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Hannibal visited the Philadelphia School of Creative and Performing Arts choir a couple of days after the premiere of “One Land, One River, One People.”

He thanked the students for their hard work and relentless dedication to his composition.

The students thanked him as well.

“I felt as though ourauras combined … it was so powerful,” one student said. 

Another student said: “It hit me right in the soul. I felt like we were part of something.”

A photo essay of Hannibal’s visit below:

~Zen Campbell 

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Music. When the right melody hits our ears, we'll find ourselves tapping our feet or swaying our hips unceremoniously.  Perfectly syncopated beats can spark memories and heal. Music has the ability to change the course of a day – or a life. 

Hannibal’s composition, “One Land, One River, One People,” rises from his personal experiences, his exploration of society and culture, and his desire to contribute to the betterment of the world through music and words. 

Hannibal's quest toward stringing the right notes and melodies together for his piece included the embracement of nature, fasting and meditation – a practice that enabled him to tap into his ancestors’ spirits for guidance.

“The ancestors said to remind the people of their aura, to remind them of their divine souls, and in this aura that surrounds us all, the creator will be with us forever.” Hannibal told the audience before the premiere of his composition. “I hope the music will be a balm to your soul and a fixture inyour heart.”

Within the marbled walls of Girard College’s chapel on January 19, 2015, The Philadelphia Orchestra (under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin),soprano Laquita Mitchell, tenor Rodrick Dixon and choirs from Philadelphia HighSchool for the Creative and Performing Arts (under the direction of DorinaMorrow) performed “One Land” for an attentive, sold-out audience.

Veil One of “One Land One River One People,” ­titled One Land, presents the creation of life.

We follow Amma (played by Mitchell), as shecreates life – Nommo (played by Dixon) – through her utterance of the word “light.”   In the Dogon religion, which is practicedprimarily in Mali, West Africa, Amma is God and Nommo is life, human form.

The photos below present Hannibal’s  journey toward bringing the performance of “One Land” to fruition: rehearsals with students from the Philadelphia High School of Creative Performing Arts, interpretations with The Philadelphia Orchestra and a CD/book signing with fans.

"One Land, One River, One People," will be performed in its entirety by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin in November 2015 at the Kimmel Center. 

~Zen Campbell 

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Many of the men filtering into Philadelphia Detention Center’s gymnasium do not know what expect from Hannibal Lokumbe. 

In due time, we will learn that Chris, 18, wasn’t interested in coming, but his surrogate brother—Khalil,33—pushed him to attend.  The small group settles into a circle of plastic chairs, and Lokumbe introduces himself.  He tells the men, “Every second you spend in here, it’s like a year in your life … you’re cut off.”

First things first.  A song. “We always begin with a song,” Lokumbe says. He reaches his hand down the side of his chair and unlocks his wooden trumpet case. Within seconds, the hymnal “Go Tell It on the Mountain” flows through his instrument and echoes throughout the gymnasium. 

When the song is over, the men sit in silence.

This is the meeting of the Music Liberation Orchestra (MLO) at the Philadelphia Detention Center in Philadelphia.  Inspired by the high recidivism rates in this country, Lokumbe created this program to assist in the rehabilitation of incarcerated men and women through music and journaling.  The MLO has taken root in other cities as well: New Orleans and St. Paul, Minn.

Lokumbe explains to the men what the MLO has the potential to do for them, if they are willing to follow the four principles:

1.  Renounce violence. (“Nothing ever comes from violence except destruction,” Lokumbe says.)

2. Acknowledge the presence of the divine.

3. Keep a journal for yourselves and for your children.

4. Fall in love with forgiveness.

As the sun prepares to set, an orange glow fills the gymnasium. Lokumbe reaches into his bag and pulls out a stack of composition books and a bundle of yellow golf pencils held together by a rubber band.  Each member is to take a pencil and two notebooks. These, he tells the men, are your journals. Within these books, “you’ve got somebody you can talk to,” he says. They are “the physical manifestation of your mind.” He advises them to never rip any pages out of their journals.

“The key to healing,” Lokumbe says, “is to reveal to yourself who you are.”

