Ancestral Connections awakens the connections of people to their ancestral roots through the power of traditional African music, rhythm, sound, and cultural experience. This series of three powerful sessions offers individuals who have been disconnected from their forefathersโeither forcibly or by culture, distance, and timeโa safe and inviting space in which they can rediscover and reground their deepest identities. Nyttu Chongo creates a reflective, meditative space utilizing a number of traditional African instruments native to Sub-Saharan Africa as the centerpiece of the auditory experience of Ancestral Connections: Mbira Nyunga Nyunga, Mbira Dzava Dzimu, Xitende, and the Chopi Timbilaโa UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity instrument native to Mozambique. As a musician, culture bearer, and teacher, Chongo invites individuals into the experiences of their own bodies in response to sound and mindful relaxation, and creates space for exploration of self and identity in connection to those who came before.
