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I am diving in, trying something I have never tried before. Here are some related links to what has captivated my heart, my attention and currently all of my energy:
A fantastic group is coming to Tucson to perform for this big musical event in Old Tucson March 17th:
PLAYING FOR UNITY IN DIVERSITY! |
www.PlayingForUnityInDiversity.com
The One World Music Festival is aimed at promoting the unity of cultures, races, and religions. In doing so, we encourage communities to come together to express themselves in a celebration of music and arts.
The link for the Kongo drum group, Ngoma Za Kongo The French/English speaking group is in America on a Tourist Visa from the Congo to tour for one year:
http://www.playingforunityindiversity.com/artists/ngoma-za-kongo
There is a video on the side at this link of their performance with the whole 16-member group, but there are 8 of them coming here.
Here are more links to their videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi17S7Xb16A;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3NOx0kcIg;
http://dance.wayne.edu/news.php?id=7251;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shZUdNOENGo,
The Artistic Director has informed me the group is willing to come 90 miles south of Tucson to our small town of 5,500 from Thursday, March 8th to Wednesday, March 14th. Where to house them? I have no clue. Where will they perform? Don’t know. I am hard at work on this……
I have spent this entire day trying to find out where the group might be able to perform here and who will PAY them. The public schools would love to have them perform for students — which is my heart’s desire. But the schools have no money with the exception of the very small school in the town of 700 I live in. They have $200. Each performance at a school costs $650.
How to raise the money in this totally strapped area?
The group will also do drumming workshops. They dropped their fee from $15 to $10 per person for our town – very generous!
I am checking on all avenues for public performances here, as well – but the group would like to have $1,200 for each. That seems like a million to me right now!
I can only do my best. I am learning a lot – and meeting a lot of very enthusiastic people around town during this process!
Time will tell how this all works out. I really have no idea how to do any of this – so I just jumped in to do my best. I will let you know how this all comes about – which I hope it can and will!
LEAVE A COMMENT HERE:
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Stop the Storm 
hi, i am new to your blog. i’m slowly reading bits and pieces as i tendto get overwhelmed very easily. so far it has been so helpful and informative. i am so glad to have found it.
this drumming group looks like such an amazing opportunity. i don’t know much about organizing or anything like that but i admire your efforts to get them to perform. i wish you all the best in your efforts.
peace,
k
Hello and welcome! Yes, this effort on behalf of this small community and on behalf of this amazing group are keeping more than busy! I will post how all of this turns out! Please comment again, I look forward to hearing your warm ‘voice’! Have a wonderful day! Linda – alchemynow
thank you Linda for your kindness. i look forward to hearing how this goes : ) i hope you have a wonderful day too.
Just heard this morning the group has been invited to a festival in Bangkok, Thailand and will return to America Feb. 28th. They plan to arrive in Arizona on March 8th. Such an amazing opportunity for our little corner of the world, exactly here on the American-Mexican border, for this world traveling group to share their culture with us – if this happens!
How exciting! I just watched the youtube video and they’re brilliant – I haven’t seen anything quite like that before. Drumming is so rivetting and
Relaxing. Doesn’t it do something to the brain waves? I hope you can get it all set up. Maybe the school kids can sell raffle tickets with a prize to be
Won at the end. Maybe the men can be hosted in pairs – with free accommodation or something and drop their price slightly? Well, sounds like a great
Opportunity for building unity in your town! I love drumming, once took part in a drumming workshop around a campfire. We all got lost in it and the
Atmosphere was so amazing. Maybe they could do group workshops for teaching? Its such fun to do it in small groups – I think drumming is very
Communal. It has such an important role in community and celebration in the different cultures. I loved the line dancing by the way. Its such fun to
Do something physical with others where interacting is around a common purpose. Good luck!!!
X
Dear Gingercat! Good Morning over there in South Africa!
Our area has a unique blending of American and Mexican cultures that I think those living here take for granted. We are also quite a poor area. Something in my heart so desires the chance for these children to ground SOUND and dance from the ancient artistic tradition of a culture so far away from them with an awareness of how this earth is so blessed with the varieties of human cultures — that we are all special and that we can still unite as a species in love, respect and appreciation and keep our diversity! Like all the different flowers in a garden!
I did just find out for certain that all the group members are French speaking from the Congo and are in America on a Tourist Visa to perform for one year. The director does speak English. Please pray for the success of this project! I don’t know, and will likely never know, why this feels so important to me! Someone’s life, I strongly feel, probably a child’s, can change forever in an important way by seeing this group.
I am gaining clear awareness of the changes that are happening in American society as I realize that the population in this small ex-mining high desert rather remote town are going to stretch far into the future. Our population is shrinking (from 6,500 at 2000 census to 5,500 2010 census) and aging. In 20-30 years most of us ‘adults’ will be long dead. What is going to be left here for the children? For them to gain a meaningful perspective through a powerful glimpse of another culture might be an important stepping stone to their realization that the world is a BIG and FASCINATING place!
Our entire planet is changing as the human world shrinks in some ways and expands in global connectedness on all of the important levels. These changes will not be undone. I believe God has destined these changes for our SINGLE one species so that we can become the family God created us to be.
I will let you know how this all comes out! Have a blessed and fantastic day! with love, Linda – alchemynow