At the World Festival 2016, Rochester

 Today, I attended the World Festival at the Mayo High School in Rochester, Minnesota, which I mentioned on this blog. I set up my table, displaying my publications and the Tanzanian national flag. People, some saying they were attracted by my display, came to talk with me about my work and share their stories. I remember, for example, an American lady who said that she has a friend who taught at the Moshi International School in Tanzania. Another lady said that she had been a Peace Corps volunteer in Western Kenya during the mid eighties.


For the duration of the festival, people kept coming and going. At my table and around the exhibition hall and in the corridors, I met and spoke with people from many countries, including China, Philippines, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, U.S.A., Mexico, Trinidad, and Guatemala.




The two men in the picture on the left are from Guatemala. After I gave them my little newspaper article, "Chickens in the Bus," the man wearing a hat regaled me with tales of how in Guatemala one can see people traveling in the bus with their chicken or piglet.








The lady in the picture on the left represented Trinidad. I told her I have read and taught some Trinidadian literary works. I mentioned Sam Selvon as one of my favourite writers.

She asked if I had read The Lonely Londoners. I told her that that is one of the works I liked the most and that I had taught it a number of times. We went on to talk about other writers, including V.S. Naipaul, Shiva Naipaul, and Earl Lovelace.















The festival involved many aspects. There were artistic performances, drumming, displays of national flags, art, handcrafted items, musical instruments, jewelry, and publications. There was even a karate demonstration.






The diversity of cultures and organizations represented at the festival was impressive. The pictures on this page, taken at random, afford some indication of this fact. The festival presented unique and unforgettable learning opportunities.

It is not possible to recount everything that transpired at the festival. Considering that there were hundreds of attendees, it is clear that there were countless experiences and conversations. This was a truly significant community event with global significance, for which the Rochester International Association deserves much praise and gratitude.

If You Like My Writing, Please Support "Papa's Shadow"

I know there are thousands of readers of  my writings out there, thousands who have read my book, Africans and Americans: Embracing Cultural Differences. A number of these have told me how much they like this book.

One of them is Patrick Hemingway, the only remaining child of Ernest Hemingway. Having lived for much of his adult life--over twenty years--in my country, Tanganyika (later Tanzania), he knows exactly what I am saying in this book, which he calls "a tool of survival."

I wish to let my dear readers know that I have joined hands with Patrick Hemingway to share our reflections on his famous father. We appear in a documentary film by Jimmy Gildea titled Papa's Shadow, discussing Ernest Hemingway's life, travels, writings, and thoughts, especially those connected with his African experiences in 1933-34 and 1953-54.

If you have read my Africans and Americans book, you will enjoy hearing Patrick Hemingway mentioning it and reading from it as he and I talk about Hemingway's appreciation of different cultures.

Papa's Shadow is a unique documentary. It will change the way people view Ernest Hemingway. I saw this a few weeks ago at its premiere screening in Minnetonka, a suburb of Minneapolis.

The documentary is completed, but it will only be released after certain costs are  met. There is a fund drive going on, scheduled to end just over a week from now. As a contributor to this effort, I am joining hands with Ramble Pictures, the company that Jimmy founded, to solicit the remaining contributions. There are special incentives attached to the contributions, including a signed copy of my Africans and Americans book, for contributions over 200 dollars.

Read more about Papa's Shadow, and, if you can, make your contribution at this Kickstarter site.

The Faribault International Festival, 2015

Yesterday I was in Faribault, Minnesota, participating in the Faribault International Festival. I arrived at Central Park, the venue, at 10:10am. Most of the vendors had set up their tables and booths and people had started arriving.

The place was a hub of activity, with music blaring and children running around joyfully. In the middle of the Festival grounds, flags of different countries fluttered in the wind.

From time to time, performers came on the main stage, singing and playing music from different traditions. Aztec dancers showed up as well, as they have done in previous years. 

There was a flag ceremony, one of the highlights of the Festival, starting a few minutes after 1 o'clock. Representatives of different countries carried the flags and processed in single file to the main stage. There they took turns to talk about their flags and the countries they came from. Some sang the national anthems of those countries.

There was a young woman who carried the flag of the United Nations. She spoke briefly about the United Nations and its mission in the world. It was a special moment, reminding us all that though we have our separate countries, we should not forget that we are one world.

