On Wednesday 26th May,2004 the government and the SPLA signed an accord towards establishing peace in Sudan. With governorship alternating between the Northern Government and the SPLA every 1 ½ years in the Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile and it may have left the Nuba people in a precarious position not knowing where things will really end up. 

However, at least the Nuba Mountains are not being bombed and little children killed as I saw three years ago in Tomo Kriznar’s film "Nuba: Pure People". Unfortunately, though this is not the case in Western Sudan where another tragedy is unfolding and the people there are experiencing what the Nuba people have gone through over the past few decades. 

It seems like war and killing abounds these days throughout the whole world.  Perhaps this peace accord that was signed may be a start in the right direction for all concerned in Sudan and become a symbol of hope for lasting peace between people of different beliefs, traditions, religions, and ideologies.

Three days before the signing of the Naivasha Protocol I wrote of my story and message to the Nuba people to keep intentions strong as the fighting and genocide in Western Sudan seemed to be out of control and no agreement reached yet between the North and the South.  I believe that intentions create and manifest what we desire sometimes though not in the way we would like but in the way that needs to happen.

So six days later I wrote the following after my phone conversation with Suleiman Rahhal.  He asked if I could put my thoughts in writing so I did. June 2004 marks the three-year anniversary of me becoming aware of the Nuba people and their plight in Sudan.  At the time I was living with my two oldest sons and my in a 20’ tipi situated on the side of a mountain at 10,000 ft. overlooking the popular American ski resort of Telluride, Colorado.  At their Annual Mountain Film Festival I saw an amazing film entitled "Nuba:The Pure People" produced by Tomo Kriznar. 

For the past twenty-four years I have been exploring, teaching, and practicing what has been termed here in this country as shamanic healing or what the Nuba people call it kujur.  When I watched the film I saw the tragedy of genocide but also the beauty of the Nuba people and what it means to be a human being.  I saw what my wife and I try to accomplish through ritual/ceremony in trying to help people here in America to become human beings again by learning to connect with their true spirit.  After seeing this film it became amazingly clear that I could not stand by and do nothing while such beautiful people and their culture is about to be completely destroyed.  So I became committed to doing whatever I could to help the situation by becoming an advocate for the Nuba people here in
America. 

I soon connected with Suleiman Rahhal, Director of Nuba Survival and assisted him as a representative and advocate here in the States.  In the past years my wife and our recent two additions Elijah Ravenscrow (3) and Iasius Kumare’ (1) which is a Nuba name (which means a boy number 7th in Nuba family) have spent most of our time on the road doing kujur work and performing our music. Most recently though we have chosen to live in the Cape Cod area which is almost an island that dangles out into the Atlantic ocean on the East coast of the United States.  I have had the opportunity to work on wiring the electrical systems on large sailboats.  It has been an amazing experience that is soon coming to an end as it has been something I have always wanted to do, as I also have an electrical engineering degree and have always been drawn to sailing.  A weekly pay check has also given us the opportunity to work on our book on kujur healing regarding familial possession and to complete a recording project of two Nuba musicians ("Live" tape recordings that Suleiman sent me some time ago).  So today I set up my recording studio equipment in the cabin of a 26’ sailboat. I am refinishing which was gifted to me by the owner of the boatyard.  Being the nomads that we now have a water vehicle as well as a 20’ motor home.

We are living in here in the boatyard where I am now working.  My sail boat recording studio serves as a haven for me to get away and give full attention to constructing 2 CD’s of material from the three tapes Suleiman sent me.  After I set everything up including some new processors I recently purchased for the project and started playing the Nuba tapes. I finally felt greatly inspired that this long anticipated project was now underway.  So I immediately called Suleiman in London in the fit of my
excitement to let him know that I had finally started the project and to discuss with him my most recent conversation with President Bush’s Assistant to African Affairs.  The news wasn’t good, as the President’s Assistant was very dismayed about the prospect of a peace agreement being signed expressing great frustration that the window of opportunity was quickly closing.  He expressed that it seemed likely that the Nuba Mountains would end up being part of the North but expressed that it was very important for the Nuba people to find all opportunities to stay active in government legislation in whatever forum was possible.  He expressed that there should be a seat in the government for Nuba representation as a part of the pending peace agreement.  I told Suleiman that the Nuba people must continue to keep their intentions for peace and self-determination strong regardless what form the government and peace process takes in the coming months and years. 

We can not control what happens, however, if we keep our intentions strong they will come eventually to pass and will take form in ways that we may have never imagined.  So this is important for the Nuba people to not give up hope for true freedom and the right of self determination which appear to be
the foundation of the Nuba culture and hopefully someday part of a future world filled with peace and not war as it is today. 

I strongly believe that the Nuba people and their culture can serve as a model for true freedom.  A model of all people throughout our world becoming human beings again.  Our world today is very screwed up, war abounds, and killing is at an all time high everywhere.  It is why I am impelled to write a book on the things we have discovered regarding possession and how it affects and shapes our own individual world.  America is not the land of the free as injustice and abuse continues to exist in so many different forms. 

I do not feel free in respect how the Nuba people see freedom so there is much work to do in this country. It is why my wife, Jenni, and I do kujurwork here. It is now obvious to the whole world, through what has happened and is happening in Iraq, that we as a culture are less than the righteous image our President has portrayed.  It is also evident that we do not have any highly evolved affinity towards peace, love, and understanding.  We are a compassionate people but much of that comes from our highly structured Christian religions that seem to govern our nations thinking.  I believe all human beings have the potential to be loving and compassionate. 

Throughout the world facades and coverings are being removed for people to see what truly lies beneath.  In order for us all to survive we must take every opportunity to change things in our world to a more balanced way of life like the Nuba people espouse.  So I ask the Nuba people to stay strong, keep their intention strong, and in the ways it is possible to serve as an example to the rest of the world.  We must all learn how to show love and understanding to all our brothers and sisters and to all realize true freedom with no judgement and just allowing people to follow their true heart and spirit.  All institutions are designed to take away such freedoms so we must reassess why we have created them.  So there is much work ahead for the Nuba people besides rebuilding all that has been destroyed from years of war and genocide. 

There is much that our world can learn from the ways of Nuba.  So the Nuba people must continue to stay strong and find ways to teach and share their spiritual ways with the rest of the world.  A spiritual view of life that is not bound by religious dogma of any kind but one that is universal and balanced with all of life that exists on our planet.  I hope the Nuba people do not choose our so called advanced technological ways as it has only created isolation, mental illness, broken people and families, prisons filled with criminals, and so called adjusted people performing daily robotic rituals that are needed to keep this technology and economy going.  So stay strong, keep your intentions strong, and help all the world to find real freedom for all people.  A real freedom I suspect the Nuba already own.

It is the reason I am writing this today.  My Blessings to all Nuba people and all people in Sudan fighting for such freedom. May it come to pass!