Texas is Lokumbe’s home-base, so he asked Jamal Dickerson, an instrumental music teacher at the Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy in Camden, to lead the group when he is out of town.  

Dickerson introduces himself to the circle of men, and shares a synopsis of his life story: raised in Camden, NJ, left the city to attend Morgan State University, and came back to Camden upon graduation to give back to his community.

Dickerson, board director and founder of the Preparing Artists for College Entrance program, tells the group that he managed to stay out of trouble because his parents constantly reminded him of the consequences of hanging out on the streets of Camden. His father told him that as a black man “you always have one foot on the banana peel.”  

Dickerson asks the group, “What do you want from this experience?”

The men slowly open up, one-by-one. They speak of regrets and hopes. They reflect on the past and face their now.  They boast about their children and share memories of grandmothers, mothers, wives and girlfriends. 

The scheduled one-hour session lasts for over three hours. Willard, 49, sings a  soul-filled hymnal to officially close the session. The sun has long set, and as the men exchange contact information with Lokumbe and Dickerson, a guard with a pocket full of pens and a clipboard storms into the gym. This activity has lasted too long, she says.

Despite the disruption, many of the men are smiling with Lokumbe now.  The men exit the gym, pass through the metal detector and melt back into the prison crowd clutching their notebooks—a new tool toward healing, a new tool to help them manifest a positive future for themselves and their families.

 ~Zen Campbell 

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On a drizzly and chilly morning in May, members of Saint Paul's parish in South Philadelphia gathered for the Procession of the Saints, an annual tradition.

Beginning at Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi on Montrose Street, the procession, which consists of 20 saints being rolled through the Italian Market neighborhood by parishioners, made a stop at the center of the Italian Market for the blessing of all who serve the neighborhood. Children who recently received their first sacrament (aka holy communion) marched alongside the saints as well. 

As the procession traveled, those seeking to receive the blessing of a saint -- St. Joseph to help protect one's family, for example --  stopped to pin cash onto a sash wrapped around the chosen saint’s figure. 

May is Virgin Mary's month, and her statue led the parade, which ended with a prayer and mass at St Paul’s church on Christian Street.

As mass at St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi lets out, parishioners begin pinning money onto the sashes of the Saints they hope to recieve blessings from.

The statues recieve protection from the rain.

May is Mother Mary's month. Her figure, which leads the crowd, recieves a carefully placed crown. 

The children, who recently recieved their first holy communion, wait patiently for the parade to begin.

A brass band leads the way.

.

The procession moves toward the Italian Market

The blessing of the Italian Market begins.

Two men look on as the blessing takes place.

The parade ends at St. Paul's on Christian Street.

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Despite a serious lack of teachers, counselors and in some cases, books, Philadelphia schools opened the 2013-14 school year on September 9, 2013.

After dropping off her 8th- grade son, one mother stood off to the side of the Vare-Washington school in South Philadelphia and expressed her concerns. Her son was a bullying victim in the past, and he needs some guidance to assist him with the high-school application process. How was he going to fare without a permanent counselor in the school?

With almost 4,000 less staff then last year, a deficit in the millions and approximately 9,000 displaced students entering new schools, many more questions were asked. 

By the end of the first week, most of those questions still weren’t answered.

On Philly’s 1st day, the conflicts were pushed aside for a bit as parents, teachers and students carried on and began the school year. 

  As Jamel Meacham walked toward South Philadelphia’s George Washington school building with his daughter, he said, “This is sad. This is really bad.”  His daughter, Melnya, 7, was a student at Abigail Vare elementary last year and is entering the 2nd grade. Meacham, who never received any correspondence from the school district,  learned upon arrival that school starts at 8:15 a.m.  This was news to him, as Vare elementary began at 8:30 a.m.

  Volunteer Marge Petronis, a recently retired school community coordinator who worked at the recently shuttered Abigail Vare elementary school, assists students in finding their classroom assignments.  Many of the children who transferred from Abigail Vare elementary to the George Washington elementary building never received a letter detailing school start time and homeroom.

  Running late, a father escorts his children into Vare-Washington elementary school. 

