Who We Are

Liza Barley (Director, Music) earned her Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from Vanderbilt University. She first came to Tanzania as a Suzuki violin teacher hired by expatriates living in Arusha; though she planned to stay only ten months, she has now stayed more than two years. Liza was born in Ithaca, NY and grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. She began playing the violin at the age of four and a half, and as the daughter of a Suzuki piano teacher, has been immersed in music all her life. As a violin student of Michele Higa George, she traveled and performed internationally, including three months of study at Dr. Suzuki’s original Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan. As a student at a performing arts school in inner-city Pittsburgh, Liza witnessed the power of the arts to connect people across cultural barriers. It is this power which inspires her work with Umoja: she believes strongly in the power of music to communicate, empower, and create healthy communities. As Music Director, Liza hopes to create a place where people from all walks of life can find enrichment through the arts. Liza is also a confirmed coffee addict.
Tiana Razafy (Director, Dance) is a dancer, choreographer and storyteller and was born in Antananarivo, Madagascar. She took her first dance class in Paris at the age of 21, and after completing a university degree in communications, immediately began auditioning for dance companies there. As she discovered contemporary dance, Tiana pursued classes and workshops with such choreographers as Dominique Bagouet and Jean Gaudin (France), Julie West (Canada), and Carolyn Carlson (USA). Tiana's dance career has been characterized by creative, collaborative, and innovative projects. These have included physical theater in the UK and Belgium, dance and drumming in France, and African dance and storytelling. Tiana's own dance ensemble, Macassar, has created and toured three dance and storytelling productions for young children. She also created a solo dance piece for the Ziff festival at Zanzibar. After the birth of their second daughter, Tiana and her husband Xavier, a musician, moved to Tanzania, where they have lived for seven years.
Linda Willms (Director, Visual Art) came to Tanzania in 1991 as a primary school teacher for International School Moshi. Her ties to the country deepened when, in 1993, she adopted her daughter, Daatih. Linda was born and raised in British Columbia, the sixth of eight children of Russian-Mennonite immigrants. Linda has a Bachelors Degree in General Studies at Simon Fraser University. Her tertiary education includes work in art history, drawing, painting as well as a diploma in art education at the University of British Columbia. Her most recent studies include field work in visual culture and artistic development in Tanzania. As an educator, Linda is particularly inspired by the joy and enthusiasm of young children as they explore media and art processes. She sees art as a language of both inquiry and understanding. As head of Umoja's Visual Art department, Linda team-teaches with Tanzanian educators, in order to provide a model for the integration of art and other curriculum areas
Jessica Welch (Director, Arusha Suzuki Program) moved to Arusha in January 2007 to join the faculty of the Arusha Suzuki Program, and assumed directorship of the Suzuki Program later that year. A native of New Mexico, she received a degree in Spanish Literature from the University of New Mexico, where she also completed long-term training in Suzuki violin pedagogy under Susan Kempter. Before moving to Arusha, she was part of the teaching staff at both the UNM music prep school, and the Hawn Violin Studio. As a part of the Umoja faculty, Jessica is excited about using the arts to develop both creative and critical thinking in children. Jessica also acts as the CFO for Umoja Arts Centre, and gets to use her two undergraduate accounting classes in ways she never imagined.
David Seng’enge (Guitar) was born in Tanzania and is the guitar teacher of the Arusha Suzuki Strings Program. He has pursued continuing education in guitar pedagogy for two consecutive summers in the United States. He is currently a first-year student at Makumira University, pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in music. He and his wife have two children, Ray and Catherine.
Ellen McSweeney (Violin) served on the faculty of Umoja Arts Centre during the 2007-08 school year. While at Umoja, she taught violin, piano, cello, and voice, coordinated the Umoja Community Choir, and founded the Songwriters Showcase. She now lives in Chicago and assists with Umoja business in the United States.
Hila Zvulun (Instructor, piano). Born in Tel Aviv 1970, Hila spent most of her childhood years in Israel but had 3 years as a teenager to experience the high life of New York City. She first traveled to Africa as a backpacker in 1991, returning to Israel to earn her degree in design and technology from Tel Aviv University, as well as a teacher’s degree in Arts Instruction. After several years of working as a graphic designer, in 2001 Hila moved to Tanzania with her family, and has lived in Arusha ever since.

Having had her share of “traditional” piano teachers- most of them lacking the passion for their profession as well as creativity in their teaching- Hila was in awe when her daughter started studying violin at Umoja through the Suzuki Program. The joy it brought to her family’s lives and the enthusiasm with which her daughter was practicing and playing was a true reflection of how successful this approach to teaching music is. Hila began her Suzuki teacher training in 2008, and came on staff at Umoja in August of that year. She believes music brings great joy to one’s life and that as a parent, it is a gift you give to your child- one of enormous importance to them as a human being. Music is truly one of the things she would hate living without!
Shanna Strauss is a Tanzanian American artist living in Arusha. She grew up in Tanzania where she developed an interest in art and later pursued an art education in the United States. She received a Fine Arts degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 2003. Since then she has had solo and group exhibitions in the United States, Canada and Tanzania. From 2005- 2008 Shanna taught Secondary and A-level art at Braeburn School. There she cultivated a passion for the art education of children. Currently, she is pursuing a painting career in Arusha. At Umoja she teaches a weekly art class to home-schooled students. She also participates in the Wednesday adult art sessions. Shanna believes that art has the ability to create positive transformations in individuals and communities. She is excited to be a part of the Umoja Art Centre, a place that gives everyone in the Arusha community an opportunity to participate in the arts.