Namaskar - Apr09

Yoga Event
Music that Heals the
Heart & Soul
Michele Cempaka
Yoga, dance and music – the elements
which speak to our inner being and
bring us joy – will be featured at the
annual Balispirit Festival which is now in its
second year. An inspiring line-up of
international and local masters will
collaborate to create a space for people to
come together and celebrate the good energy
we all experience when we get in touch with
our bodies through dance and yoga, and
allow the power of music to uplift and
empower us.
This year’s festival will be held April 28 th –
May 3 rd at The Bali Purnati Centre for the
Arts in Batuan, just 10 minutes South of
Ubud. Every evening will feature an
impressive line-up of world renowned
musicians who have interwoven their music
with raising awareness about social issues
around the world. Two notable artists: Tony Khalife and Rocky Dawuni have a deep
commitment to bringing the message of peace and love to the world.
Tony Khalife grew up in war-torn Beirut, Lebanon, where there was a constant threat of
death and little hope for a better life free from war and violence. He was drafted at age 11
and experienced the devastation of war first-hand. During the lulls in the fierce battle in the
streets of Beirut, Tony taught himself how to play Beatles songs using a song book. When
he was 14 years old Iraq hit the Addison building next door to him. Shrapnel went into the
wall and the pressure from the explosion threw his bed on top of him. There was rubble
everywhere and he realized how lucky he was to have survived. Afterward, he slowly came
out from under the mattress and saw that his arm raised straight up with his guitar still in
his hand. By the time he was 20, he understood that he needed to get out of Beirut and
start a new life, so he applied to the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles,
California, where he was accepted on a music visa.
“Musicians have the capacity to raise the consciousness of the world,” says Tony. “I see an
interactive participation between the musician and the audience which raises the level of
Chi.”
Rocky Dawuni, who originally hales from Ghana, is also very committed to raising
awareness about social issues. He feels he serves as a bridge between the people of Africa
and the people of the USA. In line with this, he spends half the year in Ghana and the
other half in Los Angeles, California.
“Growing up in Africa, my perspective was based on that culture. Many children of Africa
who were taken as slaves have grown up in many different countries, so they have no
connection to Africa. In terms of the modern world, the people of Africa carry the scars.
Being able to travel and live in both worlds has enabled me to learn about people’s
different perspectives. Through the medium of music, I’ve been able to bring people
together,” says Dawuni.
Tony Khalife feels strongly that certain types of music can create a human interaction which
is healing. When people experience this, they immediately feel a sense of kinship. Contrary
to this, Khalife feels that pop music blocks your entire consciousness – it doesn’t take your
soul on a journey.
A kindred spirit, Dawuni is the creator and headliner of the annual festival ‘Rocky Dawuni
Independence Splash’ which is held every March 6 th in his native Ghana. The annual event
attracts up to 30,000 people every year and has become the rallying point for his extensive
humanitarian and advocacy work on clean water, HIV AIDS, poverty eradication and girl
child education issues.
TONY KHALIFE FROM LEBANON WILL BE AT
“Impediments are ways to build our strength. These impediments can help us to become
wiser and stronger. I believe in the power of conversion. You are your world. As painful as
reality can be, we have the ability to overcome it,” says Dawuni.
Khalife has metabolized all of his angst and channeled it into his music, which he says is a
blend of all the places he’s lived or traveled to. His inspirational music is a harmonic
combination of Middle Eastern, Indian, “speak my truth” Rock ‘n roll, Jazz and integrated
elemental world music.
“Music has the ingredients to heal because it’s a vibration. That vibration can raise people
up. I was in touch with this on a daily basis,” says Khalife. His album, The Music Shelter,
tells Tony’s story with fearless honesty and, in doing so, tells the story of millions of
children whose lives have been torn by war and redeemed by love and music.
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