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Long-term married couples share what they've learned throughout their marriages. Bill and BeeDee McLarnon have been married for 65 years, and the remaining two couples interviewed -- Michael and Randie Gallagher and Melodie and Richard Kahr -- have been married for 42 years.  

The following principles showed up in each conversation with the couples: 

Many years ago, when their children were young, Mr. Gallagher, a carpenter, was offered a lucrative opportunity that would allow him to make a significant amount of money in six months. The one caveat? The job was in Saudi Arabia.

Michael: "That was not attractive to me, I did not want to be away from my family at that point.”

Randie: “He respected our family situation … he would listen to my counsel. He respected who he married and he never seemed to resent the decisions. He’s not the type to hold a grudge and say, ‘I wish I had.’"

The Kahr’s may disagree on many things, but when it comes to the big decisions, they work together.

Melodie: “Certainly Richard and I are different people. He likes vinegar, I like more olive oil, he likes the white meat; I like the dark meat. We’re opposites, but on the big issues, like how we feel about respect; about raising children, we’re able to talk to each other.  I think that communication is key.”

Randie and Melodie were in their early 20s when they married their husbands. By today’s modern standards, that’s young.

Marrying at a young age brought some challenges to the women --  especially since both were married during the height of the women’s liberation movement, which left many women contemplating not only their place in society, but their lives as well. 

Here’s the women’s responses when asked: What would you tell someone who was about to get married? 

Randie: “I sure hope that you grew up enough that you were capable of knowing that this is a fit. That I can be committed to this person.”

Melodie: “I’d say live together for a while and make sure that it feels right and that you’re happy. Not that Richard ever did anything to make me doubt, but I doubted myself because I had never grown up. You can’t skip those stages. You just can’t.”

In 1945, Bill left for the army while BeeDee was still in high school.  Soon after he left to train for the army, he received a “Dear John” letter from BeeDee.  She doesn’t remember the exact words she used, but she said it was along the lines of telling him that they were “no longer going steady.” 

Two years later, when Bill returned home, they eventually began dating again. Looking back, BeeDee said “I’m just glad I had a good time in high school and wasn’t sitting at home waiting for him to come off the next troop train.”

The men gave some insights as well:

Bill: “You have to do it together. You can’t be one individual against another -- it has to be a union in order to survive."

Michael: “Never hide anything, we were an open book of one another. We have never hidden anything from one another.”

Richard, who lost his leg in an accident when he was younger, told Melodie the night he met her that he had only one leg (later, she admitted that she really wasn’t sure what he was talking about). 

“What I had always done, when I met a new woman, was tell them about my leg,” Richard said. “It’s easier to tell them so they’re not frightened. Because otherwise, they really don’t know what to say when you say, ‘and besides the fact, I have one leg.’”

Randie: “There’s basic things that have never changed. He’s never put me down, he’s always appreciated my sense of humor, honored my needs and no matter what changes, there is always that respect -- bottom line -- between the two of us. Yes, you change, but those core values aware there of what you admire.” 

In 1978, after seven years of marriage, Richard and Melodie divorced. Seven years later, in 1984, they remarried. It’s clear that their underlying respect for one another and their family is one of the reasons why they were able to reconcile after many years of separation.

Melodie: “ I did classically what I would never say to any women to do today. I went from my father’s house to my husband’s house. And even though I was sophisticated on a certain level, I didn’t really have a sense of myself. The divorce had really everything to do with me and oddly enough, nothing to do with Richard. He hadn’t done anything, we weren’t arguing, we were getting along. I just had this sense that I didn’t really know who I was …”

Melodie: “We even went to the divorce lawyer together who started trying to get me to make demands [which Melodie had no interest in doing]. [Afterwards] we went out to lunch.”

When they were divorced, Richard and Melodie made a conscious decision to ensure continuity in their son Joshua's life.  Only a few blocks separated the couple's homes and they worked out a schedule that enabled both of them to be part of their son's daily routine. 

Melodie: Our song was quite young and we did something that was highly unusual. We had joint custody, which nobody understood. [this was before Kramer v. Kramer].  It was not done at all then, it was assumed that the child always went with the mother.”

