Back in Tanzania

I arrived in Dar es Salaam on July 16. It is great to be back in Tanzania. I am enjoying my few days of rest before I get to work, when American students arrive. I look forward to showing them parts of my country and then leaving them at the University of Dar es Salaam, where they will study for one semester.

Dar es Salaam is humid but busy as a beehive, as usual. I plan to take some photos and will write some more substantive posts in the coming days.

Cultural Challenges Facing Africans in the USA

The Pan African Organization of Minnesota will host a discussion on "Cultural Challenges Facing Africans in the USA," and has asked me to introduce the topic. The event, to be held at the Center for Families, June 18, is free and open to the public. Here is more information:

VENUE:
The Center for Families
3333 North 4th Street
Minneapolis

TIME:
Saturday, June 18, 2011. 12noon - 2:00pm

As someone whose consulting and outreach work revolves around issues related to cultural differences, I look forward to this event with eagerness.

A Gathering of African American Authors, Minneapolis

As part of the preparations for the June 16 African American Author Event, we met today at the Center for Families, thanks to the tireless efforts of Jeffrey Groves and Shatona Kilgore-Groves, featured here on the left. They founded and run the Black Parent Group.

This was a gathering for the writers to get to know one another and their writing. There was a great diversity of life stories and dreams, challenges and successes, stories of heart-rending life experiences turned into sources for books the writing of which helped the writers heal their souls and are now available to fortify and inspire others.

The authors ranged from new ones with one book published to more experienced ones with several or more books. These ranged from personal memoirs to children's books. There was even a very young boy, who seemed to be barely six years old, who has already published a story book. He read his book, with his father at his side, to great acclaim.

This was a unique, memorable event. Everyone felt it should be the beginning of a tradition, to promote and showcase the work of people of African descent. If today's event is anything to go by, the June 16 African American Author event should be phenomenal, not to be missed.

African American Author Night and Read-In

In Honor of Juneteenth

When: Thursday, June 16, 2011

Time: 5:30PM-8:30PM

Where: Magers & Quinn Booksellers
3038 Hennepin Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-822-4611



Event Description:

The Black Parent Group and Magers & Quinn Booksellers (M & Q) will host a local African-American (AA) Author Night and Read-In in honor of Juneteenth 2011. Come and meet inspirational AA/African authors. We will have a wide variety of books available including: Biographies, Children’s, Cookbooks, Mental Health, Financial, Parenting Guides, Spiritual, Fiction, Poetry, and many more genres for you to choose from.

Authors appearing:

· Coach Nakumbe
· Jacinta Calhoun
· Joseph L. Mbele
· Ms. Nique
· Candy Pettiford
· Charles E. Cox, Jr.
· Chaun Webster
· Deniesha Johnson
· Derrick L. Williams
· Dr. Verna Price
· Elder Mahmoud El-Kati
· Gary Armstead
· Gerald Montgomery
· Jeff & Shatona Groves
· Joyce Marrie
· Lance and Landon Sanders
· Lehman Riley
· Lynnette A. Murray-Gibson
· M. Ann Machen Pritchard
· Thomas Slater
· Tinitha Warren
· Tommy Watson
· Venita Johnson
· Zenobia L. Silas-Carson

African American Read-In: Male community leaders will read to local youth during the event.

For Information on M&Q Booksellers visit: www.magersandquinn.com

In Collaboration with the Council on Black Minnesotans and the Minnesota Humanities Center, this program is funded in part with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

The Black Parent Group P.O. Box 11621 St. Paul, MN 55111 612-568-6326 1-877-378-4326 © 2010

Matema Beach, Here we Come

Lately, I have been thinking a great deal about Matema Beach, a little village at the northern tip of Lake Nyasa, Tanzania. I have never visited it, but I am planning to, this summer, with students from the Lutheran Colleges Consortium for Tanzania.

I normally don't blog about places I have not yet visited. I write after I have been there. From all accounts, Matema Beach is different, nothing short of bewitching. Intrepid tourists who get to Matema Beach extol its charm. I find myself dreaming of the magic of the Lake, its sparkling clear water and its gorgeous, sand laden beaches, over which the waves break repeatedly with either a hushed or mighty roar I myself witnessed at Mbamba Bay, further south.

I have been reading about Matema Beach and consulting friends. I know, for example, where to stay. There is the Matema Beach Resort and the Lutheran Center.

I look forward to adding Matema Beach to my list of favourite spots on planet earth. It is going to be quite an adventure, as others have described it, and I hope to join the growing group of bloggers who have written about it, in English, German, Swahili, and perhaps other languages. Matema Beach, here we come.

Immigrants in Faribault

Today I attended a special event in Faribault, Minnesota. Political Science students from St. Olaf College presented research they have been doing under Professor Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak on issues facing immigrants and social service providers in Faribault.

These students had interviewed many individuals, and organizations, from representatives of immigrants, social service providers, religious leaders, law enforcement staff, and public officials. Two of them interviewed me, on the basis of my years of experience with the Faribault Diversity Coalition.

Apart from addressing their questions about challenges facing immigrants and the services available to them, I talked about the dynamics and ethics of field research involving human subjects. I shared with the students my own experience as well as my little paper, "Ethics in Folklore Research," published in Storied Inquiries, pp. 187-188.

It was wonderful to hear their presentations, covering a number of key areas, including the economic, social, cultural, and educational. The students knew what they were talking about, and this became particularly clear when they answered questions about their respective topics.

There are many challenges facing the immigrants, including language and cultural differences. The students highlighted these very well. From the side of social service providers, one of the main challenges is shortage of funds.





These students have gained valuable knowledge of real life issues facing a small town, which is, indeed, a microcosm of the world. I felt they have gained much more than they would have by merely doing research in a library.







I know that they have not only broadened their own horizons, but they have put together information that will be useful for various agencies, refugee organizations, and future researchers.

A report on the event appears in the Faribault Daily News.

Zambian Children Singing the American National Anthem

At least in my days, African kids in sixth grade had a good knowledge of world geography. We could locate countries, railways, ports, ocean currents, mountain ranges, climatic zones, rivers, lakes, and so on around the globe. These Zambian children singing the American National Anthem have taken this tradition to a whole new level. I am truly impressed, and I hope American kids will take note.