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African Shaman Visits
I met Mandaza Kandemwa last year. At the time, the Zimbawean Nganga, or Shaman, told me I had "rain spirits", "healing hands" and an "open heart". I've pondered his words ever since. I'm planning on meeting with him again this year. Don't miss an opportunity to meet this extraordinary, warm-hearted, and powerful healer!
Date: 8/11/2005 1:00:57 AM ( 19 y ) ... viewed 3574 times Zimbabwean Nganga Mandaza Kandemwa returns to the U.S. and Canada Aug. 17 - Oct. 25
The tour will take Mandaza to California, Wisconsin and British Columbia
Mandaza Kandemwa is a nganga, a Bantu shaman or medicine man, in the Shona and Ndebele traditions of Zimbabwe, initiated into the ngoma of the water spirits. He carries with great heart the Central African tradition of healing. And it is this tradition and his skill as a healer and initiator he offers to us individually and in community during his fourth visit to the United States and Canada.
This visit is an opportunity to gather with Mandaza and members of local Dare' communities to experience an indigenous understanding of the interrelatedness of healing, community and peacemaking.
A former anti-apartheid activist from Zimbabwe, Mandaza is one of the truly exceptional men of our time, a warm and generous teacher and healer with magnificent gifts and an entourage of spirits, a man of deep and profound laughter and wisdom. Educated in the western traditions of what was then colonial-era Rhodesia, Mandaza was called by the ancestors to the old ways and taught the exceptional art and craft of being a true healer. He has the skill to look into an individual’s heart, even if he has not met them before, and thereby awaken the process of initiation that removes the obstacles between the initiate and the spirits.
Mandaza introduced Michael Ortiz Hill and Deena Metzger to the idea of Dare', or Council, in the Shona language of Zimbabwe, in the mid 1990s. In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second-largest city, Mandaza has re-imagined a tribal form of the Central African tradition of ceremonial healing and council in an urban setting. Dare' is a healing community. This means that Dare' is a community where healing is the primary focus and concern and the exchange between the participants is constant and dynamic. Deena and Michael experienced this and founded the first Dare' in Topanga, CA, bringing the form to North America, where it has become a synergy of community healing and peacemaking and indigenous wisdom ways.
Mandaza arrives in the United States on August 17. This is the tentative schedule that has been arranged so that the community can meet and be with the Nganga from Zimbabwe who has inspired the North American Dare' communities and initiated many of their members.
Michael and Deena had brought people to Zimbabwe for initiation for five years under the auspices of The Nganga Project, which was established to support Mandaza's work, his family and the community around him as well as to foster exchange between different indigenous healers and western culture. However, increasing political instability and widespread hunger prevents such endeavors again this year. Accordingly, Mandaza is coming to North America for the fourth year in order to engage in healing and initiation work and to share the wisdom and teaching from his tradition.
This is also the annual fundraising effort to support Mandaza and his Dare' in Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe. The challenges to this work are considerable. Starvation is a persisting and deepening reality in Zimbabwe, as in much of Africa. Half of the country is already living with daily hunger. Drought and political instability have left Zimbabwe itself in shambles. The inflation rate dropped in June to "just" 396 percent. The HIV rate is 30 percent. Basic food items are traded on the black market and there is irregular access to basic items, including gasoline and cement. And earlier this year the government conducted clearances of so-called substandard housing in urban areas that has left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and without means of support.
People come to Mandaza from all over southern Africa to receive healing and initiation. He does not charge for his services. In Africa people try to offer a donation in return for his healing work, but he works with the poorest of the poor, who have sometimes walked great distances to be with him, and it is more likely that he will have to feed them than that they will be able to pay him. Between Mandaza and Simakuhle, the dreamer/trance-medium who is his wife, they have many children and a large kinship network and community that are dependent upon them for food and spiritual nourishment.
Donations and Volunteering
We are asking for donations to support Mandaza's visit here, pay for his travel in the U.S. and Canada and, most importantly, to support the Zimbabwean Dare' for the next year. As in Zimbabwe, absolutely no one will be turned away from most events for lack of funds, but we must raise a considerable amount of money to support the work in the face of such challenges.
We hope that those who come to be with Mandaza will be able to make a donation of $100 to $200 per day. And that those who can afford more will give a larger donation to help this community survive. If you cannot afford this amount, please make whatever generous contribution is possible. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent provided for under U.S. tax laws.
Donation checks can be made payable to Journey To The Heart. Please write "Mandaza" in the memo portion of the check. Donations can be sent to Journey To The Heart, 230 E. 17th St., suite 208, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 (phone 800-540-0471).
Anyone wishing to volunteer or donate services may contact the contact person for each event listed below.
TOUR SCHEDULE
The tour will take Mandaza to Dare's and other community gatherings in Topanga, Malibu, South Central Los Angeles, and Oakland in California; Salt Spring Island and Duncan, British Columbia, Canada; and Madison, Wisconsin.
Aug. 17-18
Mandaza in South Central Los Angeles
Contact: Musikavanhu for details
musikavanhu@comcast.net or 323-295-9662
Aug. 19-21
Private appointments with Mandaza in Topanga, CA.
Sliding scale of $125 to $300 per hour.
Contact: Sherry Modell for details
zabi123@aol.com (please note this is a number 1 in "123" not a letter "l")
or 310-455-1470
Aug. 22-25
Mandaza in South Central Los Angeles
Contact: Musikavanhu for details
musikavanhu@comcast.net or 323-295-9662
Aug. 27-28
African-style Dare' with Mandaza hosted by the Topanga Dare' Community. Healing, Initiation, African-style sweats, water immersion, ritual activities, 'Ngoma' (drum) ceremony, dream telling, council, etc., all within a community setting.
