Tapestry

Tapestry

Something I wrote on a recent travel to California on my website:

http://gbesungu.com/2013/09/20/tapestry/

On a swiveling seat in the observation lounge of the California Zephry, watching the beautiful scenery go by, contemplating the fascination humans have for adventure, the allure of new experiences, the passion for travel, the need for movement, and the yearning for the unknown, I could hear a lady and a gentleman directly behind me facing the other direction earnestly discussing their immense hardships of going through divorce. With a slight touch of humor from the gentleman he wished looking back the proceedings leading to his divorce had been more amicable, and before the lady could finish her statement in support, a woman three seats away joined the conversation.

My head slightly turned, I could see the face of the lady who joined in the conversation. Her voice echoing nothing but lamentation, in no less than a minute or two she had shared with the others and those of us within hearing range her complete frustrations with her husband, mental breakdown, his abuses, deceit, unfaithfulness in the marriage on both ends, and short of explicit details the weight she bears physically and psycho-emotionally of the non success of their marriage; “a twenty five years investment living my life through others” as she puts it whether through her husband or their children. She is on this train to visit a sister she has not seen for twenty five years. She met her husband when she was fourteen years old, starting having babies when she was fifteen and now at the age of forty five she is ready to live “her life”

Unable to bear listening to her pain, as she was starting to reveal explicit details, I left the lounge and when I got to my seat could not help but wonder why? having met another couple at lunch a few hours before who were heading to San Francisco to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. At lunch we talked about the “exoticness” of Africa, yearly camping trips with their kids, track reunions in different parts of the country she enjoys accompanying her husband to (he was an athlete in college). The following morning before breakfast, I sat with the husband who shared more details about their family, their children and his love for woodworking. When the wife joined us, we discussed deforestation in Africa and Brazil, urban population explosion,  the situation of Native Americans and a little bit about music and culture. They informed me of how much they are loving the trip especially the wonderful people they are meeting for example a Dutch couple who are traveling the United States for the first time and have been crisscrossing the country.

Not long after, I stroke a brief conversation with a young English couple who are on vacation in the U.S and have six more nights before heading back to their city between Manchester and Liverpool. She loves the Liverpool Football team, he is a Manchester United die hard, we joked on how do they live together? Well they could beat on me since I was a supporter of Manchester City last year, and this year my loyalties are up for grabs.

At a smoke break in Reno-Nevada I caught up with another young man whom I had exchanged pleasantries with since he was carrying a musical instrument. Come to learn he graduated college and went to Europe travelled for a year and is heading home to California. The instrument he was carrying was a Viola he is learning to play since he wanted to have a portable instrument to travel with, and for sure he has some great stories about that instrument: playing for a group of drunk guys in Spain? Is one for the books.

Three nights on the train and on the last stretch of the journey to Palo-Alto, on Caltrain, I sat next to two University lecturers from Europe attending a conference at Standford University.  We were on the same train from Grand Junction-CO.  She lives in Paris, he lives in  Vienna, and they are lovebirds? We interchanged conversations from French to English about things to do in the Bay Area and which cities have great music, where to find live Jazz in San Francisco.

Resting my head to sleep after a warm welcome by my host in Palo Alto, I thought about many times have I traveled on the California Zephyr arguably the most scenic train route in these United States, always guaranteed a spectacular beauty of varied landscapes from East to West, meeting people, catching or witnessing a few stories along the way, of those I’ve met and many more fellow travellers whose final detraining station is the start of another journey, whose life’s stories, be it one of heartache, pain, joy, celebration, or otherwise have affected mine; covering the spectrum of human emotions, I cannot but help to imagine how these individual stories are all woven into the tapestry of the one story of humanity.

Happy Women's Day

As we celebrate International Women's Day, may we in our everyday lives continue to celebrate, cherish and value the contributions of women in making the world a better place. 

Ours is a world where there is no choice of an imagined future of security, prosperity and peace where women's talents, capacity and insights can be ignored. No remedy of our psychological headaches, emotional heartaches and mental agitations without due consideration, marked improvements or a complete overhaul of our general attitudes towards womankind. No durable appreciation of our comforts and achievements without  regard of the rights of women whose plight remain unheard, whose dreams are dashed, imprisoned by outdated cultural norms, or whose very existence is falsely considered a treat to human progress.

