Trainers
The requirements for being part of this changing list of trainers living in North America are stated in the Rules of Procedure of the NPO Kasàlà. More names are expected to complete it for the current year.
Jeanne-Marie Rugira is a Professor in the Department of Psycho-sociology and Social work at the UQAR. She coordinates the research group on the Somato-pedagogic approach of accompaniment (GRASPA). Her research and training interests focus on the issue of coaching human change and on training for resilience from a transformer learning perspective. The receptive, reflective, biographical, cultural and dialogical approaches are at the heart of her entire psychosocial, research and intervention approach. On the other hand, her reflection and commitment focus on issues related to interculturality and immigration.
Jeanne-Marie inaugurated the practice of Kasàlà in Rimouski through the 2012 Summer University, entitled "Body-Voice-Orality-Writing: Intermingling and Reliance". She regularly animates and co-animates workshops and internships of kasàlà and other practices, which promote the encounter of oneself and of the other.
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Diane Léger is a Professor-Researcher in the Department of Psychosociology and Social Work at the University of Quebec in Rimouski (UQAR). Her personal and academic life trajectory resides on an ethical and aesthetic sensibility to the most precious part of the living, to what crushes him as well as to what fertilizes and nourishes him. By capturing and expressing the singular human experience and by giving it meaning through a living interpretation, she learns and trains students to continue their quest of the good and the beautiful supported on "What is", rather than on "What should be". Through training practices based on three philosophical principles - immanentism, phenomenology and hermeneutics -, she learns and teaches how to discover the beauty and intelligence of the human singularity as well as the “living and creating together”. In 2012, she discovered the Kasàlà art, that celebrates the most precious part of life in all its manifestations. She then embraces, propels and directs her research and her Ubuntu practice in her courses and research.
Clency Rennie, a Lecturer at the UQAR and a Ph.D. Student, is a Réunion citizen who has become a Rimouski citizen of adoption for more than ten years now. Through his interdisciplinary experience, from the psychosociology to the perceptive Psycho-pedagogy, and now a PhD student in Ethnology and Heritage, the merits of his research mingle with the questions of solidarity and intermingling. Through his training, intervention and research activities, he is particularly focused on the issues of intercultural encounters, from a decolonial perspective. Since his first encounter with the art of Kasàlà, several years ago, he’s been regularly practicing it as an art of listening and meeting which celebrates singularities at the heart of the beauty of diversity. The Kasàlà is today for him a poetic, pedagogical and epistemic disobedience act for coaching his students on the path of globality, as part of his duties as a lecturer at the UQAR.
Elise Argouarc'h is a native Breton and a physiotherapist. She is also a poetic refugee who arrived on the banks of the river in search of her voice. As a matter of fact, she arrived in Rimouski in 2011 and did a master in Psycho-sociology on the theme of the body, the orality and the performance. During this research, she met the Kasàlà. This African oral praise poetry allowed her to overcome the problems she had expressing herself and which was inherited from the prohibition of speaking Breton, the language of her grandparents. Since then she has been involved in oral creation. In 2014, she appeared on the poetic scene of the lower St. Lawrence region during tale shows in Trois-Pistoles, Matane and Sainte-Flavie; slam in competition, and creation of kasàlàs for individuals and community groups. Her favorite themes are ethnic minorities, women, nature or love. The one who used to touch with her fingers learned how to touch with her word. She is currently a PhD student in ethnology in the Laval University. She is reflecting on cultural mediation through the arts of the word in order to facilitate the welcoming of refugees in Rimouski. She regularly conducts Kasàlà workshops. We owe her the coining of the terms "kasàleur/se" (Kasàlà practitioner) and "kasàler" (to practice the Kasàlà).
Marie-Chantal Brisson is a holistic therapist, trainer and speaker with an unusual carrier. She is in quest for self-realization and has a deep desire to help the human being in his fulfilment. "Learning and sharing" is the foundation that sustains her fundamental values and practice. She met the Kasàlà as she was looking for the best birthday present for her sister who was turning 60. She had a strong desire to tell her in a special way how much she loved her, while stressing the special place she occupied in the hearts of all who would attend the event. This experience quickly became for her the best training in the art of the kasàlà and culminated in the recitation of the poem in front of an audience of 70 people. Marie-Chantal’s meeting with Jean Kabuta, the one she affectionately calls the Master of Kasàlà, allowed her to fall in love with this art, as she personally felt the benefits of it. She now uses it regularly in her practice as a therapist. She is currently writing her master’s dissertation in psychosocial practice studies at the UQAR. She regularly conducts initiation workshops in the Kasàlà. She lives in Victoriaville (Quebec).
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I am Kabuta-the-Polyglot also called Jandhi I communicate
With the Humans and the Nature the visible and the invisible
Long ago I taught the people of Europe their own languages
I also revealed to them the marvels of African languages
I unveiled to the entire world the following treasures :
The art of giving thanks the art of wondering and celebrating
I enriched the inherited kasàlà with priceless experiences from
Trips to the heart of the West the East to the heart of the world
I have written books for readers of today and of times to come
It’s time for me The-ageing-but-always-active-Nightingale
To transmit the legacy I received having increased it
I am a Caring Teacher I teach my fellow humans
The art of building landing and takeoff airfields
The art of rebuilding themselves as temples
Jean-Philippe Gauthier, a professor at the UQAR, has developed an original style, consisting of very short verses with a regular rhythm, the capacity of writing a kasàlà while someone is talking, as well as the reporting-kasàlà. He familiarises his students with the practice of the kasàlà. He is also an excellent reciter who embodies his poem and preserves its oral features.
