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The GoodLetter Thursday, April 25, 2002
GoodThings, Inc. :: Stories, actions, ideas, and greeting cards that connect us.
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This Week's Feature
Making Music Matter
A true citizen of the world, on a rambling global quest for meaningful work, finds a unique non-profit that makes her soul sing and her heart dance.
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Fellow GoodLetter readers,
A few years ago, I was in the United Kingdom, traveling and working. After that, I explored Europe for a few months before returning to England to settle in Brighton. I loved the seaside city and wanted to find a job I believed in. Strapped for cash, I picked up some temporary work in a local high school. On my lunch breaks, I phoned different charities, inquiring about paid jobs. There was a lot of voluntary work available, but I really needed to survive financially and wanted to be doing something I loved. Then I met Theresa Gurner, one of the teachers at the school. She was hugely enthusiastic about Redzebra, a non-profit community organization where she volunteered. Her enthusiasm initially scared me (to me, Redzebra sounded like a strange cult) a little bit, but after talking to her a few times, I began to get very interested. Soon, I was interviewing for a job with Redzebra, which, sure enough, I landed.
It actually took me a full six months to grasp Redzebra's vision, much less its name! Oliver MacDonald and Mark Dodsworth (the group's co-founders and directors) got the name from a flyer for the Prince's Trust, which gives money to young people who want to start-up businesses. The flyer had a picture of a red zebra on it and said "get ahead from the rest of the herd." Mark and Ollie immediately liked the image and adopted the name. In a nutshell, they created an organization to foster cultural understanding by transforming the way people communicate, using the creative powers of music, movement, and other allied arts. It was a massive learning curve for me, about both life and people. I was constantly surrounded by a mix of creative people, agents for progressive change in the world, and those who could be categorized as both. Sometimes, things were really hectic, but it was always interesting and very challenging.
After working for Redzebra for awhile, I wanted to play music and be a part of the group's amazing workshops. I was lucky enough to be invited to join Redzebra's integration band, known as Unified Rhythm, which was created to unite students from special-needs and mainstream schools. Unified Rhythm meets weekly to rehearse and develop performances involving percussion, dance, and song.
I've met many beautiful people in the group, but one of the special-needs students will always stand out in my memory. His name was Kier. When Kier first joined the group, he was very introverted and would run and hide in corners, rather than talk to people, rarely joining in. Gradually, though, his confidence and musical abilities grew. His best friend John was also in the band, and the two were inseparable. John and Kier loved playing music so much and were one day invited to facilitate the whole band and conduct a variety of four-beat breaks, which mark powerful, dramatic changes in the music. Kier and John learned quickly and were soon calling themselves the "Rhythm Doctors." They now regularly conduct the whole band at rehearsals and performances.
At the end of last year, Kier led a thousand people participating in Unified Rhythm's performance that opened the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Kier now beams with confidence and is always itching to lead the band. He has transformed from the shyest member of the group into one of its loudest.
When my visa ran out, I returned to my home in Australia for a few months but was soon offered the opportunity to move to Cape Town, South Africa, and help set up a new Redzebra office. And that's where I am now. One of our newest projects is in collaboration with an amazing group called Street Universe. Together, we're uplifting Cape Town's street youths and helping them unleash their musical and creative abilities. We have also recently started up a community samba band in the city. This Brazilian and African music-based band is open to everyone in the community, and no musical experience is necessary. We rehearse once a week and recently had our debut performance at an African Summer Stage Music Festival.
At the beginning of this year, we organized a music festival called Omniculture, a celebration of cultural diversity. Omniculture is an expression of community and presents an exciting opportunity for a broad range of people to express themselves creatively, to celebrate their cultural identity and to experience beyond the limits of what is familiar. There are many more Omniculture festivals on the horizon for Cape Town.
We have numerous other projects in the works. In one of them, we hope to be able to go into disadvantaged schools around Cape Town and in the townships, and facilitate free workshops to raise the awareness of the AIDS/HIV pandemic, using music and dance to break down barriers of fear and ignorance. We plan to visit one school a week for six months, and then later revisit each school to reaffirm the message.
I feel that the universe wants me to be a part of Redzebra, to help and support a global transformation and an extraordinary integration of the world's people through music. I think that my work has enabled people like Kier to be nurtured, learn to love themselves, and to reach their full potential. More than that, working for Redzebra has been a massive life-changing experience for me, helping and supporting me to become who I am today.
:: Danielle Bowler
Cape Town, South Africa
Danielle was born in Perth, Australia. She loves playing music and performing Brazilian samba, spending time with the Earth, being involved in the community, and traveling around this amazing world.
(Thoughts on Danielle's GoodLetter? Inspired by what you've read? E-mail us -- don't forget to tell us your name, where you're from, and if we can use your words in a future GoodLetter or on our Web site.)
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TALK ABOUT IT
At GoodThings, one of our very favorite things is the use of the arts and creative outlets to bridge the divides that separate us. Do you have examples of organizations or extraordinary efforts that are using the arts (music, dance, film, and the like) to make a difference in the world? Share your stories and ideas.