The realization supported by empirical evidence of great advancements society enjoys when women are given the chance to participate fully in the life of society gives us an opportunity to rethink our assumptions about the nature of humanity as whole, as well as provides an impetus for a wholehearted embrace toward creating an environment where their latent talents, capacities and virtue can be harnessed for the general good, resulting in the well-being of all. 

 On this auspicious day, as we pray for those in anguish, as we work to relieve the suffering of those in bondage, as we heal the wounds of those who've suffered abuse and violence of all kinds, as we open our hearts, minds and souls to let the light of love and compassion shine, let us do our very best in building a glorious future.
 May we adore the women in our lives, hold them dearly in our hearts, offer them a loving smile, comfort them, lend them a helping hand so that each and every one of them, our mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts may see themselves as the Angels they truly are.

Happy Women's Day

Story behind the Song: Shadows 

It took some time for research, putting resources together, and getting the right people to record the song  Shadows. Now that the song is been released for digital download, some have asked what is the story behind the song?
A short version of that story is on the sales page on bandcamp.com. which basically says its the exploration of stories about women and girls who mostly bear the brunt of headline stories and yet their own stories of untold sacrifices, heroic accomplishments and sheer perseverance hardly makes headlines, like shadows, ever present faintly talked about.

In researching the songs (Shadows is one song in a series exploring this theme), I looked at a number of headlines and stories from various media outlets in print and online, majority of the stories were about men, or related to men, very few stories on women, even the stories about women were either to support or sabotage the story of some man/men. This caught my interest, and I wanted to write about this intrigue, however I did not want to write from a "voice of women" perspective nor from an "expert on women affairs" point of view either.

Knowing of the power of impressions and impact of characters in narrating stories, I thought it best to share the insights gained in looking at the ever present difficulties, hardships, and inequality women face around the world from the viewpoint of characters. In the case of Shadows; a young girl who is an amalgam of the stories of war and hardships of war as it relates to women and girls became the best medium to write the song .

During research, be it talking to women friends of mine, some of whom I invited for coffee or tea and they thought I was asking them out, to reading and surfing the net (some friends thought I was creating a good excuse to look at photos of beautiful women ) to spending a lot of time at Barnes and Noble drinking hot coco reading books like Half the Sky, Well-Behaved Women Never Make History etc, and getting some snobbish stares "Why is the guy with Rastafarian hair reading feminist books?" at least one thing is clear we need more discourse on Women and Women issues.

As an Artist, as one who expresses himself best in the written word and through musical artistry , my intention is, I hope the little contributions I make can generate discussions, evoke contemplation and inspire action in the creating of conducive environments and provision of greater opportunities for Women in our shared goal  toward a world of true equality (complimentary not sameness) of an ever advancing civilization.

Summer Prospects

Bench Abdu'l-Baha sat in 1912 visiting Minneapolis-MN

Its summer time, birds wing their flights to festive corners of the globe, cities are booming with activities,  airways, seaways, roads, and railways  are busy with vacationers and visitors heading to dream destinations; some to fancy retreats and customary locales, temperatures are up, beaches are excited to welcome displays  of six-pack bodies, and above all the adventurous spirits are unleashed.

As for me the goal is simple, travel the west coast of U.S.A, reunite with old friends, make new friends and play music for all the enthusiastic fans out there.

So its time to hit the road... Seattle-WA first  stop.

Another perspective

Having been on the road with Munirih Sparrow traveling and sharing music, its always heart warming to hear of what others say, their perspective on what we do. So much encouragement and support from the friends, their kindness, hospitality, generosity and love has been tremendous. We feel blessed to be able to share with the world our gift, doing what we love doing.

Here is an article for Shiprock/Farmington  that Jeff worked up. Wow!


MUNIRIH SPARROW & GUSTAFF BESUNGU:
TROUBADORS of ONE WORLD


Munirih Sparrow & Gustaff Besungu are fast becoming rising stars of international music & storytelling. As seasoned performers, recently they
have been performing together as troubadors of intercultural and inter-racial harmony with a compelling spiritual message.

Munirih’s musical roots arise from her Canadian prairie homeland & its soulful voice and native storytellers; while Gustaff hales from a long heritage of traditional drum players, dancers & story-catchers from Cameroon, West Central Africa. Yet both have branched off into East-West & international music, with a strong focus on Baha’i songs & Writings--displaying a far-reaching repertoire.

Inspired by these diverse sources, they are fashioning a new kind of musical sound & launching fresh themes & even new performance methods.

