Dear everyone

It's been a long time since the last HA!News appeared. This is by no means by reason of disappearance, rather than a deepening of the way I frame all my activities for them to better work together. On the wider front, it's also been a roller coaster time for us all. Before Trump 2, the global boat was on uneasy waters, but for me, at least, there was still time to be able to reflect, then write, then trust that there would be room for effective response to my thoughts. But the boat has since hit the rapids, and it is as if one is more focused on staying afloat than considering the direction you are taking.

I strongly anticipated such a scenario. Two weeks before the USA presidential election of 2024, I was on the verge of writing an impassionate appeal to my American friends to do whatever they can not to put this man behind the wheel of the bus - the bus we are all basically riding on. And not too long ago, I wrote another essay to plead with you to stop this man in his tracks, alluding back to his "grab 'em by the pussy" remark, that says all about the power hungry, short-cut and abusive manner that is deeply rooted in his character. Yet I did not send either of these to you. Somehow it felt too much like stating the obvious. I also never believed this "man of peace" front that he tried to uphold, and the delusion that many held that only he, the repeated bankrupt businessman, can fix America's teetering economy.

Now, in the middle of his disastrous war with Iran, a whole flank of his erstwhile believers has turned against him, declaring him just another captive of the "deep state" and Jewish manipulation, whereas this simple truth was laid bare all along: that he is just another deeply insecure patriarch (or "peak alpha male") with a complete overestimation of his own importance and abilities, trampling on and belittling exactly that which he needs most: the humility of behaving himself in a decent manner, the sensitivity to others that would have enabled him to act in collaboration and not by constant threat, the mental acuity to appreciate and apply the advice of people with deep experience and knowledge on relevant topics, the inner anchorage to be able to be strategic and patient and to acknowledge mistakes, and finally a sound human heart that does not go lightly and mockingly around the death and suffering of others. All these usually goes missing the more men think they can and should lead all by themselves, drifting off, unmoored, towards the sky, like loose balloons, sure to pop or burn at some point.

So here we are, while growing parts of the world are popping and burning again.

And just two weeks ago, I turned 60. To me, this means to enter a time of consolidation.

In the past, I have written a lot about finding and building the "dynamic middle ground" between left and right, male and female. This s because the antidote to patriarchy - the dominance of the male part and its thousands of years' trail of blood - is not matriarchy. Nor is it a "gender neutral" nirvana. Male and female matter in a very foundational sense. But it is all about the structure of the relationship between these two sides, and basically between all polarities we find in life. I am not going to repeat myself here as to how this relationship could be sound and sustainable. But I would like to let you know that the way I have long been analyzing such relating - in terms of nine sequential categories or stages - will become even more present in my performances, products and online offerings from now on.

Before I go into that, just a few remarks on how this plays out in real life. As Trump now tread where others feared to tread before him - with good reason - just think back on the deal that Obama struck with Iran and how different that was. This was a deal in the works for up to two years and was thoroughly negotiated. And not only was America's allies part of the deal, Russia and China signed it too. Firm procedures were set in place to check Iran's compliance and they actually stuck to it. The most important consequence of this was that the moderates within Iran was strengthened, that part of the population and leadership that could eventually turn Iran into a mid-Eastern partner, and not the (patriarchal) menace it has become, mainly because of the USA's historic meddling in their affairs. Countries are built and strengthened when their middle classes reign and consequently where centrist thinking, coming from the right and the left, sets the course. This is what truly made America great during the post WWII decades. The big companies and the rich paid sky high taxes. The Civil Rights Movement brought the plight of the impoverished and oppressed to the fore. In other words, the extremes were gravitated away from the edges, because there was a critical and healthy mass in the middle. The Mandela-lead "miracle" of South Africa's transition to democracy rested on the same principle. In the middle, people talk to each other. Differences become productive. Leave it to the extremes, and destruction follows. Under former SA president Zuma, the balanced and more complex ways of the middle got eroded again, sliding the country into a morass of corruption and dysfunction. We have been very fortunate with the current president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who chose the way of collaboration and painstakingly rebuilding the institutions that allow for the productive middle to deliver their fruits, as competence is valued again, corruption is tackled and a spirit of collective morale is built through structures and forums where various social groupings come and work together. In a world where speed and direct action is often over-valued, the messy process of building the middle does not sell well. But in the end, everyone is benefitting from this.

So, back to my own building of the middle.

PERFORMANCES: already, I follow the nine modalities more strictly than in the past (they form a narrative that ends in the middle). This enables me to make some selections beforehand, not leaving it all to the moment. And it makes it easier to frame a specific performance according to a given or chosen theme, enhancing the local relevance of it and giving audience members a bit more of a hold on what is to be expected. I will never squeeze out all spontaneity, of course, but this is my way to find my own better balance between intention and allowance.

PRODUCTS: in the works is a longer term project to put together new albums - both audio and video, as well as books and visual art products, that more specifically belong to a category, thus building an overall collection that reflects this analysis more directly - my own sorting system, so to speak. This is a longer term project.

ONLINE: the HA!World Online Experience is no more, as you know, leaving a huge gap. At first I thought to shift focus to products alone, but I think I did arrive at an alternative online offering, which will combine the best of all my past efforts to provide a platform for my output, besides products and the stage. This will now be in magazine format, a monthly pdf that will also cover all nine categories, with relevant releases of recordings, video, writings and visual art. It will be subscription based, with monthly donations. And part of the income will go to development projects I support in Khayelitsha and elsewhere in SA. Regards those who are STILL KINDLY CONTRIBUTING, they will automatically be subscribed, of course. But more on this later!

So, the waters might be choppy right now and who knows what storms lie ahead, but I do feel that I will be able to contribute again more regularly, with a clearer frame from within which to seek understanding. And not only understanding, but also creative inspiration, a keen awareness of the flows of our times, and better relating to all the valued people forming part of the HA! network.

My belief (as I don't have any proof for it) is that, as bad as the current situation is and may get, we're not on a path to losing the middle completely - the path of a global mental breakdown, a path of mutual self-destruction. This could well happen if patriarchy has the last say. But patriarchy ends when expansion is not possible anymore. And that realization, that our planet is finite, that it is up to us to take responsibility for our actions, to limit ourselves to what is viable and sustainable, and most crucially, that we are not on top of the living sphere, but in the middle of it, part of it, and therefore interdependent with the whole body of life on earth, that realization has become too present for the current (rather shallow) resurgence of male prowess to survive too long.

In what is left of my life, I will laser focus on that which brings my inner movement, through sound and other mediums of artistic expression, to join, or evoke, or restore the movement of each person in my audiences - right there in the middle, where it matters: the heart.

Besides, I recently read about a well-known SA singer who is now expecting a child at the ripe age of 80. He feels optimistic and celebrates the energy that comes with new life.

This means that I, at 20 years younger, am still a spring chicken.

With best regards
Francois (HA!Man)