Cultural Fusion Interviews

"A god can do it. But will you tell me how a man can penetrate through the lyre's strings?" Ranier Maria Rilke

I have had the opportunity to participate in Yvette Dubel's Cultural Fusion BlogTalkRadio Internet show during the past few months. Here are the three interviews/panel discussions I have done.



Blessings,

Eduardo Martinez

Self-Determination & the elections in El Salvador

"Love is ALL. ALL is Love. ALL is well." Eduardo Martinez

I've been reading about the civil disobedience movement & non-violence. Instead of non-violence I prefer the name peaceful-means, as it denotes a positive energy. It portrays more clearly what the objective is, versus what it is not.

As the elections in El Salvador happened this week, there was a campaign of mis-information in that country, as well as here in the USA. The media & right-wing party in El Salvador, & some of our senators & representatives here, were erroneously trying to convince people in El Salvador that the USA government would only approve of & work with that country if the people elected the right-wing party. To our credit, the USA State Department clarified that our government was committed to allowing self-determination for El Salvador, & that we would work with whomever won the elections there.

As I have been working with peaceful-means to conflict, I realized that one of the worst & most insidious forms of violence is not allowing a person, a community or a country to have their self-determination, the ability to choose freely, who they are & what they want. As in the case of the elections in El Salvador, maybe special & commercial interests pretend to hold people down with poverty (another insidious form of violence), or with their own government structure in place. But in the end, peaceful-means & truth have always won, paraphrasing Mahatma Gandhi...

Blessings,

Eduardo

Music & Social Justice: Let Peace Expand CD

"As musicians/healers, it is our destiny to conduct an inward search, & to document it with our music so that others may benefit. As they listen to the music coming through us, they too are inspired to look within. Light is being transmitted & received from soul to soul..." pp. 13, from Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within, by Kenny Werner

I highly recommend a CD I have been listening to lately, called 'Let Peace Expand.' It is the beautiful work/play of two friends right here in New Hampshire, USA, Lisa Murray & Cynthia Schroer. These are their own words about the CD:

"The Let Peace Expand CD grew out of a desire to contribute to the expansion of peace consciousness throughout the world. Lisa Murray began writing the songs contained on Let Peace Expand at the onset of the Iraq war with "Calling Mothers." The title song, "Let Peace Expand," emerged after hearing about grass-roots efforts to establish a U.S. Department of Peace. "Just a Little Good" was inspired after seeing Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

Along the way on this musical journey, Lisa teamed up with Cynthia Schroer to co-found a local "Peace Place" in New Hampshire. The Peace Place is a "start-where-you-are" peace action incubator where simple acts of peace building are discovered, encouraged, and promoted. Individuals and groups of all faiths and humanistic philosophies are welcome to use the Peace Place for personal and communal peace-making efforts, no matter how small they might appear. An example of Peace Place offerings is the monthly coffeehouses, which are hosted there to raise money through voluntary donations for various causes that support well-being around the world.

Cynthia's voice brings the songs on Let Peace Expand to life, with Lisa on acoustic piano. Cynthia views her vocal involvement with this CD as a continuation of her conscious use of voice for over twenty years to encourage others to connect with their own essence, a source of peace in the world.

The final track on the CD is simply "Peace." The hopeful words are set in a minor key, giving subtle reference to the fact that the work of peace is not always comfortable. "Peace" sums up Lisa and Cynthia's aspiration that the Let Peace Expand CD will move listeners to think, probe, heal, seek, and be inspired to create a landscape of peace within themselves, their communities, and the world.

To purchase a CD or to read more about Let Peace Expand, go to their website: Let Peace Expand.

Sound clips of the CD may be heard at:

Let Peace Expand @ CDBaby.com, where the CD may also be purchased."

Blessings,

Eduardo

Music & Social Justice: Amandla! DVD

A wonderful documentary about the power of music as an agent of social change. Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony is the story of the contribution of South African song & music in the anti-apartheid movement. There is plenty of music in this DVD, & surprisingly all of it is uplifting & moving. One of the producers commented that for some parts of the movie they were seeking more somber music, but could not find any! Vuyisile Mini (1920-1964) is one of the featured musicians, amongst many. He was executed by the South African government for expressing his dissent through his songs. I know of many musicians that give their lives to music, but few that would give their lives FOR their music, & freedom!

I am still going through the “extras” in the movie, including the director’s comments. There is also an interview with Dave Matthews, founder of the Dave Matthews Band, being a native of South Africa. Synchronistically I just found out last night as I was writing this blog, that Nelson Mandela was freed on a day like today, February 11, 1990. He eventually became the first South African freely-elected, post-apartheid president. I cannot but feel deeply the contribution that music made to the changed history of this nation.

Some additional websites with related information:

- Vuyisile Mini in Wikipedia

- Amandla! Singing Down Apartheid

- BBC's 1990 Headline: Mandela Freed!

"Amandla" is a Xhosa and Zulu word meaning "power", as the documentary demonstrates. It won multiple awards, including some at the Sundance Festival in 2002.

And by the way, the letters in the word "amandla" also spell "mandala" (meaning circle in Sanskrit) ...

Let me know if the documentary "spoke" to you as well :-)

Blessings,

Eduardo