Munirih’s richly textured voice travels up and down the musical ladder to make intimate & meaningful connections with the audience; Gustaff’s deep-rooted voice & drumming draws listeners and participants into the heart of his time-honored rhythms & wisdom. Combining gifts, they bring into being transformational music.

Likewise, they intersperse their performances with teaching stories and invite the audience to accompany them on a spiritual journey through
interactive dialogue and singalongs. Traditional African folk songs, world wide music & Baha’i verses intermingle and are woven together with the
oneness of God, humankind, & all the world’s religions. Unity in diversity is the keynote.

Beauty after the storm

Yesterday we had a wonderful time at the Albuquerque Bahai center. What a delightful group. The music was great, the interaction cheerful, filled with humor; in celebration of Love. After snacks, engaging in light conversation, making acquaintances and being treated to a heart full dinner, it was time to go home and rest for the night.  

Our host was our driver, a very careful, diligent driver she was; we got caught in a snow storm as we drove up the mountain to Edgewood-NM from Albuquerque. High winds blowing snow directly into our path, semi-trucks and trucks getting off the road, some coming to a standstill others plowing through slowly. Now and again we got one of those crazy drivers swerving in and out of lanes for their respect of life and common sense driving skills under such conditions was out the window. Outside temperatures so inconsiderate to someone like me who is accustomed to the sunny weather of the Sunshine State (go Key West), snow on windshield and wipers quickly turn to ice. A typical 30 minutes drive took us about an hour to get home.

By the grace of the Almighty and skills of our host and driver, we got home safely.  I drank a cup of tea and slept like a baby. This morning, it was pristine outside, beautiful, and an inspiring landscape of snow to salute me.  I thought “What a view, what a beauty after the storm,” and it got me thinking: sometimes in our lives we get caught in a “snow storm,” our energies are drained, we lose our sense of purpose and feel lost and burdened, because we are not sure when the storm will pass away, but if we keep steady, become alert and weather the storm with patience, diligence and a powerful belief in hope, then we get to see the beauty after the storm, we get to enjoy life in its fullest, for no matter how long the storm stays, it will eventually give way for the beauty that ensue.

The Magic of Kindness

We've traveled so far from Gainesville to Tallahassee, all the way to Pensacola, back to Gainesville via Navarre, and now Atlanta-GA  where we are getting ready for a cozy evening of a musical presentation.

Along the way, its been very clear the power of kindness, genuine support, love and encouragement we've received in all the places. No matter the crowd, the diversity of circumstances nor the level of intimacy we have with the communities, there have been a constant show of kindness beyond words.

Musical Road Trip

Photo Courtesy of Cristina Cabezas Eury. Munirih Sparrow and Gustaff @ Gainesville Baha'i Center

It began with a Facebook message from a friend, then to Facebook connections, emails, Skype, and finally phone calls, that led to this musical journey which has begun on such a good footing.

Two musicians (I from Cameroon) and Munirih Sparrow from Canada, who had never met each other, and I dare say never heard of each other until a few weeks back when our travel itinerary was being put together, are able to go on stage and share a magical moment, a conversation of hearts to hearts in an environment of complete awe and enthusiastic support. That is the power of belief, the allure of the language of music.

Gainesville-Florida was a wonderful beginning to this journey that will take us from Florida to California, a veritable sprint of performance schedule, an avenue of spiritual and personal development and a glorious opportunity to share with the world the one thing we know and do best: playing music to awaken spirits, uplift hearts and inspire souls.

Its an endeavor sincerely calling on those we meet to examine our path of service to humanity, share in our joys and wonder of the source of our inspiration and join in the desire and efforts to transform humanity, sharing a vision that speaks to the higher ideals of every illumined soul.

This musical road trip we will share with our family, friends, fans and loved ones who are not able to travel with us using avenues of communication available to us. Hence this blog will be one of those avenues where you can become acquainted with the developments, happenings and excitements of our travel.

Please have us in your prayers and loving thoughts.

As always your encouragement and great support is the lifeblood of what we do.

Stay tuned, stay connected.

Tallahassee here we come...

Believer

I am not an Angel or a Saint
Nor does that make a Devil or Satan
I am a Believer,
In the transforming power of Goodness

Woman's World?

