World music star: ‘When you have found your purpose in life, you don’t get tired’
The internationally acclaimed Desert Rose is performing their new album, "Spirit of Kundalini" in Mbombela on Friday May 13 as part of their national tour.
MBOMBELA – A world-renowned musical duo is heading for the city this week. Desert Rose’s first performance in Mbombela this coming Friday is part of the first nationwide tour the group had undertaken.
Given their international acclaim it is easy to forget they are South African – the couple is based in Cape Town.
Composer, pianist and harpist Lynne Holmes and lead vocalist and manager Yusuf Ganief are currently touring the country to present their latest offering in world music, “Spirit of Kundalini”.
Ganief explains the kundalini yoga mantra music is a first for them. Local kundalini yoga teacher Shameen Yacoob was inspired to implore them to visit the city after seeing them perform in their home town recently.
“I listen to their music all the time. I find it transformative. Their music moves me very much, it manages to create a very deep, still place.”
Naturally she felt her neighbours would benefit from being afforded the opportunity to experience first-hand the music that is a staple in ashrams across India.
Holmes has won numerous awards and is recognised internationally as one of the leading composers of sacred world music. Ganief is considered as the leading multilingual world-music vocalist in Southern Africa.
Every year Desert Rose brings out a new version of their unique universal musical signature, which fuses classical orchestration with indigenous rhythms and sounds and blends cultures and languages. Since 2005 they have produced 14 world music albums.
Ganief told the newspaper that their inexhaustible creativity was largely thanks to Holmes, adding,
“When you have found your purpose in life, you don’t get tired”.
The group merges Aramaic, Sanskrit, Arabic, Latin and Sumerian. It ultimately transforms it into a language beyond words to promote social responsibility and our shared humanity.
Their interfaith message of peace has resulted in Desert Rose being invited to perform their music all over the world, including the last three COP conferences.
They have left a lasting impression on audiences and headlined major events. To explore the boundless beauty, love and joy of your inner world, don’t miss this blissful and sacred, live performance of the mantras.
- Read more about Desert Rose here.
