Continuing last year’s tradition, another five-day program of qawwali. Five days of music: some dancing, some drumming, lots of singing, maybe a poetry slam. All in and around the inspiring and magical setting of the Universel in Katwijk ... a place of unique energies and deep inspirations.
The program will be in two parts. The first three days, Wednesday through Friday evening, will be an “advanced” workshop for those who have done qawwali before, or have knowledge of qawwali and Indian music.
The
weekend, Saturday and Sunday, will be more introductory and those who have
attended the advanced part may help to carry the program along and might
perform. In addition to singing qawwalis we may be dancing and drumming, and
there will be a poetry evening. The shape of the program will depend on the
people who come, our mood, the weather, the muse...
Come to any part of the program you want, though. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first time you hear qawwali or the first time you sing. Part of our work in qawwali is to find a certain freedom in singing to – with – the divine within, an intimate act that can bypass judging how well you sing, or even what you sing. Even if just want to listen and not sing at all ... come. And if you can’t attend the whole program join us for the weekend or a day, or any length of time you like.
There will be more information about qawwali, our approach to it, and the usual (or unusual) goings-on during a workshop in a separate announcement that will follow in 2-3 days....
Of course, we are “open” every night, or are supposed to be, but Saturday night we usually have many visitors to share our meal and sing with us. Be sure to let us know – as far in advance as is practical – if you want to have dinner with us.
The advanced and open programs will start on Wednesday and Saturday at 10 a.m. sharp. Visitors for Friday or Saturday night only, please arrive by 6:00 p.m. (18:00 hrs.) if you are eating with us, 7:00 p.m. if you’re not. The workshop ends Sunday, June 22 at 5:00 p.m.
Thanks to the supportive and generous Program Committee of the Sufi Way in Holland — and all those volunteers who will, willingly or unwillingly, help with washing dishes and preparing food — the price is exceptionally low this year:
€100,- (or £65) for the full 5-day workshop
€40,- (or £30) for the weekend workshop
€20,- for Friday or Saturday night with a meal; €10,- for any evening without a meal
Lunch and diner are included in the full program price, as are coffee, tea and other refreshments. Breakfast and lodging are not included.
A number of people can stay with friends in Katwijk or Leiden ... please contact Hans if you’d like him to find a place for you. Camping is not only possible but encouraged, since the campground is right next to the Universel. One camping “site” costs €20 per night, is large enough for 2 small tents, and may be used by a maximum of 4 persons.
Note: place in the campground must be reserved first! Please contact Hans as soon as you can.
If you have never attended one of our qawwali workshops and would like to see pictures – or if you would like to reminisce – visit www.hansmabelis.nl ... Click the Qawwali link near the top and you will find your way to pictures and impressions. If you have sound on your computer, you can listen to some of the music too!
More information about the workshop, details about the program, directions for getting there will also miraculously appear on the website as we get closer to the actual program date
Call Hans Mabelis at +31 20 6267225 or +31 653 748520 or send an email to hans@hansmabelis.nl
After you register he will send detailed information on how to get there and additional practical tips.
Qawwali, as the ecstatic music of the Indo-Pakistani Sufis, takes much of its vocabulary and poetry from cultures that developed within Islamic teaching and tradition. It’s been suggested that some people may have difficulty in singing songs to Allah these days. The Sufi-Message is about a unity of spiritual ideals and a common devotion to the divine Beloved, about a universal tradition and a language of the heart. That is the inspiration of our approach to qawwali. But a cornerstone of Sufi practice is also respect, and so if who we sing to and the names we invoke are issues we should and will talk about them and look for a way to address the pain and alienation our separation often brings – maybe through the music.
There will be no qawwali workshop at Four Winds in summer this year, so we hope you can make it to this one. There may be a follow-up workshop in September-October, place and date to be decided.