At the World Festival, Rochester, Minnesota

The World Festival took place today in Rochester. This is an annual event, organized by the Rochester International Association.

Since in the morning I was participating in the Cannon River Conference in Zumbrota, where I gave a talk on "The Dilemma of Cultural Differences: Challenges and Opportunities," my daughter Zawadi went early to Rochester and set up our table. I joined her later, after the Zumbrota conference.

The Festival took place at the John Marshall High School, and my daughter and I represented Africonexion--my consulting company--and the Afrifest Foundation of which I am the Board chairman. Both organizations were appearing at the Festival for the first time.

We displayed my books and other publications, as well as information about the Afrifest Foundation.

Before I arrived, a little after 2pm, Zawadi had spoken with many people about the work of Africonexion and the Afrifest Foundation.

We continued doing so after I joined her. She enjoys doing this and has participated in such events from the time she was quite young.









There were many people from different countries and cultures around the world. There were performances and displays in the school auditorium, and there were vendors outside the auditorium. We had our table outside.























I was delighted to meet many people I had not met before, to hear their stories, and to exchange views and experiences. I was particularly happy to meet members of the Rochester Diversity Council.

I had, for years, wanted to connect with the Council, considering that we share common interests in bringing people of different cultures together and promoting mutual understanding and positive relations among them.

Encounters With The Paul Bunyan Legend, Minnesota

On April 2, 2015, several colleagues and I traveled together from Minneapolis to a conference at Leech Lake Tribal College. Deborah Jane, who was driving, and who knew the area we were going to, suggested that we stop at Akeley, to see the statue of Paul Bunyan.

We did, and what an opportunity it was, to see that massive statue of Paul Bunyan with his axe. We took photos, such as the one on the left, which shows us dwarfed by the statue.

I had heard that there was a Paul Bunyan statue, but I heard it was in Bemidji. I do not recall having heard about Akeley or about a Paul Bunyan statue there.

We continued on our way, towards Bemidji. As we entered the city, before we stopped anywhere else, Deborah took us right to another Paul Bunyan statue, featuring Paul Bunyan with his blue ox.

The story I had heard concerning a Paul Bunyan statue in Bemidji mentioned the blue ox. This was it, another massive statue, as you can see in the photo on the left.

I saw the influence of the Paul Bunyan legend everywhere in this part of Minnesota: Paul Bunyan businesses, and even a Paul Bunyan street. At the entrance of the restaurant attached to the Hampton Inn, where we stayed, there was a Paul Bunyan mural, which you see in the photo on the left, with me standing next to it.

As a folklorist, I greatly appreciate these encounters with a famous American legend, about which I knew even before I came to the USA. In my folklore courses I include American folklore, and now I will be able to talk about these personal experiences with the Paul Bunyan legend.

In both Akeley and Bemidji, there is a museum next to the Paul Bunyan statue. I am dreaming of someday going to do research in those museums.

The "Narratives of Identity" Conference, Leech Lake Tribal College, April 3

On April 3, 2015, I participated in a conference at Leech Lake Tribal College, Minnesota. The theme of the conference was "Narratives of Identity: Challenges and Issues" and was a collaboration between Leech Lake Tribal College and the African Studies Initiative at the University of Minnesota.

From the very beginning, the idea of a conference embracing two different worlds--the African and the Indigenous American--intrigued me. I have a good grounding in African studies, particularly literature, folklore, and political economy. I am fluent in Matengo and Swahili.

Regarding Indigenous American studies, my understanding is rather limited, not extending far beyond trickster tales. I knew, however, that there were striking similarities between the traditional beliefs of the Native Americans and those of the Africans.

I was therefore keen to participate in the "Narratives of Identity" conference, confident that I would learn much. I was particularly excited about the opportunity to visit an Indigenous American institution. All the years I have been in the USA, I have never had the chance to visit such an institution or community.

The conference started with an Indigenous American invocation, which was translated, reminding us of our not being alone in the world, but in the company of all of creation. That theme was emphasized during the conference, offering us an appreciation of the Indigenous American view of the world, our place in it, and our obligations to sustain it as it sustains us.

We heard about colonial European suppression of African and Indigenous American traditions, values, concepts of justice, and identity. Accordingly, we explored the issue of decolonization in its various dimensions--such as the educational, the cultural, and the psychological--including the decolonization of pedagogical methods and practices to ensure the engagement of learners in their education.

We discussed the issue of engagement alongside the issue of the right of people to speak for and about themselves, as opposed to being objects or victims of other peoples' narratives and viewpoints. The project of decolonization goes hand in hand with narratives of self-affirmation and empowerment of marginalized and oppressed people.

As I have noted, this was an unforgettable day for me, and I said as much to the audience. As an expression of my gratitude, I presented a copy of my Africans and Americans: Embracing Cultural Differences and of Matengo Folktales to the library of the Leech Lake Tribal College.

I wish to pay tribute to Deborah Jane of the African Studies Institute and Elaine Fleming and her colleagues at Leech Lake Tribal College for organizing the conference, a memorable event in itself and a secure foundation for future collaboration.