Bound by unfairness and fear, she has no place to go
She is been trampled by those who dread her inner light
To crush her spirit they’ve killed or buried her children alive
Her nakedness frightens, prompts obsession and insanity, they say.
If she raises her voice the world will hear her, so they silence her
Keep her shut and imprisoned,
She is given no freedom, no space of her own,
She is trained to be submissive, shy, and dependent and to become the best slave,
We are slaves to ourselves; others have expanded their prisons to engulf the rest of us

“She is a woman,” they say,
In alleys and hallways, smoked filled rooms, in brick mortar houses, at round table discussions, in upscale offices and in lavish resorts; they decide her fate while she sits on a street corner begging for change, begging for her life.
Her ailing infant knows no taste of breast milk,
Fountains of life dried out;
Malnutrition and enslavement besiege her frail body like a drought-affected-vine of the Sahara desert.

She works day and night to keep the fire burning from a little wood pile of which she had risked rape and abuse to get miles and kilometers away. A bottle of water is a luxury she stumbles on through the struggles of a stranger who cared to sympathize.
Is this her fate, is this her way of life and is she to accept this reality?
Are we to say this is her reality?

She was born under unlucky stars, so the god's have proclaimed?
Given for money, given to bring forth more children, given away not to shame the family name.
She is given away
Free labor for a man's every pleasure and desire, she is given.
Belabor her every nerve, let her not see the dreams of her soul, or let her light shine.
We care not for what she has to contribute, we care but for what she has to do for us,
After all, she is a mother, a wife, a sister, and a caregiver.

She is supposed to be the resource that satisfies our every whim,
Our prostitute who fulfills our outrageous fantasies,
She’s been coaxed to believe she is a gratification bowl to wash our faces,
She has to toil in the fields and in every other harsh working site to feed our bellies,
She is expected to tame our egos,
Bolster our righteousness,
And above all she is to blame for our failures, headaches and heartaches.

Are we mindful of her dreams, when her views are unwelcomed in the midst of thinkers, visionaries and those who inspire?
Who is she to have a say in the prosperity of humankind? Is been the centuries old question.
Who is she to challenge our world view?
Who is she to articulate her plight?
She is a woman and thus is believed to be her world?

Stories are stories

Untold Stories

She raises her hand in prayer
And asks for things to help reach her peak
Where are the roads, the cleared up paths?
Her eyes beaming the sufferings she’d known
The struggles she has endured
Her child on a worn out cloth,
Weeping eyes dried of tears
Her stomach begs for survival far from sustenance
Is she to cry or crawl under a wasted sheet
Where hope is in drops of hydration?

A beggar in tattered clothes leans on a brick wall
And asks for loose change
A passerby sighs at such a sight
Offers pennies and signs on for pity’s sake
Others spite such circumstances which bear no resemblance
To a well developed society
A little girl in pretty clothes asks her father
Are these the forgotten?

A young boy plays in the dust,
His brother ravaging through waste searching for treasure in a refuse dump,
on the hillside in a city clamoring in boom and growth.
Jungle of concrete sprout its head in every corner, tangling its citizens, amplifying vapid lives.

A young man begs for the days of spring
And wish for stars to brighten up the sky.
A little girl ponders the job of a soldier aunt that serves its queen.
A mother smiles at the warmth of a fireplace
A father looks out across the meadow and contemplates
A writer sits in an unknown corner ready
To write untold stories.

The Light in You

Let the light of your face, mirror a thousand words
And the presence of your being, a solace of hearts
May the ages of wisdom come alive in your existence
So that your charm, and your beauty
Be as a divine rose,
Nourished by tenderness of the Master Gardener

“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I see your beauty.”

Let your gentle smiles light up the world
And may your works lighten the burden
Of every tired soul
With each step, and with each song,
Let it echo in the souls of all...

“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I see your beauty.”

Mother

In celebration of Mothers, Happy Mother's Day.

Mother

Days have passed and years gone by
That make memories grow with every passing day
So wise and precious, I say
I am your child who'll forever come by
To thank you for being my mother ever so lovely

She

She is lovely and she is bright
She makes me laugh and dry my tears
She is the one I dream of and who makes my dreams come true
She is, and she was

A woman, once a girl with high hopes
A woman, once a girl who knew no limits
A woman, the daughter of a man who knew the value of a Woman
Today she stands as a beacon of light, making the world a better place

I wish I could say so for all her sisters all over the world.

Accomplished Individual

Accomplished is a word I have been thinking of lately, or let me say could not sleep last night because that word kept buzzing in my head, and showed up in my dreams. Oh what a sweet dream.

