetown as a cosmopolitan paradise.
http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/michael-stasik-there-more-sierra-leone-just-war
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