I came back to Quebec in 2018, after various work experiences, cultural immersion and alternative education in the United-States. I currently live on the farm called “The Generous”, in Estrie, where I hope to continue developing my potential and my thousand and one ideas. I met the Kasàlà at a workshop during a festival I organized in Victoriaville in 2017. It was a direct lightning strike! Afterwards, I contacted Jean Kabuta, who helped me understand the mechanics of this art better, and pushed me to work in my personal time. Of these meetings was born an eight-session workshop combining biographical work and Kasàlà, which took place in Los Angeles in April 2018. I am planning to organize such a workshop in Quebec.
I am Hermann Silué, an adventure and discovery man. After studying in India, I found myself in Quebec for the continuation of my studies. I obtained an M.A. in administration at the University of Quebec in Rimouski. Since my second year, I got involved in the university life. That is where I met the Kasàlà, an art known and recognized throughout Africa for its nobility and power, the art of celebrating beings, living or deceased. I have been practicing this art, that was taught to us the Honorable Master Kasàler, the also known as Jean Ngo Semzara Kabuta, a Baobab-tree in a forest of kapok trees, who sows here and there the seeds of a plant with tasty fruits of emotion and happiness.I share my passion by transmitting it to the scouts and other young people in Quebec, as I lead outdoor and reflection activities. Some titles of my kasàlàs: "Kasàlà time and nature"; "Kasàlà, the time of remembrance"; "Flower with kasàlà petals"; "Kasàlà of water". I now live in Levis (Quebec).
Thuy Aurélie Nguyen is a refined poet. Her limpid and airy style reflects her Eastern heritage. She is the extraordinary gifted teacher, who needs not teach theories. Her style is such that students learn the art by just listening to her poems or by reading them. That is how her family members as well as her friends have become kasàlà experts. She is currently writing a Ph.D. in Creative Writing at the University of Quebec in Rimouski.
Sarah-Maria LeBlanc, a weaver of the possible, loves weaving canvases of reliance between words, cultures and ancestral lineages. At 21, she published a book of poetry entitled "Overflow me the Sea". She later became an herbalist-therapist, author and trainer specializing in women's health and in what she loves calling "the empowerment of the female”. In parallel, she explored the tale, participating in numerous evenings and festivals, while accessing the stage as a singer, songwriter and actress, especially in her eco-feminist group The Weavers. She is currently completing her master's thesis, a self-ethnography that deals with the themes of belonging and ecofeminism. In 2014, she discovered the Kasàlà with Jean Kabuta, fell in love with this poetic path of wonderment and rediscovered the poet in herself. She is now performing as a slammer and a “kasaler”. She has taken part in slam competitions in Rimouski and has dedicated herself to the reciting of kasàlàs at anniversaries, to group work and research around her favorite themes. She has contributed to various publications, including the "Sacred Feminine" poetry collection. She occasionally conducts Kasàlà workshops in France and Quebec.
Patricia Goulbourne is a leader, consultant, and personal coach. She has been working in the energy industry for over 15 years, leading teams and projects. She has a strong belief that we are all leaders and have a responsibility to bring our individualand collective leadership forth. Patricia has the vision of creating community and connection and leads women circles where she helps them in revealing their natural creativity, resourcefulness, resilienceandempower them to discover and step intotheir own leadership on all levels.
Patricia was born in Jamaica and raised in Canada. She will tell you she has been on a journey home to herself for many years. When she heard about the kasàlà through a friend, she felt profoundly connected and sought out the man who had brought this ancient ritual to light in service of today’s world. She trained in the art of kasàlà with Jean Kabuta, the founder and creator of the kasàlà. She has since lead workshops in Canada, Belgium, Spain and Jamaica with participants from many parts of the world. Some testimonials include: "Profoundly impactful for me and provided beautiful moments", "Very inspirational, surprising and refreshing", "Pleasant and powerful way to reveal yourself in words", “Healing, greatness and magic, gratitude and deeper connection to who I am."
Julie-Hélène, Kasàlà Facilitator
Here I am, Julie-Hélène
Daugther of the Roy tribe
A Traveler deeply rooted in her homeland
The Sense Seaker
The Amazed Witness of the Gospel
Embodied in everyday gestures
As a facilitator, I invite you to meet the other
With my gentle voice
I instill calm and confidence
I create space and time
To see each other
To express oneself
To hear each other
My destination is the heart garden
Where beauty and truth
Can be picked and shared
I am the Mirror
In which the other can see him or herself
I adapt my pace
To that of my travelling companions
I had my first experience with the kasàlà through my son. He received a kasàlà as a birth present. It was recited for him by a dear friend when he was a couple of months old. I was deeply moved and shaken. I later learned a little more about the kasàlà at a workshop with Aboriginal women, immigrants and Quebecers. I was once again touched and impressed by the effects triggered. I then decided to take a training with Jean Kabuta, the initiator and specialist of this modern form of the kasàlà, which he tirelessly promotes in North America, Europe and Africa. Ever since, I have been offering kasàlà writing services as well as workshops in Quebec City.
My name is
Isabelle Saint-Loup
initiated in the kasàlà
by Kabuta Jean or Jandhi
Master of the secret arcane
of this major art
He-who-reveals-the-sense
I fish sacred stories
with hook and line
I am She-who-catches-secret-dreams
The-Fortune-teller
I offer singular spaces of snorkeling
which repairs the word and the word
bears everyone’s precious legends
Praising man in their uniqueness
in order to enchant life