Representing Her Tribe !

Dolla and his entourage were seated at a VIP table. They were in a warehouse like TV studio that had been laid out for the evening to resemble an expensive night club. Seated at the other tables were immaculately dressed middle aged couples and family groups, representing the elite of South African tribal society.

They were in Johannesburg for the second date on this leg of the global tour. The record company had secured invitations to the finals of the prestigious Indoni Cultural Miss series, a competition where the various tribal kingdoms selected a pretty young girl to celebrate her singing and dancing skills and discuss her academic hopes and achievements. There were seven finalists from the Zulu, Pedi, Swati, Tswana, Temba, Veda and Ndebele tribes.

The proud parents and siblings were not in the least perturbed to see their beautiful and talented daughters paraded topless and wearing the briefest of beaded skirts in their tribal colors. It was their tradition and was undergoing a great resurgence as the fledgling nation still struggled to forge a new identity. Each contestant was introduced and interviewed by an imposing matriarch before performing their routine. They all expressed ambitions to be doctors or lawyers and to serve their community and these sentiments were rewarded by generous applause.

"I'm sure you will all agree that it is going to be a very hard task for our judges to pick a winner from among such a fine bunch of young ladies" the presenter announced after the final contestant had finished her turn. "While they make their deliberations and we await a final decision, we have a special guest contestant to entertain you. Not taking part in the competition of course but representing the Kingdom of England, may I introduce Miz No-E !"

There was a mix of polite applause and maybe just a little laughter as Debbi made her entrance down the sloping diagonal catwalk that led from the side of the stage to where the presenter was stationed. Like the younger contestants Debbi was topless, her pale white skin a marked contrast to that of the ebony beauties who had preceded her. She was barefoot and the tiny beaded skirt she wore over a plain pair of black knickers was made in the pattern and colors of a Union Jack flag.

This guest appearance at the contest had been arranged by Natalia for publicity and to compensate for Dolla agreeing there would be no more crowd surfing. "Miz No-E, thank you so much for taking part and representing your nation" the interviewer began. "It's a pleasure and a joy to witness your wonderful native culture. I'm honored that you are letting me participate" Debbi replied. She had decided to bury her initial embarrassment and be as professional as she could. "Tell me, what is your real name ?" the presenter continued. "I'm Debbi but without an 'e'. At least not at the end, obviously there's an 'e' between the 'd' and the 'b' but not at the end. Hence Miz No-E" she explained to her bemused interrogator.

"And you're a rap artist I understand ?" the interview continued. "I am for this tour but really I work as an IT project manager and as a mentor for younger college girls. The rapping has all been to raise funds for charity and worthy causes." This was the kind of aspirational example that fitted in well with the ethos of the contest and was met by warm applause. Debbi hoped that this goodwill would not be undermined when she began performing 'Dancin' In My Knickers' !