This is an opportunity to spend a day with this remarkable healer and a Dare' community to experience how Spirit moves through such a gathering to bring healing. While many people will be able to be seen individually by Mandaza, not all who come will have have that opportunity. We find being present in such a gathering often brings healing through the many events and processes that unfold over the course of the day. As in Africa, people may come and go as needed.
If you are a man, bring a bathing suit; if you are a woman, bring a bathing suit and a sarong to cover yourself discretely while in the water. Also bring your own towels. Please dress in layers to allow for temperature fluxuations. Drums and acoustic instruments very welcome. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those arriving after 6 p.m. are welcome to participate in community events but will not be seen individually by Mandaza. Donation $100 to $200 per day or what you can afford. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Pot luck nutritious food and non-alcoholic beverages.
The Aug. 27 African-style Dare' will be held in Topanga, CA. The Aug. 28 Dare' will be held at the Wright Ranch, Malibu, CA.
For information and directions contact Carol Sheppard or Danelia Wild. Carol Sheppard can be reached at carolsheppard99@mindspring.com or 310-455-1999. Danelia Wild can be reached at dwild4deena@comcast.net or 310-358-6469.
Aug. 29-Sept. 3
Mandaza in South Central Los Angeles
Contact: Musikavanhu for details
musikavanhu@comcast.net or 323-295-9662
Sept. 8-11
The Gathering: An Alliance of Elders, Healers and Wisdom Keepers, Alpine Meadows Camp, Big Bear, CA. This annual gathering draws together elders, healers and medicine people from all over the world. Mandaza will be among those attending The Gathering. Cost: $375 before Aug. 9; $475 after that date. Includes food and lodging. Contact: Journey To The Heart (800) 540-0471. See http://www.journeytotheheart.org.
Sept. 13-15
Mandaza in South Central Los Angeles
Contact: Musikavanhu for details
musikavanhu@comcast.net or 323-295-9662
Sept. 15-18
Mandaza at MAAFA in South Central Los Angeles
Contact: TsiTsi Jessie Haugabook
jessiehaugabook@hotmail.com or 818-364-7921
Sept. 19-21
Mandaza in South Central Los Angeles
Contact: Musikavanhu for details
musikavanhu@comcast.net or 323-295-9662
Sept. 24-29
Mandaza in Oakland, CA
Private appointments and other engagements TBA
Contact: Elenna Rubin Goodman
sistahseed@earthlink.net or 510-535-2144
Sept. 25
African-style Dare' in Oakland, CA
African-style Dare' with Mandaza hosted by the Oakland Dare' Community. Healing, Initiation, African-style sweats, water immersion, ritual activities, Ngoma (drum) ceremony, dream telling, council, etc., all within a community setting.
This is an opportunity to spend a day with this remarkable healer and a Dare' community to experience how Spirit moves through such a gathering to bring healing. While many people will be able to be seen individually by Mandaza, not all who come will have have that opportunity. We find being present in such a gathering often brings healing through the many events and processes that unfold over the course of the day. As in Africa, people may come and go as needed.
Suggested donation: $35 to $100. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. 1:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For further information and directions contact Elenna Rubin Goodman at sistahseed@earthlink.net or 510-535-2144.
Sept. 30-Oct. 8
Mandaza in British Columbia, Canada
Community building and other events TBA
Contact: Eric Field
eirikf@aol.com or 250-537-0022
Contact: Candace Cole
ccole@saltspring.com or (fax) 250-537-2717
Oct. 2
African-style Dare', Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. Donations requested; no one will be turned away for lack of funds. For further information and directions contact Candace Cole at ccole@saltspring.com or Eric Field at eirikf@aol.com. Or call 250-537-0022 or fax 250-537-2717.
Oct. 9
African-style Dare', Our Eco Village, Duncan, British Columbia. Donations requested; no one will be turned away for lack of funds. For further information and directions contact Brandy MacPherson at our@pacificcoast.net or call 250-743-3067.
Oct. 10-13
Kayaking Retreat with Mandaza on Salt Spring Island. For further information contact Eric Field at eirikf@aol.com or call 250-537-0022 or fax 250-537-2717
Oct. 14-18
Mandaza in Madison, Wisconsin
Events TBA
Contact: Jackie Kaufmann
jlkauf@idcnet.com
Oct. 19-25
Mandaza in South Central Los Angeles
Contact: Musikavanhu for details
musikavanhu@comcast.net or 323-295-9662
Additional Information on Dare' and Mandaza
Information about Dare' and its origins can be found on Deena Metzger's website, http://www.deenametzger.com.
Further information on Mandaza can ben found on Michael Ortiz Hill's website, http://www.gatheringin.com.
Information on Dare' can also be found in Deena Metzger's book, Entering the Ghost River: Meditations on the Theory and Practice of Healing (Hand to Hand, ISBN 0-9720718-2-2), which chronicles Dare' in Zimbabwe and the United States.
The book Gathering in the Names (Spring Journal Books, ISBN 1-882670-23-X) is a joint biography of Mandaza and Michael Ortiz Hill.
Both books can be purchased through http://www.Amazon.com.
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Deena Metzger and Michael Ortiz Hill
P.O. Box 186
Topanga, CA 90290
Phone: 310-358-6469
Web site: http://www.deenametzger.com
E-mail: deenametzger@verizon.net
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Read about my "Powerful Healing Session" with Nganga Mandaza Kandemwa: http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=356&i=27
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