It was interesting to witness the diversity of countries represented, from Cambodia to Honduras, from Germany to Somalia. South Sudan, the newest state, was represented.

I was happy to bear the Tanzanian flag, and say a word about my country. I also sang our national anthem, knowing that that might have been the first time that the Tanzanian national anthem has been sung publicly in Faribault. I was also surprised at how well I sang it.

The flag ceremony was a valuable learning experience. I appreciated hearing an Asian- looking young man proclaim that he was Cambodian and was carrying the flag of that country. It was equally notable to hear a young woman proclaim that she was from Honduras and the flag she was carrying was that of Honduras.

She said, rightly so, that she was not Mexican. She named the countries of Central America, emphasizing that she was from Honduras, one of those countries. It was a powerful reminder that not everyone who looks Mexican and speaks Spanish is Mexican.

The International Faribault Festival was, clearly, for everybody. We heard people talk about their Swedish, German, and other European heritages, and we heard people talk about their African and Asian heritages. We heard people talk about their American heritage, incorporating different countries of the American continent.

The booths and tables were not just places  to see and buy things. They were also educational resources. The vendors were sources of knowledge about what they were selling, the countries they came from, and their cultures.

Imagine moving from on booth to the next, from one table to the next, asking about the foods, the drinks, the art objects, the clothing, the jewelry and ornaments, and being able to learn about them.


Thinking about this, I recall the many times I answered questions about my books and my work as an educator, author, and cultural consultant.

I had brought along a poster for a forthcoming documentary about Ernest Hemingway titled Papa's Shadow. The documentary features me in conversation with Patrick Hemingway, the only remaining child of Ernest Hemingway. We are discussing Ernest Hemingway's life, travels, and writings, especially those connected with Africa.

In my studies of Ernest Hemingway, I have realized that he exemplified the ideal of learning about and appreciating the world's cultures.

I met people I had met before in the International Faribault Festival and on other occasions. I also met new people, including two who teach English as a second language, with whom we talked about cultural issues, such as the ones I deal with in my book, Africans and Americans: Embracing Cultural Differences.

I used to be a member of the board of the Faribault Diversity Coalition, which started the Festival--under the name of the International Market Day--intending it to be an occasion to bring together the diverse population of Faribault to share their traditions and cultures. When the Faribault Diversity Coalition ceased to exist, its mission was adopted by the International Festival Faribault Committee, which now organizes the annual International Festival Faribault.

Despite appearances to the contrary, the Faribault International Festival is not a small-town event, and I have said as much in a previous blog post.

I was thinking about this yesterday, as I was tweeting and sending out Facebook messages and photos during the Festival. I knew I was involving people from around the world in what was going on, as did others who also sent out messages and images.

International Festival Faribault, August 22

August 22, 2015, the International Festival Faribault will take place in Faribault, Minnesota. This will be the 10th year of the festival, which brings together the various nations represented in Faribault, to share their cultures and foster mutual understanding.

I have already signed up as a participant. I will have a table where I will display my books and talk with people about my work as an educator, writer, and cultural consultant. I consider events of this kind an extension of my classroom, whose spirit of give-and-take is highly rewarding. What I learn on these occasions enriches my teaching in various ways.

The International Festival Faribault is an opportunity to meet people from different parts of the world and to see the cultural items and other things they display, watch their performances, and sample their foods. Year in and year out, I have found the conversations with different people enlightening.

This year, I will also talk about a documentary film on Ernest Hemingway titled Papa's Shadow, produced by Jimmy Gildea, a 2014 alumnus of St. Olaf College, who was one of the students who came to Tanzania in 2013 on my Hemingway in East Africa course. The documentary features me in conversation with Patrick Hemingway, the only remaining child of Ernest Hemingway, born in 1928. We are talking about Hemingway's life, travels, and writings, especially those concerning East Africa.

Hemingway was an avid world traveler, who was genuinely interested in, and respectful of, other cultures. As an African, I like sharing my great admiration for Hemingway's lifelong fascination with Africa, an aspect that is not well acknowledged by readers and scholars alike. Indeed, Hemingway exemplified the kind of spirit the International Festival Faribault stands for.