Who is an accomplished individual? Someone of great achievements? The worth of an accomplishment, is that on face value or the story of the individual matters more?

Lets look at Mary and Jane my fictional Love interests, and lets say an Accomplished lady in academics is what I am looking for. Someone with an equivalent or higher degree.

Stunning Mary and Jane walks into a room in good spirit and smiling faces. As soon as they introduce themselves by name, the next question I have for them is "What degrees are you working on?" Well its a student environment so pardon my rudeness.

Jane is working on a Bachelors degree in Computer sciences. Mary on the other hand is a Ph.D student in Chemical Engineering, specifically Catalysis. My accomplishment light bulb goes on. Whom do you think I will fall for? The obvious candidate is Mary, so I invite her to a corner, we sit down and converse on chemical elements, organic chemistry, and the importance of chemistry in our daily lives. She enlightens me on catalysis, her projects and why she decided to study chemical engineering.

We say our goodbyes and looking forward to meet again.By evenings end I have learned about Mary:
-Brilliant and very studious, has always been a straight A student
- Her parents are Physicians ( A Surgeon and a Pediatrician)
-They had set-up a college fund for her. She got fantastic scholarship opportunities.
-She is a hardworking lady and has very specific and lofty goals to achieve.
-She has traveled the world and worked for a prestigious company before deciding to pursue a higher degree in chemical engineering.

On the way home,dandy and happy, I tell my friend Fred about Mary and he tells me about Jane:
-Jane's parents divorced when she was 12.Her mother died when she was 20.
-She worked odd jobs for a while and finally got a stable job as an assistant teacher.
-She is a brilliant student but not straight A's student
-Finally got a scholarship to study in College after three years of trying.
-Her biggest dream is to teach computer sciences at a Community College.

Now back to that word Accomplishment, an Accomplished individual. How does it play out with Jane and Mary now? Will this keep me up another night, with another sweet dream?

Numbers and Letters

1, 2, and 3...
I think these numbers mean something
I look into them
A, B,and C...
I think these letters make sense
I look for them
After all everything I know has to do with numbers and letters
So I count in numbers
And say in letters
and find meaning in Numbers and Letters.

Reality?

I am a man of many faces
Have been to so many places
And seen so many faces
Sad on smiles and smiles of sadness
I was born to die and die to be born again
If everything between my birth and death is an illusion
Why do I keep chasing my fantasies?
Is there a hidden truth in them
Or I my a ghost after its own shadow?
I hide from my dreams only to realize I have been sleeping all these while.

Shadows

Sometime ago, I was thinking about the suffering of mankind and I wanted to write something about it. Music being the best way I express myself, I decided to pen down the words for a sad/contemplative song. The image of a suffering little girl to me epitomizes the heartlessness that mankind can lay upon itself, also women and children especially young girls bare the brunt of the adversities afflicting humanity.

The words are:

Patterns in circles (There are)
Stories in lines (There are)
Everywhere I go I see these shadows on the wall

She leans on a shattered wall
Half-light on her face
Mother, Father, Sister and Brother
Lifeless on the floor

A painful tear on a tender face
Whose eyes have seen the worst of days

From a place of emptiness:
Is there a chance for hope to stay?

I have solicited the help of an amazing pianist Afshin Toufighian- http://www.afshin.us to work on the song.
From the little we've done, he gets the emotion behind the imagery. We've not decided on what to do with the song once its complete apart from making it available to people in some form.
If you have ideas please share. Your input is highly valued.

Shade of Blue

Shades of blue, shades of green, shades of emerald blue
Velvet clothe in white, bathe by the sun in yellow tan
Blazed red magenta highlights that shade hidden in the shadows of blue.

Salue!!!!

It's been a while since I penned a few words. I have been busy trying to get myself back up and running. For those who are healthy please appreciate your health and take great care of yourself. Be Healthy, be Happy and live life to the fullest.

I my recovered yet? No, but there are great improvements and I hope I find out what is going on. However I am learning some interesting abilities of my body.

How grateful and thankful I am to those who've been and continue to be of tremendous support and encouragement is beyond words. May your lives be filled with abundance and great blessings.

Looking forward to sharing with you the latest projects:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/gbphaay
(The music CD collaboration with Ali Youssefi and Pam Hill)

"Isn't She Something?"- The novel which will be available soon,sometime in June.

Wish you well and let the charms of Happiness Grace your lives.
Salue!!!