Panjea Foundation for
Cultural Education
PANJEA - derives its name from the notion that at one time the
world and its continents were physically joined (Pangaea).
Panjea believes that through the sharing of ideas and open
cultural exchanges the world can once again become a new kind of
"Pangaea", united not by its physically joined continents but by
its people.
This site hopes to bring you into the world of Panjea.
From a mountain top in Zimbabwe on one of our cultural tours, to
a Panjea show at the 2000 Olympics, we hope to show you the
exciting diversity and positive reality that our organization
creates. As a band and a non-profit organization we hope to
promote the realization of humankinds unity and leave all who
come into contact with us with a greater sense of respect for
life.
Whether it is through our music or our many international
programs, we hope to create a healthier and a more balanced
future in which earth humans share their knowledge and wisdom
for the betterment of all. This site is a window into our
reality and we invite you to become a part of it.
We
also hold it to be true that we are connected with all of
creation and that what we do to it, we do to ourselves. Hence
the single pervading principle in all of Panjea's work:
"Reverence for Life and all of Creation". By realizing the
fundamental truth of our oneness Panjea believes that together
we can create a world of balance, compassion and understanding.
The Panjea
Foundation is an officially recognized 501c3 non-profit
organization.
PANJEA CULTURAL SCHOOL IN ZIMBABWE
Goals and objectives
1) To provide a place where the ancient traditions of Zimbabwe
can be preserved and taught ensuring their survival through the
current age of modernization. 2) To
create a low impact form of "cultural tourism" or "eco tourism"
through which visitors experience Zimbabwe on Zimbabwean terms,
living as closely as possible to the way Zimbabweans do. We hope
to establish a form of tourism which has the highest respect to
the people of Zimbabwe and their traditions and where a equal
amount of respect is shared between the host and the visitor.
3) To facilitate the exploration and
implementation of balanced and sustainable ways of living
through: appropriate technology, permiculture and medicine in
order to enrich the people and land of Zimbabwe.
4) To promote cultural exchange in which the
wisdom and strengths of various cultures can be openly shared to
find better ways of living. To begin, these exchanges will focus
in the areas of music dance and spirituality.
Achievements
Since its' incorporation in September 1998 the Panjea Foundation
helped to foster the exchange of diverse forms of cultural
expression between Americans and people from traditional
cultures, especially Africa. This includes music and dance, oral
history and spiritual beliefs and practices. The foundation is
committed to making these opportunities accessible to as broad
an audience as possible through scholarships and community out
reach. So far The Foundation has achieved some of its'
objectives through the following activities:
1) Cultural Tours in Zimbabwe The Panjea
Foundation has conducted educational cultural travel programs
focusing on the various forms of cultural expression mentioned
above. Local experts were called to provide informative
lectures, demonstrations, performances, lessons, and guided
tours. In addition, participants observe and participate in
traditional ceremonies that demonstrate the interplay between
cultural expression and spiritual beliefs and practices. Three
such journeys have been conducted to date. The three week trips
have focused on the role of music, dance and spirituality in the
traditional culture of the Shona people.
2) African Music, Dance and Cultural Seminars The
Panjea Foundation sponsors a five-day annual "Bantu Camp" in
Sante Fe, New Mexico, USA. The Bantu camp employs master
musicians, dancers and other teachers from various countries in
Africa to create a learning village in which people can
experience African culture through music and dance.
3) Educational Programs in Schools Panjea has
provided many educational programs, seminars and performances
for a diverse group of youths. Students learn about African
music, dance and culture through a "hands on" approach by
actively participating in workshops and performances.
4) Construction of Cultural Center The Panjea
Foundation, working with the Kanhurikwa Cultural Society opened
the Rugarre Cultural Center built by Fambidzanai Permaculture
Project in the village of Chirisere. The facilities include a
two story round house that can accommodate 20 people, a rural
kitchen, two toilets and two bathroom facilities. The Foundation
held the official opening of the center on August 11th 1999. The
event was attended by over 1000 people including some Americans
who were on Panjea's Educational Travel Program. Also in
attendance were the two district chiefs for the area, district
counselors, Justice Enoch Dumbutshena and a host of spirit
mediums from the region including two Mhondoro spirits, Sekuru
Mandere and Sekuru Chikokwa.
 Plan
of Action 2000-2002
1) Seminars: Holding week to month long seminars which employ
the skills of Zimbabwean musicians, artists, historians and
traditional healers and spirit mediums whose knowledge and
skills are being threatened by modernization and loss of
tradition. 2) Scholarships: Panjea hopes
to be able to open its travel programs up by providing
scholarships to those who could not normally afford the trip.
This would include school children, low income earning
individuals and minorities. Panjea also hopes to hold trips that
are more group specific such as bringing a group of African
Americans or a group of women that would focus on women in
Zimbabwe. 3) Implementation of
Permaculture Systems and Appropriate Technology: The Panjea
Foundation is also planning to have trips where individuals
skilled in Permaculture and other forms of appropriate
technology such as solar energy can be sponsored and brought to
the center to facilitate workshops. Sponsored individuals would
exchange their skills with local Zimbabwean who are interested
in these forms of technology. While doing this we hope that the
center will become an example of long term environmentally sound
forms of sustainable living. 4) Further
construction: To continue with construction of the center by
adding the following facilities;
A) classroom, workshop and lecture space
B) an open-air thatched area for dance workshops, outdoor
performances and leisure.
C) desperately needed at the center is a bore hole as
currently the only water source is a great distance from the
center and is shared by the entire village.
The Panjea Foundation is an officially
recognized 501c3 non-profit organization.
Cultural Tours to Zimbabwe |