(The top photo is by Leech Lake Tribal College)

Narratives of Identity: Leech Lake Tribal College, April 3

On April 3, I will be at Leech Lake Tribal College, Minnesota, participating in a conference on "Narratives of Identity. Challenges and Issues." This is a collaboration between Leech Lake Tribal College and a Department of Education Title VI African Studies Initiative at the University of Minnesota.

This is a new venture, and I am excited to be part of it, especially since I have never visited an Anishinabeg (i.e. Native American) institution before, although I regularly teach Native American trickster tales.

Click on the brochure on the left to enlarge it.

 

We Have Finished Reading "Americanah"

Today, in my Post-colonial Literature class, we finished discussing Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah. I have always told my students that though we say we have finished reading a work of literature, we are deceiving ourselves. If we read such a work again, we discover how much we missed the first time around. We discover new ways of seeing aspects of the text. The process is virtually endless.

It has taken us many days to go through this novel, but that is what I wanted. I believe we have to accord literature the honour it deserves as an expression of the human condition.

As a result of taking our time on it, we have gained a good understanding of the lives of the characters in Americanah, such as Ifemelu, Obinze, Aunty Uju, Blaine, and Dike. We have gained an understanding of their experiences at home and abroad, and their relationships.

Adichie's exploration of themes such as the lives of Africans in the USA, race and racism, cultural differences, and the contemporary Nigerian middle class, sparkles with insight and sensitivity. She portrays human beings, not stereotypes.

Adichie is a gifted storyteller; she enchants the reader with her mind-boggling narrative skill and truthful dialogue. Rarely have I read a long novel such as Americanah with such joy and eagerness, from the beginning to the very end.

Troubles Over Loud Music in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

For quite a while, the City of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, has been in the news over loud music in its parks. The Brooklyn Park City Council banned loud music from all but one park, following complaints by residents living near those parks. The Minneapolis Star Tribune, for example, published this report about the issue.

The ban has prompted much opposition from those who feel victimized by it. African residents of Brooklyn Park have been quite vocal in this regard, as reported here.

I have been following the issue on Facebook as well, where the Africans have been voicing their views and sentiments, generally opposing the ban, describing it as unilateral, discriminatory, and insensitive to the cultural values of the immigrants. The photo above, from Abdullah Kiatamba's Facebook page, shows a meeting between City authorities and residents.

I am a cultural consultant, specializing in the cultural issues Africans and Americans face when they interact. Several years ago, I was invited to Faribault, another Minnesota city, to participate in a dialogue about problems that were brewing between long time business owners and Somali immigrants. The core issue was the habit of Somali men congregating in the downtown area, blocking sidewalks and, according to the business owners, scaring away customers. I discussed the issue as stemming from cultural differences, to the satisfaction of all.

Reading about what is happening in Brooklyn Park, I keep thinking about what I wrote in my book Africans and Americans: Embracing Cultural Differences whose opening paragraph mentions loud music:

This booklet deals with differences between African and American culture. I noted these differences during my graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1980-86. I used to spend much time with fellow African students joking about American ways. We wondered why, for example, the police often arrived at parties, to report complaints by neighbours that the music was too loud. What was the purpose of a party, we wondered, if not to have a good time, and how could anyone have a good time if the music was not loud? Compared to African parties, American parties seemed like funerals. (p. 1)

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, with people moving and settling everywhere, every community must find ways to deal with changing realities, including cultural differences. Loud music is only one issue, but there are many others, such as food, dress, religion, modes of communication and behavior.

There is no escape from these realities. All we can do is educate ourselves, learning from and about one another, understanding our differences and learning to accommodate them in our lives, so that we can live and work together in harmony.
 

My 2013 "Hemingway in East Africa" class at Lake Babati

In January, 2013, I was in Tanzania with St. Olaf College students on my "Hemingway in East Africa" course.

I designed this course in 2006 for Colorado College, prompted by Professor John Watkins of that College, who had heard me rave endlessly about Hemingway's African travels and writings and his life-long love of Africa.

The course aimed at sharing with students what I call the African dimension of Hemingway. This incorporates his writings based on his two trips to East Africa in 1933-34 and 1953-54. Professor Bill Davis of Colorado College and I inaugurated the course in 2007.

Traveling in the places where Hemingway traveled and reading his writings about those places--the land, the people, the fauna, and the flora--students acquire a unique perspective on Hemingway. The writings include Green Hills of Africa and Under Kilimanjaro; the famous short story, "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber;" letters and journalistic writings.

The photo above features the 2013 class, together with our driver/tour guides, at Lake Babati. In his Green Hills of Africa, Hemingway wrote about Babati and Lake Babati:

     We left, soon after midnight, ahead of the outfit, who were to strike camp and follow in the two lorries. We stopped in Babati at the little hotel overlooking the lake and bought some more Pan-Yam pickles and had some cold beer (p. 143).