Knowing that she was not wholeheartedly sure about marriage, out of respect, Melodie took the time to work on herself and figure out what she wanted.

“It wasn’t like I left Richard for anybody else, I left Richard for myself, I was trying to figure out who I was.”

* Respect and trust are two factors needed not just for a good marriage, but for a good divorce as well.

Melodie: “I think before you bring a child in it, you have to start with people that are respectful of each other and not selfish. I know for us -- I think for anybody -- children, if you desire to be a good parent,  overtakes everything else. We would always say, ‘how would this affect our son?’”

BeeDee: “When they were little, up until they were five or six years old … he took them everywhere. It was only when they got mouthy, you saw a big change in the personality.” (laughs)

Randie:  “We wanted to do our jobs and come home. We wanted to have fun with our kids and we did. We had a ball.”

When asked what the biggest challenge was throughout their marriage, the Gallaghers and the Kahrs responded immediately and said, “finances.”

The Gallaghers, like many couples when it comes to money, are opposites.

Michael: “She is a spender, and I’m not.”

But when money was an issue, it usually surrounded the thing the Gallagher’s loved: their home. 

Randie: “We both loved our homes. We never wanted to settle. We were the kind of people that really wanted to pour money into our house even if we couldn’t afford it. That was mutual.”

Michael: “We wanted our house to be something special because we always loved our home.”

BeeDee: “I don’t think we ever fought over money – for one thing, we didn’t have that much.”

Richard, a former real estate developer in New York, was the primary breadwinner. But the highs and lows of the risky real estate market brought gains and losses of money throughout the years. But the losses were never something the Kahr’s let get in the way of their relationship. 

Melodie: “I said to Richard we’ve sold art, we’ve sold jewelry, it doesn’t really matter, It’s like frivoulous stuff to me. At the end of the day I think what’s really important is being healthy, being alive and not sweating the small stuff.

A recent study showed that people think they will be the same person they are today 10 years from now. But the truth is, we all change. When in the context of a marriage, personality shifts may cause troubles. So since change is natural, what’s a married person to do?

Randie: “Keep growing together. Always keep something that keeps the two of you growing together. For us, it was having children. Maybe for another it would not be that, it would be something else.”

Bill: "I know there are people who take separate vacations, not in my lifetime, that’s not for me. Togetherness is very important in my marriage.” 

Melodie: "Until we’re dead we want to keep learning and doing.”

Richard: “The nice thing is, is that we’re still evolving our relationship in a way. We’re still figuring it out and discussing it. We’re sort of just moving along with it."

Randie: “And always, it’s nice to learn new things or new ways to appreciate somebody.” 

[zlab]

On a sunny and unseasonably warm afternoon in February, the sun shines through the atrium inside the St. Ignatius nursing home where a group of residents -- who range in age from 70 to 90 years old -- wait in their wheelchairs for their physical therapy appointments. There’s no laughter, no enlightening conversation, not even a smile. It’s not an exciting scene. So why would anyone, besides family and friends of the residents, have an urge to visit a nursing home?

There's a lot to learn from those who have had many experiences over many decades.

St. Ignatius nursing home, located at 4401 Haverford Ave. in West Philadelphia, houses and rehabs senior citizens with limited income. Some residents are octogenarians battling dementia, some are almost 100 years old and more put together than the average 30 year old, and others are in their 50s and 60s, rehabbing from serious complications due to strokes and other potentially fatal ailments. 

According to a 2009 United States census, over one million Americans live in nursing homes.  That’s one million people who -- removed from the challenges and daily tasks the young are performing in the outside world—have time to look back on their past, future and present. The elderly are a valuable source of life lessons and advice for those who take the time to listen. 

To see some of the life lessons gained from the residents, browse the slideshow below and click on their name for their stories, or click on "show info" in the right-hand corner. 