LEARN MORE ABOUT IT
Redzebra delivers workshops in the corporate sector and communities around the world to integrate people, team-build, encourage communication and listening, and break down social barriers such as race, hierarchy, age, and ability. Learn more about Redzebra.
:: Street Universe
:: Learn more about past Omniculture festivals
:: The Prince's Trust
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
:: To communicate directly with the new South African office of Redzebra, send an e-mail request to us editor@goodthings.com with "Redzebra" in the subject line and a brief description of your interest, and we'll pass it along to Danielle and her colleagues.
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Readers Respond
Thanks to so many of you for sharing your thoughts and ideas about our recent GoodLetters on making the most of sharing food and conversation as a family or a community and on a new secondary-school scholarship program for Nicaraguan youth, developed by a current Peace Corps volunteer. And thanks also for your thoughts about creative approaches to Earth Day. Here are just a handful of recent letters from you:
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Dear GoodThings,
"Food, Glorious Food" was a great GoodLetter [#82]. Please check out a related general reading from the United Nations FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization) for the developing countries' perspective:
"Food needs: How much is enough?"
Thanks,
Bokary Guindo
UN FAO
Rome, Italy
:: Did you miss GoodLetter #82 on how sharing food could change the world? Read it now.
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Dear GoodThings,
I did something fun for Earth Day (April 22, 2002). I published a book on recycled grocery bags and other items I pulled out of the trash. Called Recycle This Book and 72 1/2 Even Better Ways to Save 'Yo Momma' Earth, the book includes tips for sustaining our planet.
Some of the tips are humorous (#26 Sing Shorter Shower Songs, #72 Become Robert Redford's Penpal), some of them are subversive (#20 Demand Responsibility of Corporate Polluters, #35 Recognize that SUV really stands for Simple Unnecessary Vehicle), but all of them are written with sassy attitude and style.
Pam Grout
Author,Living Big
:: To order Pam Grout's new book, send an e-mail request to us at editor@goodthings.com with "Recycle This Book" in the subject line and a brief message. We'll connect you with Pam!
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Dear GoodThings,
I write to express my feelings about the GoodLetter written by the Peace Corps volunteer [#81, "Being the Big Picture," by Jessica Neff]. It is good to know that some people are still making a difference in the lives of other people. A difference, no matter how little, is something. My personal concern is for the good work to be continued.
Dele
The Gambia (West Africa)
:: Did you miss Jessica Neff's Nicaragua GoodLetter? Read it now.
We love to hear from you about anything: ideas or situations that are inspiring you or challenging you to think, as well as organizations, programs, and people that contribute to your community and the world everyday. Please drop us a line.
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The Upshot
Last week, the Upshot asked you what you were doing for Earth Day. Did any of you happen to stumble upon the new public television special Empty Oceans, Empty Nets, which aired on PBS on April 22 (Earth Day)? If you didn't, you still may be lucky enough to catch it near you. At the very least, there are a range of educational Web sites that will be able to guide you to getting involved.
The special explores the pressures faced by marine life directly or indirectly affected by a growing worldwide market for seafood. Not only is seafood a major nutritional source for much of the world, but also the fishing industry has sustained families and entire communities economically for generations.
But like the fragile forests on land whose plight they resemble, marine ecosystems and the fisheries they support are in danger of permanent collapse. If you've ever been concerned about the seafood you eat and where it comes from, seek out the powerful Empty Oceans, Empty Nets. It will inspire you to become part of a solution to ensure that future generations benefit from a sustainable approach to enjoying the oceans' bounty.
:: Learn more about it: Empty Oceans, Empty Nets
Also learn about the new non-profit group, Oceana
:: Do something about it.
Visit OceansAtRisk.com
Donate to Oceana
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GoodThings on Public Radio
Have you been checking out our favorite public radio stories? Here are some of our favorite public radio pieces from this week (follow this link or the one below to the full summaries on our Web site):
:: Self-Evident Truths -- DNA evidence is what set Omar free; the Declaration of Independence is what freed his mind of anger and his spirit of hopelessness.
:: Righting Wrongs -- In the ongoing debate over the ethics of the death penalty, a former proponent in Illinois and a commission he created occupy center stage in the effort to reform its use.
:: The Sound of the Sublime -- Where the next generation of Mexico's mariachi music is concerned, all roads lead to an extraordinary high school ensemble in Roma, Texas.
:: Too Much Information -- In the quest to replace an old car, one commentator finds that "knowing too much" makes shopping so much harder.
:: Unified Opposition to Le Pen -- Moderate and left-leaning political groups in France are finding something to agree upon: the need to defeat right-wing extremist Jean-Marie Le Pen in the May 5 presidential election.
:: Thinking About Everything -- Israeli singer-songwriter Chava Alberstein has built a reputation as a peace activist and as a beautiful voice not afraid to criticize her own government.
:: A Changing City, An Evolving Newspaper -- As Atlanta increasingly becomes a global city, its newspaper is changing to reflect the region's new personality.
Visit our site to read full summaries of these stories and listen to your favorites.
Talk to us:
What's the best public radio story you've heard this week?
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