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thanks. he was an influence on me as well. lance ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Walker/Loop.pooL" <GLOBAL@cruzio.com> To: "LOOPERS DELIGHT" <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com> Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2003 6:52 PM Subject: OT: Babatunde Olatunji passes on > I just recieved the very sad news that the wonderful > Nigerian drummer and Emissary for Peace and Community, > Babatunde Olatunji passed on after a long series of health > crises. > > Baba was an amazing spirit!!! He put desire to unify people > above any other thing in his work and was an Ambassador for > World Peace and multi-cultural diversity and love. > > He was as much a spiritual father to me as a drumming father, even though > I toured and recorded with him for a while and first was attracted to him > because of his drumming skills. > > He was also the first adult male who ever approved of me and my musical > choice in > life and gave me the courage and support to become a true artist. He > nurtured me and he loved me like a son and,indeed, went on to become > my official godfather. He called me 'captain'. Why, I'll never be sure but > it felt good to me. > > One day, many years ago, he called Arthur Hull (the famous community >drum > circle facilitator) and I together for a breakfast business meeting and > asked if I would become his official world touring manager in a dual role as > a performing member of his ensemble. I was flattered beyond belief but > felt that I really wanted to be an artist and humbly turned him down. He > was very gracious and supportive of me then, even though it didn't serve his > purposes to have me turn him down. > > At that meeting, he was reading a newspaper headline about the then > president, George Bush, Sr. I made some scathing remark about how much I > hated > George Bush's politics. Baba scolded me and said, "No, no, captain, I > pray for the president every single day when I shower". > > I was aghast........."But Baba, He is doing horrible things to people > around the world in the name of our country". > > And he replied............"He is the president of this country and people > all over the world look to him for his views, so every single day I pray > that he does the right thing...........I pray that he makes the most > compassionate and selfless decisions that will affect the people of this > country and the world. I pray that he can become a great leader." > > > His response completely changed me. Before this point, I had feared >and > resented and hated the people in power who abuse their power. I suddenly > realized that > you praying for them to do the right things represented a paradigm shift in > the way I looked at politics and change. Baba showed me that the way you > comport yourself in your life has everything to do with the ability of > things to change for the positive. > > If what the Dalai Lama says is true (and I believe it is), that there is "no > us and then, but that there is only US", then it means our work is cut out > for us in this lifetime for, as Michael Franti of Spearhead says, "Creating > Peace amongst human beings on this planet will take many generations to > accomplish.............consequently we need to dedicate our selves to a > lifetime of > work in an attempt to create the world that some day, long after we are > gone, will make the world a better place...............the place that we all > wish was here today." > > God bless you Baba...................Thank you for everything, old > man......I love you. > > > Rick Walker >