REGENERATING THE ANCIENT WISDOM OF THE DAGARA
BALAFON | STORYTELLING | DANCE | MUSIC | POETRY | ART | DIVINATION | RITUAL | CEREMONY
Ritual is to the soul what food is to the physical body … we call in spirits and ancestors to guide us each step of the way.
~Sobonfu Somé, “Welcoming Spirit Home”
The Dagara Culture has survived for more than 20,000 years.
Zangala is dedicated to protecting this culture for many generations to come. Our flagship project is a Dagara-led Balafon festival (FASIE) in Dano, Burkina Faso. Co-founded nearly 20 years ago with our energized Dagara partners, FASIE unites youth, community, and elders to inspire youth development through music, arts, and the celebration of Dagara culture, seeding intergenerational transmission of wisdom through oral traditions.
Performing Arts Festival of the Schools of Ioba - FASIE
A passion for oral traditions that promote culture, peace, and community.
The FASIE festival has created a way to safeguard the Dagara cultural heritage through celebration of of the cultural activities that spring forth from the masterful musicianship of the Dagara.
Traditional instruments such as the balafon, flute, and drum are the bedrock of the dances, rituals, and community activities that define much of the Dagara way of life. The FASIE festival hosts friendly competitions of traditional dance, instrumental music, choir, ballet, storytelling, poetry, and archery to inspire the young people to embrace their Dagara cultural identity.
Dance, Music, and Art: The cornerstones of Dagara life
Our focus on Dagara youth’s cultural identity centers on arts education.
Our work aspires to enhance the integral development of the child through cultivating their innate talents in the various performing arts at the heart of Dagara culture.
Through theater, traditional dance, music, storytelling, poetry, ballet, and archery, youth are inspired with curiosity to learn new skills, find their passions, achieve excellence, and deepen their understanding of the ancient ways of the Dagara.
FASIE festival creates an opportunity for youth to showcase their talents on the national stage! They compete in regional competitions for a chance to travel to the national FASIE festival where they have an opportunity to perform for large audiences of peers, community leaders, and Dagara elders that travel from across the countryside to witness the powerful performances.
A Global Village Movement for Healing and Regeneration
With your help and support, we can regenerate the ancient wisdom of the Dagara.
The Zangala Foundation and FASIE Festival are labors of love, born of a deep desire to give back to a tradition that has shared wisdom, provided healing, and provided a depth of connection to the earth for thousands of people from all corners of the world.
Zangala was created to safe-guard the culture, and the wisdom of our Dagara co-founders inspired us to create the FASIE festival as the means of achieving this goal that was based in community celebration - a truly Dagara way of bringing a new dream to life.
With a focus on the Balafon, and the myriad songs, dances, rituals, and activities centered on this sacred instrument, our founders hatched a vision that one day, there would be a Balafon in every school across the Dagara lands, and every child would know the potency of the traditional songs, dances, and traditions that Dagara wisdom keepers have carried for millennia.
Now in our 19th year, Zangala has installed Balafons in nearly 400 schools across Dagara lands, and successfully sponsored and coordinated our annual festival every year, with the exception of the two-year COVID pandemic. We are thrilled to carry the torch of this global village movement, at this powerful moment in time.
Join us, and help us light the way for future generations to experience the timeless wisdom, music, culture, and healing that flows from the Dagara traditions and ways of life.
The purpose of rituals is to take us to a place of self-discovery and mastery… to incorporate healthy, genuine spiritual evolution and to dwell in the sacred in a way that truly heals us.
~Sobonfu Somé, “Welcoming Spirit Home: Ancient African Teachings to Celebrate Children and Community”
Contact Us!
We’re excited to hear your thoughts, especially if you want to be a part of this powerful movement to Regenerate the ancient wisdom of the Dagara. Send us a note, and we’ll get back to you right away.
You can feel free to send a direct email as well to info@zangala.foundation