Produced by Kristina Sophia
of
Musical Missions of Peace.org
in Cooperation with Dilkhwaz Ahmed
of License to Freedom.org
and in Cooperation with Christine Stevens
of UpBeat Drum Circles
We Can't Do This Without You: Every Bit Helps!
Monday the 16th of January, 2012, we trained 43 refugee women in the art of drum circle facilitation, and at the end of the day we sent them all home with a drum of their own. We had women from age 12 to 60. Refugee women from Iraq, Iran, Kurdistan, Peru, Mexico and Bulgaria participated in this training program. The day was an amazing success with everyone expressing the desire for more gatherings.
A few comments from refugee women, ages 12 to 60:
"I can't remember the last time I laughed like this"
"This is an historic occasion for me"
"I feel energized and renewed"
"I am so glad I came"
"Now I see that music can bring us together no matter how old or young we are or where we are from"
This is just the beginning. Plans are in the works for an Inter Cultural Music Center in El Cajon serving the refugee population and providing opportunities for them to connect with the locals. There are 50,000 Iraqi refugees in the El Cajon area. Our vision is to create a center where everyone is welcome. Our goals are Women's empowerment and Unity through Music.
Drumming and recreational music making have been shown to have many benefits for health and well being. By creating a music center where we can gather together to have ongoing drum circles, free concerts, and provide culturally specific music lessons, we will create a model of how to build a strong inter-connected community of diverse peoples. We can be an example to the rest of the world on how to do this and how to do it well through the power of music.
