A reunion in South Africa for two Metta Board Members
Dates and locations…more TBA
We’re happy to share that our board member Francesca Po will be traveling to South Africa this June to offer workshops and retreats grounded in The Third Harmony.
Francesca’s journey is both an offering and a pilgrimage. She will visit the Phoenix Settlement, founded by Mahatma Gandhi, and meet in person with fellow board member Ela Gandhi—connecting directly with a living lineage of nonviolence. She is especially interested in learning how these teachings have been carried forward in South Africa, and how nonviolence is understood and practiced in cultural contexts beyond her own. This includes witnessing the ongoing evolution of a nation shaped by the end of apartheid and the leadership of Nelson Mandela.
During her time there, Francesca will be offering workshops at universities and in communities across the country, creating spaces to explore nonviolence not only as a set of ideas, but as a lived practice—one that asks something of us, and also gives something back.
Her June itinerary includes:
June 17 – University of KwaZulu-Natal
June 18 – Durban University of Technology
June 19–21 – Phoenix Settlement
June 23 – East London
June 24 – Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
June 25 – Stellenbosch
June 26 – Robben Island
June 27 – Johannesburg
June 29 – University of Johannesburg
(More dates to be announced.)
What feels especially meaningful about this trip is the spirit in which it is being undertaken: not only to share, but to listen. To learn from people who have lived through profound struggle and transformation, and to be in dialogue with how nonviolence continues to evolve in real time.
At a moment when global conflict is rising at alarming rates, this kind of exchange—grounded in humility, relationship, and shared inquiry—feels especially important. We look forward to welcoming back what Francesca learns and weaving it into our shared work at the Metta Center.
Stay tuned for more information!