The Spirits of Africa

[Voronwë the Faithful]

A horribly misleading title, of course. No one gets more upset at the lumping of the incredible diversity of cultures and beliefs of the vast continent of Africa into one homoginized stereotype then I do. And anyway, the spirits that I am speaking of are not limited to Africa. Its just where I learned to (in a very small way) recognize them for what they are.

Before I ever traveled to Guinea (I'm working on the assumption that everyone reading this knows that I have traveled several times to Guinea, West Africa since I've blabbed about it enough in the past, and even if you didn't, now you do ), Beth (my partner) and other people that I knew who had traveled there before (Beth went twice while I was still in law school and unable to go), would make cryptic comments about the "spirit world" being more alive there, which sounded as bizarre and incomprehensible to me (much as I wanted to understand) as they would to most of you.

The week before I was leave for my first trip to Guinea for an intensive three week percussion workshop with my teacher, Mamady Keïta, I developed a horrible problem in my neck and shoulder. Here I was, about to go to this very intensive drumming workshop, and I could barely lift my arm. I went to the chiropractor four times, with little benefit. When we got to Guinea and went to Mamady’s compound outside of Conakry, the capital, I was understandably pretty overwhelmed simply from the culture shock (I had never before been to any third world country). And I was also still in pain and not sure that I would be able to do any drumming at all while I was there. We had not been there long when I noticed Mamady’s brother, Moussa Keïta, who I recognized from Beth’s pictures and descriptions and from his role in the incredible documentary of Mamady’s return to his home village after 26 years called Djembefola (a remarkable film, soon to be re-released on DVD). I can’t imagine that he recognized me, though. Nonetheless, I walked right over to me. We exchanged no words. He stepped behind me and proceeded to press hard with one or two fingers on a spot just below my shoulder blade. There was one moment of brief sensation (I can’t really call it pain), and then he walked away. It took me several moments to realize that the pain in my neck and shoulder had completely disappeared. More remarkably, I discovered that I complete range of motion. And that was my welcome to Africa.

I must say, I did find that the “spirit world” was more alive there, though I can’t really explain what I mean by that in any way that would make any sense. It was particularly intense at night. Beth warned me that I wasn’t likely to sleep much, and that was certainly true. I barely closed my eyes the entire time I was there. I won’t try to describe my experiences lying there in the heat, with the great silent world pressing around me.

Several people (including Mamady himself) described to me how they have spirit guides that they consult with about every facet of their lives. The word that they have for these (for lack of a better word) beings roughly translates to “the little people.” Listening to these descriptions, and with my own awareness heightened, I began to see previous experiences that I had had in a different light.

I have often felt guided into certain paths. One particular episode was particularly intense (to the point of having me question my own sanity). I come from a family of lawyers. My mother is a retired judge. My father is a criminal defense attorney. My grandfather was one of the best know criminal defense lawyers in NY. My sister is an attorney, and my two step-brothers, my uncle, and my late cousin. Growing up, it was largely assumed that I would go in that direction as well. But once I went off to college, I became more and more disillusioned with “the system” and I very much became the family rebel. I worked in low paying administrative jobs and traveled to see the Grateful Dead. Gradually over time, the parental pressure to go to law school fade and disappeared. However, as my 20s were drawing to a close, an odd thing began happening. I began hearing voices in my head. To be honest, at first I was not very focused on how strange that was. I was too angry with what the voices were saying. “You need to go to law school” was the upshot. “That is where you can do the most good in the world.” “You need to be inside the system to change the system.” And, of course, the ubiquitous “It is your destiny.” This went on very a period of some months. I held great debates with these voices in my head, pedantically listing out all the reason why I would never take that path. Over time, it did occur to me how very odd this the whole thing was, but it continued unabated. Finally, I ran out of answers, and capitulated. The voices immediately disappeared, and have never returned, at least in quite so lucid and intelligible form.

I’ll never forget the look on my mother’s face when I told her I had decided to go to law school. It took another 3 years before I was actually able to make it happen, but once the decision was made, I stubbornly persevered through every obstacle. And since then the spirits have led me step by step to where I am today, against all the odds, with my own civil rights and employment discrimination practice, using the gifts that I have in the very best way that I can make a positive difference in the world.

[WampusCat]

I was only in Africa (Uganda) once, for 11 days, but I agree that the spirit world seems closer, more accessible there. Or perhaps it's just that the people are more aware and accepting of it.

