ONE LOVE FESTIVAL 2009: The Walidanes Return: African Drumming

The 4th Annual One Love Festival in Hampton Roads happened again on October 17, 2009 at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Virginia, dedicated to promoting unity among all. It was a great evening, full of music, poetry and dance. The last performers before the intermission were the ever-popular Walidanes, a women's troupe doing traditional and powerful African drumming.

Watch in High Quality.

The One Love Festival Mission:

Awakened by violence in the world, we, of diverse backgrounds, religions, races, and cultures, see the need for more peace, tolerance, and understanding. We put our hands and hearts together through music, art, performance, and the spoken word. We seek common ground... a community united in hope, a planet restored and a peaceful world where every day will be One Love.

About the Walidanes:

Walidane Drum Group: The MISSION of the Walidane is to create peace among all people by playing in joyful unity, to transcend our differences and to demonstrate the power of our Buddhist practice through our drumming. The concept of our womens drumming group was first developed by the late Camille Mitchell, a member of the SGI who was inspired by a similar group she saw from Chicago, IL. Before her battle with breast cancer ended, Camille organized a small group of aspiring women musicians. In actuality, none had formal training in music, but all had a deep seated desire to play for world peace. This determined group, as a promise to Camille and with the goal of renewing their Buddhist faith through powerful drumming, later met with Master Drummer Dame Guyue, Founder and Director of the Fara Lambe House of Drums in Washington, DC and the former Musical Director of the Kankaron Dance Company. Dames family (a Griot tribe from Senegal, West Africa) later named the group WALIDANE which means winners in the West African dialect of Wolof. Since 1999, this group of now seasoned musicians has joyfully performed in a number of venues in the United States and abroad. With a motto of One Drum, the Walidanes continue to mesmerize audiences with their love of drumming, their desire to touch hearts and their ever-growing determination to advance world peace through their vigorous performances.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Unity
• One
• Love
• Festival
• Peace
• Oneness
• Walidanes

[dadhiltonmps]

July 31, 2010

The Waldanes are filled with energy. Thoroughly enjoyed this!! Masterful sound of the drums that keep pace with the beat of my heart.

Thomas