Tukumbo, Malawi.
After an 8 hour trip north, we were greeted at Aleke Banda's cottage in the dark by women dancing with great exuberance. That alone was worth 70 hours of travel. But just behind the cottage before our vans even arrived were the men singing dancing and drumming with the spirit that I dream of. Many of us wept with the astounding love given direclty to us through song and dance. We had come home to Masankho's village. Many of felt we really were home.

Beautiful Lake Malawi and this nothern area is the cradle of our species. The earliest human remains are found in Northern Malawi. The people here live that amazing breadth between ancient timeless community to cell phone entrenpenuersship. Young men have playful code names like Mel Gibson and John Howard.

The first full day we went on a tour of the village beginning with meeting the man who was newly given the chief's responsibility (out of his family line). Many of these folks have next to no income. I know that they are called poor, but I do not see that right now. I only see faces which are warm and truly open. Love. Children and animals flock to my daughter Katie and already seem to know her name.

Touring the KUDO projects. The power of our group and of this meeting is miraculous. We can see how resources are supporting education, health and women, YES! I know our relationship will bear fruit far beyond our imaginings. Emily Chintu, the Executive Director and our guide/interpreter is an ambassador of visionary proporations for her people. Just like Masankho and his family here are people who take next to nothing and create dignity and hope for many.

Guiding the spirit of the group with InterPlay body wisdom is a privilege. I am suprised at how much I know about traveling through the world with ease. What a gift to be able to share so simply and effiiciently. Traveling from village to village I was overjoyed as we really did become a kind of kinesthetic United Nations.

But it took three of us to lead a trip with this much grace. 40 people is a Big group. Masankho did a fanastic job. On his birthday we were picked up at noon and taken to a special place, a hot springs where he dreams of having a retreat center and later he showed us a place on the lake alongside his parents cottage where he hopes to build one for himself and future guests.

A third of us struggled with a viral infection that knocked us on our butt. We think we caught it in London. One afternoon both Phil and I sat on the veranda while Rich Citrin warmed everyone up and Masankho led the group through the InterPlay session. InterPlay was incredibly useful in helping us remember, exform, and share what we were experiencing. The gift for me was that a little girl named GRACE came and sat with me as we drew and played with a bag of little toys I carried around my neck.

One day we traveled to Nkata Bay where the first missionaries were buried, Scottish Presbyterains. I was surprised to learn that they are regarded as people who helped to end the slave trade here. You hear so much about the harm of colonialization. Once again ambiguity in all the cross-polinating. In the same area we heard the first hand accounts of a peaceful protestor who was caught in the crossfire of English and South African gunfire decades ago that killed a number of local people.

Even with our group there is no way not to affect people. I only hope the presence of so many American and Australians leaves a memory of grace. Our resources and western thinking is so FULL. We spill over without thinking about it. The gift of InterPlay is as Aleke Bande, Masankho's father, a member of Parliment and the founder of Kudo who has 110 self help projects in his district said, ~I am impressed that this gorup has blended in so well. It is like you have been here 10 years.~

With a common desire to meet and learn about people and to dance with them, we had three days of dance sessions, learning both mens and womens dances. Our willingness to dance had a profound affect. A guy that Jonathan befriended said ~I never thought anyone would come here to learn OUR dances.~ As I danced alongside one woman I began to focus on the song. Moni Moni Moni (Hello Hello Hello) The women sing so full out. Nothing in their voice is restrained. Its wonderful. They are not worried about their singing and dancing. But the best part was looking into her face while she was teaching me. She was so incredibly open.

The children observed us do InterPlay to help us process our experience. They replicate our deep breaths and sighs and know we are their playmates.

Desert for the trip was going to a game park where Hippos, Elephant, and Gazelle magically appeared.

The days were so rich and full I find it hard to write this much. But soon the stories will come spilling forth.

Read Alison Luterman's blog at see how we almost fly for some beautiful recountings.


Cynthia