Isabelle Moody 

92 years old

Hometown: Chase City, Virginia

Ms. Moody has a bright smile and eyes that light up when she talks about her former position as a cook at the Horn & Hardart restaurants in Philadelphia. She loved to work and loved singing in the church choir at First Corinthian Baptist Church in West Philadelphia. Today, Moody is confined to wheelchair thanks to an injured foot. And she is OK with her situation. She said, with a smile, that after years and years of hard work, she’s “taking it easy.”

LESSON: Work hard, eventually you will have time to sit back, smile and take it easy.

Louisa Guldenzburg

85 years old

Hometown: Rockville Centre, New York.

Ms. Guldenzburg said, “I’m almost timeless.” Although she can’t remember much, Guldenzberg remembers the love she had her second husband, whom she met in 1962. She said he had “a sad face” when she met him, but she took the time to “overwhelm him with my joy.” She said, “He used to call me princess.”

LESSON: Love endures.

Missouri Stuckey 

86 years old

Hometown: Florence, South Carolina.

Ms. Stuckey came to Philadelphia from South Carolina in the 1950s. In South Carolina, she worked on a farm where they grew tobacco, cotton and corn. When asked if it was difficult work, she said, “It’s not too hard.” She said that if she could, she’d “go back to the farm and take a whole lot of folks” back with her and “teach them how to farm.” When asked why, she said that learning how to farm is important because then “you wouldn’t have to go to the store and buy it if you raise it yourself.”

LESSON: Provide for yourself. Farming just might be a good start.

Robert Ogburn 

88 years old

Hometown: Mt. Holly, New Jersey

Mr. Ogburn had a difficult time remembering some things, but he does remember his work as a social worker for the Philadelphia Housing. The father of 2 – he also has two grandchildren-- loved his work because he “felt very comfortable and enjoyed the people” he met and worked with. He loves the Phillies and his favorite player ever is Mike Schmidt.

LESSON: Do what you love. 

  Eugene Richard Jackson 

89 years old

Hometown: Coatesville, PA

Mr. Jackson, who for 15 years owned a restaurant on the 1600 block of South Street in Philadelphia, has a simple philosophy: “Do only what you like doing.” From there, he said, everything else falls into place. Mr. Jackson loved to cook, so what did he serve at his restaurant? Anything people wanted. If someone wasn’t sure what they wanted to feast on, he would suggest the highest priced item on the menu. From there, they would usually take the time to pick something they actually wanted. Mr. Jackson believes that most people don’t really know what they want, until you tell them what to get. He said, “you have to give people as much credit as they give themselves.” Mr. Jackson said that he doesn’t have a major accomplishment he’s proud of. He said, “I’m not proud of anything because everything I have I worked for.” His advice? “If you don’t like what you’re doing, you’re hurting yourself.”

LESSON: Know what you want to do and then just do it.

Constance M. Robinson 

93 years old

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts

Ms. Robinson points to her forehead and says, “I still got it up here.” When she was about 4 years old, her father divorced her mother and immediately married another women who lived in Philadelphia. When her father left her mother, he took Robinson and her older sister with him. The only memory of Robinson has of her mother is the one day her father told her and her sister to stay away from the windows because her mother was peeking through trying to catch a glimpse. Ms. Robinson is proud of her life accomplishments – she was a licensed practical nurse for 30 years and is the mother of one son who she adores – and said, “I’m not sorry about nothing.” Her advice? “Sometimes you have to take a lot to gain a lot. You pay it off.”

LESSON: Life is what you make of it.

Bernice Marsh 

93 years old

Hometown: King, North Carolina

Ms. Marsh, who has a twin sister, arrived in Philadelphia when she was 8 years old. She quiet and has a shy demeanor. For as long as she can remember, she has always enjoyed working with children. So much so, that she worked for most of her life in a childcare center and has 7 children -- 5 girls and two boys. She said, “ I love children.” When asked if she misses working with them she said, “I sure do.”

LESSON: Children are fun and bring great joy to life that will never leave your heart.

