Using art as a tool for spirituality

A shrine is a place where people gather to engage in ritual. A ritual is a way of connecting with the world that exists beyond the physical, tangible, and visible. People engage in ritual to heal, to remember their source and celebrate their greatness and/or seek guidance. There are different types of rituals e.g., radical rituals for repair of the damaged human psyche, and regular rituals to celebrate the existing connection with the spiritual world.

One way of accessing the spiritual world outside the realm of organized religion is through art. Art has the potential to provide inner consciousness not accessed by drugs and other external healing modalities. Through art, an individual is transported to the inner world. It is in the inner world that humans muster the courage required for deep healing.

As a way of creating awareness on the transformative healing power of art, Afrika Ikalafe is hosting a series of monthly gatherings (virtual and/or physical) focusing on a variety of art forms. In this seminar series, western trained health practitioners will work in close collaboration with spiritual healers as well as artists such as writers, musicians, painters, poets, and dancers.

In the Afrika Ikalafe Shrine, an artist, doctor, and traditional healer will work together to help people face and heal their inner wounds. A master drummer and musician can work with a cardiologist to heal the heavy burden of stress on the heart. A gynaecologist can work with an African astronomer and a painter to explore women’s connection with the lunar cycle thus addressing some of the deep-seated negative perceptions about menstruation. A dancer can work with a psychologist and a traditional healer to heal the wounds of being female in a violent and patriarchal society while a poet can use words together with an environmentalist to draw people’s attention to the rape of the earth.

Afrika Ikalafe gatherings at the Shrine will be held on the last Sunday of the month, from 10h00. Where possible, gatherings will incorporate performance and/or artistic activity.