November 10, 2006
By Lucille Davie
IN October Joburg is a luminous purple delight, says singer and poet Jennifer Ferguson.
And in contrast to the blossoms, she loves the rain and electric storms of the city. "They are cleansing, and shift everything that is old and stale."
Ferguson was born in Ermelo in Mpumalanga, but came to Joburg as a four-year-old. She has lived in Cape Town and Sweden, a country she visits every year as she is married to a Swede and has a home in that country.
But that doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy Joburg. "At the moment I'm here and I involve all my energy here, because I love it here."
Ferguson's career spans several decades, involving singing, composing, acting and choreography.
Together with her husband, Anders Nyberg, she formed Artists against Abuse, now known as Peace of Music (POM). "It fuses ecology, music and human rights in a powerful response to the scourge of child abuse assailing South Africa," says Ferguson.
POM has a children's choir, drum circles, music outreach for the disabled, and life-skills programmes.
Ferguson is concerned about "restoring dignity to the city", particularly to overcome "poverty, overcrowding, environmental filth and abuse".
She says she loves Jeppe Preparatory School, which her children attend. "It's a new South African school that works, with dynamic parents."
Ferguson, who has three children, says working with children inspires her. "It counterbalances the neglect, the life on the streets. I like tapping into their innocence and radiant life. They are so ready to give. They supplement me when I am feeling weary."
She is a Tai Chi follower, and has done courses in miracles, meditation and sound healing for the past 15 years.
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