OddMusic's video: Hapi Drum visits Rwanda for a sonic exchange with post-genocide survivors

Gary Diggins purchased a Hapi Drum to use on a soundwork project, working with the wonderful non-profit organization known as: Between Four Eyes. http://www.btwn4eyes.org He brought his his Hapi Drum to Kigali, Rwanda, for an education workshop with AERG (Association of Student Survivors) from the National University of Rwanda. At a time when lack of peace urgently threatens individual and global survival, Between Four Eyes focuses on a novel approach in which mindful awareness-based education converges with the fields of peacebuilding and social transformation. Although there is no magic wand to rid the world of conflict and suffering, we believe that productive, thoughtful and compassionate conversations, based on mindfulness, can act as a catalyst to shape understanding, personal well-being and societal transformation. Between Four Eyes intends to make a supportive and innovative contribution to peacebuilding in conflict and post-conflict communities by encouraging new, healthier patterns of being that promote social and emotional intelligence. Our educational programs merge the humanities and sciences by teaching simple and practical mindfulness skills to community leaders, human services providers and educators open to receiving this new information. By helping people heighten their awareness of the mind, emotion and behaviors in the moment - being mindful - we can encourage new avenues of thinking and communication that directly address differences through a lens of understanding, kindness, compassion and empathy. We believe that for post conflict reconstruction to be sustainable it requires a deeper focus on the human connection and the training of awareness: thoughtfulness, reflection, discernment and love. We envision a future wherein: * The rich diversity of human qualities will be illuminated and understood as fundamental to the tolerance of differences among people of different cultural, historical, ethnic and religious backgrounds. * Coexistence is understood as a condition in which people have the ability to live side by side while maintaining unique cultural identities. * Individuals can reshape and nurture themselves utilizing compassion and empathy as the principal stewards for change. * Diverse members of the global community can integrate useful mindful awareness-based strategies to live more richly in their everyday life. Hapi Drum available at: http://www.HapiTones.com