My theory: Every culture has its own special gifts for humanity. That doesn't mean every individual in that culture is strong or talented in that area, but the culture as a whole values and lives that quality. Western culture's gifts include analytical thought and technical/mechanical vision. Africa's gifts include a passionate openness to and involvement in spiritual realities.

It's just a theory. If it's true, one consequence is that we need one another. We need to value one another's gifts and learn from them, not try to make other cultures into mirrors of ourselves. That's why it's so great that you are bringing the powerful beat of Africa across the ocean.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I was only in Africa (Uganda) once, for 11 days, but I agree that the spirit world seems closer, more accessible there. Or perhaps it's just that the people are more aware and accepting of it.

I think its both. I think it is more accessible there precisely because people are more aware and accepting of it.

Wampus, thanks for posting this; it helps validate the title I chose. Uganda is thousands of miles away from Guinea, with very different culture and traditions.

My theory: Every culture has its own special gifts for humanity. That doesn't mean every individual in that culture is strong or talented in that area, but the culture as a whole values and lives that quality. Western culture's gifts include analytical thought and technical/mechanical vision. Africa's gifts include a passionate openness to and involvement in spiritual realities.

It's just a theory. If it's true, one consequence is that we need one another. We need to value one another's gifts and learn from them, not try to make other cultures into mirrors of ourselves.

I think it is a good theory, and one that I share.

That's why it's so great that you are bringing the powerful beat of Africa across the ocean

I didn't have any choice in the matter.

[nerdanel]

Voronwë, a very interesting post. It raised a couple of questions for me that I'd like to bounce off of you. I'm sorry if my questions sound slightly clinical in tone - unfortunately, I can't capture the same feel that your writing has, and I'm slightly rushed for time.

- I wonder if you can comment more on how your perception of the internal struggle you experienced prior to deciding to attend law school was altered by the enhanced awareness of the spirit world you developed in Africa. How would you have understood what had been happening there if you had never had the opportunity to travel to Africa? (in layperson terms, it sounds very much something we might label an "internal debate" - and it sounds to me as though you're saying that that's not quite how you think of it now)

- Do you think, hypothetically, that if we as a people (Americans) were willing to, as you say, be more aware and accepting of the concept of the spirit world, that it would be accessible to us here? I can't help but wonder if the combination of thousands of years of African history and culture means that it is accessible to some of the people on that continent, and those who visit there, in a way that it could never be accessible to us here no matter what we did. [note: with the caveat that you mentioned, that there is no one monolithic African "culture" or "history"]

As far as your law school-related mention of needing to be inside the system to change the system - that's something I'd really, really like to discuss with you at some point. I could write pages of musings on that, literally. It's off-topic here, though.

Wampus - I really liked the ideas you expressed in your post, in particularly the idea of different cultures' strengths being complementary.

[Sister Magpie]

I love stories like this. I totally believe in listening to these sorts of things as well--it's always worked for me.

I recently read a book called "Not in Kansas Anymore" that was about alternative spiritualities in America (I guess that's how you'd describe it) and the skeptical reporter who wrote it is essentially looking for "good magic." She's always believed in bad magic, like that bad things will happen if she does something wrong, but she's try to believe in more the type of thing you experienced here. She has some great experiences that add up over time...it's hard to explain, but this just reminded me of it because she's also experiencing things that are very foreign to her.

One of my favorite parts is where she basically gets over a bad habit she's had since childhood through Voodoo. She speaks to the woman who brought her to the headwashing ceremony and says she felt like the Iwa were influencing her and the woman say of course they were!

-m

[Jnyusa]

My only experience with African religions has been in their Brazilian manifestations. Voodoo is very popular and respected there - it's been successfully wedded to Catholicism so that the 'saints' are revered under both their African and European names.

I must say that walking seaside at night when the beaches are dotted with votive fires, one gets a very strong sense of 'presence.'

Jn

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Jn, the subject of the melding of Catholic and African animist traditions in the Americas in Voodoo, Candomble, Santeria and other traditions would be worth a thread of its own.

I've been present during Yoruba ceremonies in which different Orisha (roughly equivalent to the Valar of Tolkien's mythology) are invoked. The Mandingue peoples' spiritual practices are much more secret, though. There are secret societies of fetishers (who I suppose are what people used to call 'witchdoctors') that are immensely powerful. I have heard stories (and seen some small demonstrations) of the tremendous control over matter that these people can wield. Much of it stems from a very intimate knowledge about nature, but certainly not all of it. Mamady has told us about one rhythm that he can not teach us called Komo. He says that anyone who learns the secrets of the Komo will die. No ifs and or buts about it.

