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Felicia

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadnes

About Me

© tuxedo crime designs. ..I edited my profile at LayoutSource.net , check out these Myspace Layouts!
Welcome to each and everyone that comes across my page. ....May peace be with you today and always..........I hope to create an environment that builds bridges and tolerance.One in which there are no preconceived notions, only love.A citizen of the world, I love JAH first and all else is a beautiful cascade of blessings! I believe in the divine order of all man-made chaos and know that those strong in faith will be triumphant EVERYTIME!Travel and Music are my passions - and my daughter is the joy of my life!Ethiopia****Zimbabwe****Mali****India****Dominica**** Jamaica**** Mexico......are all lands that I have trod upon to witness the daily joys and tragedies that paint the picture of our universal realities.For over 18 years, I have worked in the music business and consider each day a new day to expose artists and their manifestations.I enjoy the company of those who have a vision and a plan. Those whose words are not empty vessels, but rather a vehicle to manifest their vision into existence.The power of love to overcome all obstacles is the truth that I know.I have great disdain for people who portray self images and profiles of peace and love, but live an empty life.WORDS ARE SO CHEAP, THEY ARE FREE. ACT today for yourself and for others~ We must be the CHANGE we want to see~ [M. Ghandi] One must have their house in respectable order as a foundation from which to reap great fruit.The Golden Rule rules my Life: DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU It really is that simple.......The photos above and immediately below were taken in January 2006 in Mali. I went there to attend the “Festival In The Desert” which has been held the past 6 years in Essakane. Essakane is situated a couple of hours outside of Timbuktu. I had an incredible journey starting in the capital city of Bamako. In Bamako, I hung out with my friend and travel partner on this trip Leni Stern. Leni is a musician and has since returned to Mali several times to pursue cross composing with Malian Musicians. She is performing in the 2007 festival with the “Prince of Ngoni” Bassekou Kouyate. I was met in Mali by my friend Solo’s sister Safi and his nephew Ousmane. They were gracious hosts showing me the ins and outs of the markets, local secrets, etc. We traveled from Bamako up through Segu, Djenne, Mopti, Bandiangara and up to Timbuktu. Everyday was an adventure. The diversity of the country and the people was incredible. To witness the Mosque at Djenne – arguably the largest and most beautiful mud structure was an honor. Although I couldn’t go inside and see the beauty, the vibes resonated and the holiness was undeniable. We hiked up to a Dogon village and were witness to the irrigation systems they have developed to grow crops out of an otherwise desolate landscape. In the photos you can see a couple of shots that show how structured and neat the villages are. I hung out for the day, listening to music on the radio, hanging out ~ and trying to communicate. I was without any English speaker, so I had to be intuitive to the gestures and intonations. It is a wonderful thing to rely solely on vibrations. Timbuktu was like walking through a portal in time. The desert cultures and languages are distinctly different. When I woke up (after a long delay at the River Crossing the night before) I looked out the window to see a slow moving camel caravan making their way into town. I thought momentarily that I had actually left the paradigm of the 21st century and traveled to another era. The sounds, the smells, the wind and the sun, all to be respected, embraced and reckoned with. We stayed one night at hotel Hendrina Khan. The manager was gracious lending advice and supplies before we ventured to the desert. Our angel along the way, no doubt. Then, out to Essakane. The festival site was set up with tents for attendees and the local people came and set up their encampments. The tents are much stronger than a little camping tent. The tents we use don’t really withstand the desert or provide the protection and living environment that you need. The festival hosts were most accommodating. You should check out their web site: www.festival-au-desert.org The whole experience was out of this world. The daytime brought camel contests and horse races. There was traditional song/dance from Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Western Sahara, etc. In the evening, the music and production was first class all the way. There were musicians like Baba Sala, Khaira A’rby, Habib Koite and more. The sound was good and like all festivals, the show went a bit late. Into the wee hours. After the main stage, there was a disco in the sand with local music over dance music, raga, hiphop, etc. It was a real global disco. As one walked over the dunes and into the tents, you could easily stumble onto gatherings of people sitting around singing and playing the guitars. It was really inspiring...
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My Interests



I'd like to meet:

People who are always seeking reasoning on a higher plane: Knowing that spiritual wholeness comes from every aspect of Livity. And Gregory David Roberts!!

