Canadian Lisbie Rae speaks with an African grandmother during the African Grandmothers Gathering in Manzini, Swaziland. (Kristina Laukkanen)

Submitted by Lisbie Rae

Remember this date - May 6, 2010. In times to come, people will look back on this day and say "that's when it started." On May 6, 2010, the world came to Swaziland to listen to the wisdom of African grandmothers.

You could feel the excitement in the air. The 42 Canadian grandmothers - myself included - piled off the bus into an atmosphere charged with high expectations. Approximately 500 beautiful African women in stunning dress welcomed delegates on the step of the Marvuso Trade Center in Manzini.

What's it like to take part in a historic event? A flurry of images jostle for first place:
The Canadian grandmothers hugging the African grandmothers. The shy ones who hold your hand with such intensity because they're too shy to hug. The exuberant ones who pull you into a hug on the left, then the right, then the left again for good measure. The sad ones who brighten up for your sake despite the effort it takes.

The pomp and circumstance. The Queen Mother of Swaziland, treated with great honour and respect throughout the speeches, suddenly deciding to dance with the grandmothers, to their absolute delight. The whole hall rang with joyful ululations as she left - I'll never forget that sound.

The dancing. Picture this: a brass band strikes up a good dance beat, a few grandmothers start to sway and move their feet, young dancers swarm out from the corner adding their exuberant stomp and leaps to the mix, and soon Canadian and African grandmothers are dancing up a storm.

The dancers. Young girls sang and danced their thanks to their grandmothers in rhythmic pounding actions. Bare-breasted young women in traditional dress competed to see who could kick the highest. Young men enacted stamping out an enemy or animal, and performed a dance-drama representing AIDS and war.

The talks. In between all the speeches, events, food, dancing, you'd fine Canadian and African grandmothers deep in conversation - "How many grandchildren do you have?" "Do you pay school fees?", "Do you have enough food?", "Your daughter? Ah, she's still alive? Not mine," "The project helps so much," "I'm on ARVs now, I'm all right," "What will happen to my grandchildren when I die?"

That's what it's like, history in the making - a confusion of ceremony, song, dance and intense conversation.

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