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We had a dream …. Tanzania Feb 2009

By Africa, My Stories, TanzaniaNo Comments
Hetton Law Feb 2009 1

Our journey started from snow covered Northumbria, skidding down the narrow icy lanes towards the A1 and ended 3 days later (after various forms of public transport – car, plane, taxi, dalai, coach and three wheeler cycle!) in hot and humid Dodoma which is situated in central Tanzania.

Tanzania Feb 2009 gr3 033Tanzania, although one of the least urbanised, is East Africa’s largest country. With a diverse landscape of savannah, bush, lakes and highland plateau. It is renowned for its wild life, game reserves and Mount Kilimanjaro, (the highest mountain on this continent). Its 126 different tribal groups, each with their own heritage, are welded together by the Kiswahili language, a mix of Arabic and old Bantu originating from Zanzibar. Before 1972 this diverse group of people had no cohesion and lived in scattered pockets throughout the country. Between 1972 and 1974 under the Presidency of Julius Nyerere the Government forced these pockets into village formats. Read More

28. February 2009
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Back to Mnase

By Africa, My Stories, TanzaniaNo Comments
Tanzania

Early this morning we set off to Mnase village in what can only be described as a metal moving object crammed to absolute capacity with people, chickens and general household objects. This picture gradually got worse as people finding no room through the doors started climbing in through the windows ….. and every once in a while there would be startled looks at the realisation that there were Msungu’s (white people) on the bus! Read More

16. February 2009
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Rumours of glory are often hidden inside of what many consider myths and legends

The Shack
1. January 2009
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Martin’s 50th, the beauty of the States and bizarre “orbs”!!

By My StoriesNo Comments

Time at home and Holiday September – October)

2007_0828Amarillo0021

September was a time for rest and taking some time to help at the community mother house. It was so good to be home and enjoying the simple community life again www.northumbriacommunity.org …. we feel very fortunate to have such an amazing base that we can call home.

At the beginning of October we gathered family in the south of Spain for Martin’s 50th ….. lots and lots of food, games and laughter ….. also much fun watching the English rugby team beat Australia, in the World Cup finals whilst sitting in the sun!!!

…. and our Stateside adventure. Read More

31. October 2007
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Nidus festival, Canada recording

By My StoriesNo Comments
A place for the heart

The last stop was North Carolina where another album was recorded this time with Stephen Roach, a percussionist and hammer dulcimer player and a bunch of other young and talented musicians. Stephen and friends belong to a growing community of people www.aplacefortheheart.org who own a wonderful retreat centre in the heart of NC.

A highlight of the recording was impromptu drum pieces with a Cuban style conga player Peter Singles from Florida, Stephen playing Arabic percussion and Martin using African drums, a very special moment. This album should be available through their community and if you want a taster, listen to a couple of tracks at www.myspace.com/closertotheburning

Beloved

In the last few years, as we have spent time in North Carolina, we have really enjoyed the wonderful folk music that emanates from this area. If you have never heard the hammer dulcimer or the Appalachian dulcimer then you have missed out.

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31. August 2006
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Ruth Fazal tour

By My StoriesNo Comments

IMG_3247September, England.

Martin has just finished a tour in England with Ruth Fazal from Toronto, Canada….. had a great time, her music is a little different as she is from a more classical background but she loves allowing space for improvisation. She has also written a classical Oratorio piece for the Jewish people, called Oratorio Terezin.

More info www.oratorioterezin.com

She found a book of children’s poems 8 years ago and God told her to weave a story of God’s heart for His people through this story book and the Hebrew scriptures …… it’s an incredibly powerful story and she has some amazing stories of what has happened through this project. It has now been performed with orchestra’s in Canada, the Czech Republic, Austria and in Israel on holocaust day.

14. September 2005
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Netherlands

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DSCF919029th Dec.-13th Jan 2005 San Diego & L.A., U.S.A.

We flew out to San Diego to be at the “City of Refuge” again (we were with them in Feb. ’04 and also 28th Sept.-4th Oct.). During our time there we led the team on retreat for 5 days and generally got involved with their weekly routine. This included packing up food to be distributed to the poor and homeless and visiting a large night shelter where we played music and chatted with the homeless. There were also two weddings of people who have been part of the project so Martin was seconded to play along with other musicians. The rest of our time was kept busy with helping people move house, drum circles and lots of one to one times with people from the team. As ever we left feeling that we had been amongst people of similar hearts and that we would be back…… Read More

8. November 2004
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In a world such as ours ... it is necessary to understand why a madrigal by Gesualdo or a Back Passion, a sitar melody from India or a song from Africa, berg's Wozzeck or Britten's War Requiem, a balinese gamelan or a Cantonese opera, or a symphony by Mozart, Beethoven, or Mahler, may be profoundly necessary for human survival ..."

John Blacking
20. July 2004
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Czech refugee camp

By Europe, My StoriesNo Comments

In the Czech Republic my wife and I were invited to a refugee camp. This camp had many people from many different cultures and backgrounds. Through the long process of governmental bureaucracy, it had left the people incarcerated with very little hope, losing their individuality and uniqueness to becoming a number in the system. I collect instruments from all over the world and as I played these different instruments people starting re-connecting with their own stories. A lady from Ghana heard an African rhythm and she found herself not able to keep still and with encouragement she was soon dancing before us all with all her might. Next 2 Indian men asked if they could sing a song from their village. The dancing and singing brought life to the other people watching and slowly, one by one, others emerged from the shadows to share songs, dances, verse and music. A mundane day had been changed into an amazing pageant of the stories and colours of the world in which we live in. A bridge of hope and belonging had encouraged the people and we later heard that that day had been a talking point for many days in the future.

15. May 2003
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The destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in

Harold Goddard
23. April 2003
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