WELCOMING THE STRANGER

Welcoming the Stranger is an interactive cultural 3-hour workshop that motivates teen and adult participants to develop their intellect, refine their emotions, understand the cultural and creative nature of musical artistry, and make connections among music, creative writing, visual arts and movement as important aspects of healing.
The facilitator delivers a performance/demonstration using her percussion and wind instruments (drums, shakers, bells, flutes) and their country of origin. Participants explore percussion instruments provided by the project and interact with the facilitator to better understand how to play the instruments. Participants form small ensembles to play improvisational pieces.
The facilitator offers background history on the Funga rhythm and the Funga Alafia song. The facilitator guides participants to play the different parts of the Funga rhythm. The rhythm is composed of specific patterns that are formed by striking the center, right and left side of the drum head. These patterns were codified by Nigerian Master Drummer Babatunde Olatunji who had a tremendous influence in African American cultural drumming and dance forms. Drums, bells, shakers, and voice combine to create a soothing and festive environment that is inclusive, respectful, and accepting of LGBTQ sexual assault survivors.
Funga Alafia is the West African welcome song. As strangers approach a village they display the palms of their hands to show that they have no weapons. Next they cross their arms over their chest to let the villagers know that they come in peace. This dance movement is followed by a salute to the four directions. The last dance movement allows dancers to improvise and display their dance skills.

The facilitator, Nancy Lorenza Green is a bilingual Afro-Chicana artist from El Paso, Texas and Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua. Ms. Green has been playing bamboo flutes and percussion instruments for over 40 years. She attended Brandeis University in Massachusetts and for 23 years lived in the Boston area where she learned the Olatunji method for playing drum rhythms. She also began writing poetry, performing music and spoken word. She obtained her Master’s degree in Education from Cambridge College in Massachusetts.

Since she returned to El Paso 25 years ago, she has been active in the arts community. She worked as the Arts in Education Coordinator for the City of El Paso Arts Resources Department, as a teaching/performing artist with the Ysleta Independent School District Arts Alive Program, as a coaching artist with VSA Texas and presented at the VSA International Conference in Washington, D.C.