Music:

.. CURRENT MOON lunar phases*Bob Marley * Baaba Maal * Itals * Ijahman Levi * Misty In Roots * Yabba You * Nasio * Sonny Okosun * Lokua Kanza * Richard Bona * Bassekou Kouyate * Salif Keita * Tiken Jah Fakoli* Joni Mitchell * Paul Simon * Ben Harper * Amos Lee * Nora Jones * Corrine Baily Rae * Ani Difranco * Mighty Diamonds * James Taylor * Neil Young * Eric Clapton * Angelique Kidjo * Les Nubians * Emmanual Jal & Abdel Gadir Salim * Ali Farka Toure * Oumou Sangare * Caetano Veloso * Tribo De Jah * Roots Africa * The above photos were taken in Zimbabwe in December 1993/Jan 1994. I went there specifically for the “Pungwe” season. That is two weeks in December when there is an all night musical gathering every single night. The music tended to start around 9 or 10 pm and play the whole evening. (often ending well after sunrise) The events happened in the “locations” or the townships outside of Harare. I was fortunate enough to see so much music ranging from Thomas Mapfumo and Oliver Mutikudzi to bands/performers that I no longer recall.We rented a couple of rooms in the yard of Chris who was an English Sound Engineer working for Thomas Mapfumo, Chris had been living in Zim and had children with Anne. The older son, Arthur is shown here with his aunt Herrily (who has since passed, RIP) and his cousin commonly referred to as Spuudy. On this, my first journey to Africa, I met some friends who have remained close over the years including one of my “top” friends ‘DJ SMOOVE” I also met a friend seen in the photos from India below: Nathalie. She has worked for non-profit medical programs for many many years and is now living in Cambodia.Zimbabwe was very different 14 years ago. While Mugabe was still in power, the land reformation had not yet taken place. While I agree with the concept of returning the land to the Africans, the plan was not fully in place with trained Agricultural specialists lined up to ensure adequate food supply for the people. The times were much more abundant back then, although, I definitely felt a very ominous retention from the Apartheid system. I was initially very shocked at the deference of the local people. I felt very uncomfortable as I was looked through instead of looked at rarely a person meeting my eyes.The funniest thing was the first days that I was there, we went to a party at a friends for a soccer team that he sponsored. I was still out of sort from the travel and the intense culture shock. At first when we arrived, I was placed in the living room while all the men were outside and all the women were in the kitchen. A video tape of American TV was turned on and I was promptly brought a drink (local fruit punch – but it had alcohol in it) and a plate of meat. Well, what a month, I thought to myself……. I don’t watch TV, drink liquor or eat meat. What was I going to do….. talk about an outsider, as a white woman, they just didn’t invite me into the kitchen. Not too long after, Anne and Herrily showed up and invited me into the bedroom. For those of you who know Zim or Malawi, I was introduced to a new item called “A COB”. So, from there, things got much better. My relationships developed with the women and everything was fine.We traveled from Harare to Bulawayo and went to Motopos (where Cecil Rhodes was buried) and Whange National Park. I think when we stayed in the lodges at Whange I had a mystic revelation. For the first time in my life, as I sat on a rock outside my lodge was I fully aware of the phrase “The hills are alive with the sound of music”. There was an incredible natural symphony taking place before my ears. Now I can say very confidently, that before I went to Africa, I had never really heard such incredibly distinct and diverse sounds emanating from all sizes of insects. There were layers of sounds: grasshoppers providing the string section, pops and snaps from beatles and other unknown insects. I wrote a lot on that journey as everything was so awesome to me.That journey really taught me a lot. A lot about people, perspectives, expectations, how we all play into someone else’s games and most importantly, about myself. All of my journeys have given me great personal insight. More than anything, I feel that I have developed a confidence that I can overcome any obstacle of fear and that we can really have anything we want and can be anything we want to be ~ if we can overcome fear of the unknown.

Movies:

I enjoyed for various reasons the following movies: *****CRASH***** It is a very insightful peek into the dynamics of Los Angeles *****ONE LOVE***** Set in Jamaica Starring Cherine Anderson, the premise is a Rasta Youth falls head over heels in love with a preacher's daughter. *****I KNOW I AM NOT ALONE *****-a film by Michael Franti in which he travels and films his interactions in Gaza and the occupied state of Irag. This is a long and heavy experience, be prepared to see the historical perspective and the truth of daily living now. They went off the grid and out of the protection of the Green Zone and interacted with everyday local citizens. This NEEDS to be seen by all ~ Trust me

Books:

"Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts, Russell Banks "The Darling", "Rule of the Bone", "The Book Of Jamaica" Paulo Cuehlo "The Alchemist" Rohinton Mistery "A Fine Balance"

Heroes:

All the Peace Builders in the World, fighting for righteous Causes: Ghandi, Dalhi Lama, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Nelson Mandela, Haile Selassie, Bob Marley.

My Blog

Desiderata

This isn't so much of a blog as it is one of my credos. Ever since I was little this message was on our kitchen cabinet. I find it is a beautiful reminder of how to remain balanced. ~DESIDERATA~ Go pl...
Posted by Felicia on Tue, 06 Feb 2007 11:25:00 PST

Ziggy Marley at the Avalon in Hollywood

Last night I was  lucky enough to attend Ziggy Marley's show at the Avalon in Hollywood as he is on his "Love is My Religion" tour. While I didn't go with any intention of writing about it (so I ...
Posted by Felicia on Sun, 10 Dec 2006 10:07:00 PST