Songs of Discovery: Plane Arrival Paperback - 2014

Aleta Kazadi lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the death of her husband. It was a journey of discovery where her first memory was of the music she heard all around her. She lived in Kinshasa, the capital city for about 10 years, the last five in a very rural area. She learned to love the country and would like to share the adventures and lessons with others. Before leaving for the Congo she was a teacher, mother and wife and active member of her community. Her odysee started almost immediately after losing her Congolese born husband. She felt drawn to complete the cultural requirements of a widow of a Congolese. Because she lived in the community with Congolese she had the opportunity to learn about the country and its people. Her writings are her way of sharing with her readers those qualities. While living in Congo she felt as if it was a new education. She learned many things, and observed responses showing wisdom that comes from an old culture. She learned to eat things that most of us never tried. Since she was not part of any official organization she was free to move about as she wished, speak to whom she wanted and draw her own conclusions. Once she felt confident that her schooling in the culture was satisfactory she offered her services to her community. Some of those accomplishments included the formation of an NGO, the installation of a clinic, work on the committee to bring electricity to the valley where she lived, the improvement of water resources on her land for community use, and lastly a school that serves students who might not have had the opportunity to attend. This project was a cooperative effort between the International Women's Club of Kinshasa who financed it and Aleta Kazadi who donated the land. This is the first book in her series with several more planned, each looking at a different social issue and the home grown solutions. This first book looks at the problem of being a stranger and how the culture supports a stranger without government aid or social services. While showing how the people work together this book also shows the realistic struggles of the Congolese people who live in the villages. She also has written two children's books telling the story as a story about a dog and his experiences (her real dog) and providing the back story of the life of the Congo. She has had rave reviews from children who listen to the stories of the Adventures of Mr Roulage, also known as Mr Rou.