Music and Community: The power to heal

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I'm now in Mombasa, but I'm transcribing what I wrote in my journal on that day:

I just heard and saw the most amazing thing tonight! Egan, Annie, faith and I were walking back from Petley's (a local bar). When we got to Milimamni (our house) we saw Lia outside the house next door. She was just standing there watching and listening. Inside the house there were a ton of men. the room was packed and the lights were out. The men were singing/ chanting and sort of dancing. Lia said they'd been singing for at least 30-45 min. before we got there. The music was so powerful and beautiful.

We found out from one of the ladies that had gathered that a woman inside was sick and all the men from the surrounding homes had gathered there to try to heal her. At one point they all knelt and sang while dipping like they were praying. The song must have been to Allah, 'cause that's the only word I understood.

I was amazed at the beauty, power and energy of it all and that was while standing outside. I can only imagine what it was like in that room. While I stood there and marveled at it all, I couldn't help but think of how little importance and faith we, in Western culture and in the US especially , place on the power of positive energy to heal. It was also amazing to see the neighborhood come together to heal her. I jsut can't adequately put into words how to describe what it felt like standing outside that house while the music of the men washed over me. AMAZING!!!!

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