[Jnyusa]

That's like the Kung Fu masters who have so displined the flow of energy through their own body, and know so thoroughly every nerve in the human body, that they can kill with a touch, even without touching - just by pointing!

Thing is, those powers are acquired through decades of self-discipline and practice and devotion. There is nothing 'magic' about it, in the sense we usually use that word.

And I think that is a concept that has been largely lost in the West and may account for the lack of centeredness we're talking about in the other thread. Spirituality is above all discipline. Habit of thought, concentration, assiduously acquired knowledge, attentiveness. The people who reach such pinnacles have prepared for it all their lives and sacrificed many bodily comforts and diversions for the sake of the spirit.

Jn

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Thing is, those powers are acquired through decades of self-discipline and practice and devotion. There is nothing 'magic' about it, in the sense we usually use that word.

That is exactly correct. The only thing that I would add is an intimate knowledge of and connection to nature.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

tp, I'm going to try to answer some of your questions, as best I can.

- I wonder if you can comment more on how your perception of the internal struggle you experienced prior to deciding to attend law school was altered by the enhanced awareness of the spirit world you developed in Africa. How would you have understood what had been happening there if you had never had the opportunity to travel to Africa? (in layperson terms, it sounds very much something we might label an "internal debate" - and it sounds to me as though you're saying that that's not quite how you think of it now)

Honestly, I thought at the time that I was having a borderline psychotic episode. There was much more of a sense of "other", of there being another presence there, then one would normally associated with what we usually call an "internal debate". That much was evident, even at the time.

- Do you think, hypothetically, that if we as a people (Americans) were willing to, as you say, be more aware and accepting of the concept of the spirit world, that it would be accessible to us here? I can't help but wonder if the combination of thousands of years of African history and culture means that it is accessible to some of the people on that continent, and those who visit there, in a way that it could never be accessible to us here no matter what we did. [note: with the caveat that you mentioned, that there is no one monolithic African "culture" or "history"]

I agree with you that the spirit world is more accessible to Africans and in Africa precisely because of the long history and experience that people on the "dark continent" have with communicating with spirits. However, I don't think that means that it can't be accessible to Americans or in America. In my opinion, spirits are very much like people, the more open to them that you are, the more open to you they are likely to be.

As far as your law school-related mention of needing to be inside the system to change the system - that's something I'd really, really like to discuss with you at some point. I could write pages of musings on that, literally. It's off-topic here, though.

I would very much be interested in discussing that with you and others. Why don't you start a thread in the Latho Beth Lammen forum?

Wampus - I really liked the ideas you expressed in your post, in particularly the idea of different cultures' strengths being complementary.

Me too.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

A dear friend reminded me of this thread recently. Since I am getting ready to return to Guinea in less than 10 days ( ), I thought I would bump it.

the incredible documentary of Mamady’s return to his home village after 26 years called Djembefola

I am finally going to get to follow in his footsteps and travel to that village, Balandugu, with him.

Wow. (It's just now starting to sink in.)

[Lalaith]

What an amazing experience you've had, and I'm sure this time will be just as amazing, if not more so!

Blessings on your travels, friend.


Lali

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Thank you, my friend. That means a lot.

[Primula Baggins]

May light shine on your feet, and may you be open to learn what this journey is ready to teach you.

[WampusCat]

May your hands dance joyfully on whatever drums you encounter, and may your spirit find its true rhythm.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[Frelga]

Go in joy and in safety, Voronwë.

And take good notes, because you will be required to make a detailed report here.

[Teremia]

I was just about to write "take good notes!" but I see Frelga already covered that matter.

Have an incredible and safe trip! May all the spirits you encounter be friendly ones! Play some Halofirian rhythms for us, and we will send many song-thoughts your way . . . .

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Thank you, my friends.

I see that I probably should have waited until next week to bump this thread. All these lovely goodbyes, and then I'll still be lurking around here for another week plus.

[Primula Baggins]

Yes, and so now we can be brutally dismissive ("Are you still here?") for the rest of the week, so when you're gone you won't miss us one bit.

All part of the plan for your happiness, dear Voronwë.