Tawheed A. Jihad 

65 years old

Hometown: Camden New Jersey

One of the younger residents I met at St. Ignatius is Mr. Jihad, is a former production welder from Camden, New Jersey. His proudest accomplishments are his daughters, Ronda, 45 and Taifa, 35. He told a story about a picture in his doctor’s office of a stork that had a frog in its mouth. In the picture, the frog, captured by the stork, had its hands around the stork’s neck. Underneath picture is a caption that says, “don’t give up.” Jihad loves the picture because it showed that that “life tends to swallow us up sometimes, but never give up.”

LESSON: Keep reaching for whatever it is you want out of life. “Don’t give up.”

Barbra A. Daly 

70 years old

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Ms. Daly, a former registered nurse, said that the stressful and fast pace life of nursing made her realize that “you have to listen to people in general because you can learn from them. You’re always learning.” She told stories about how judging people without getting to know them first may turn out to be huge mistake in the end.

LESSON: It’s OK to ask for help. “It makes you a better person if you say, ‘I don’t know how to do this.’”

Eudora Yeahga

57 years old

Hometown: Firestone, Liberia

Ms. Yeanga may be one of the younger patients at the nursing home, but she has lived an full life thus far. Born in Firestone, Liberia, she moved to North Dakota, where she took care of the elderly and infirm in their homes. “I loved taking care of old people,” she said. She moved to New York and then came to Philadelphia to work. Before she suffered her stroke first stroke, Ms. Yeanga loved dancing. Her advice for life: “When you are able to work, work because when you are sick and old you can’t anymore. When you are young, have your time.”

LESSON: Work hard and don’t forget to have lots of fun.

[zlab]

Philly Stickers Part I from ZenCampbell on Vimeo.

Upon close inspection of the traffic signs, light poles, mailboxes and news boxes scattered throughout some of Philadelphia’s popular neighborhoods, you’ll see stickers -- but not the kind kids love to receive such as brightly colored smiley faces and sparkly stars. 

Called a variety of names including sticker art, sticker bombs or label 228s -- these stickers may feature black and white sketches or colorful marker drawings. Some carry messages that read like a sweet love note, a few are obscene, and many show the artist's sense of humor.

Opinions vary about whether or not the stickers are graffiti or public art.  But pedestrians who stop and pay attention will see that these sticky pieces of work carry a message.

Artists from around the world are encouraged to send their stickers  (usually drawn on priority mail postage labels -- also known as label 228 -- which are available, for free, at any United States Post Office) to other sticker artists around the world.

So wherever you go, whether it’s Amsterdam, Tokyo or Portland, why not look around and glance around for stickers?

[zlab]

There’s something special about chili -- the dish even has a national association.

We all know chili’s base ingredients: tomatoes, beans and spice. But one never knows how his or her taste buds will react to the simple, yet belly-filling dish.

Chili may be fire-hot spicy; it may have lots of meat or just lots of veggies. It may come with a side of crusty bread, cornbread or crackers. It may be rich in flavor, or sweet and mild.

But here’s a fact: chili cook-offs are held in cities all over the world, and Philadelphia is no exception.

Barcade Philly, a bar with a full arcade, transformed into a chili cook-off venue on a Sunday afternoon – complete with video games and cold beer.

Open to all willing to enter, chili entries had names such as "Party in a Pot" and "Burning Belly Chili."

The winner? A concoction named, “Longhorn Love Chowder.”

The winner received an Allagash beer gift basket, 1 case of Brooklyn Beer and a Barcade gift card for $75.

Slideshow of the chili cook-off festivities below. Click on "show info" for the captions.

[zlab]

Usually held in the parking lots of parks, schools, or shopping centers, pop-up carnivals are temporary venues of fun with games, sweets and rides.

One of the earliest carnivals spotted this year was the Norwood County Fire Company Fair. The festivities were held at Amosland Park in Norwood, PA.

The typical suburban carnival scene was in effect on a recent Friday night: teenagers milling about trying to look cool, children temporarily masked with face paint, and cacophony of high-pitched screams, bells and barkers.

Tom Neher, a firefighter in charge of the fire company’s fundraising, said the carnival takes place every year for a couple of weeks in the spring. Proceeds benefit the volunteer fire company.

Scenes from the pop-up carnival: 

Scenes from a pop-up carnival from ZenCampbell on Vimeo.