Fulbright-mtvU Fellows

Beirut comes to Mexico City

The band Beirut hails from Brooklyn, NY, but they’ve gained international fame for what they describe as an “old-world” sound. The mastermind and frontman, 23-year-old New Mexico native Zach Condon, built Beirut’s signature sound with influences from the Balkans and France. In Beirut’s latest EP, March of the Zapotec, they explore an entirely “new world” of musical riches: the Mexican brass of Oaxaca. On the afternoon of their debut in Mexico City, I talked to some members of the band to learn more about this ambitious project. They explained how their exposure to Mexican music broadened their sound, and discussed the contentious issue of “authenticity” that comes with playing music from other cultures.
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Tags: Beirut, Kelly Pratt, Paul Collins, Perrin Cloutier, Zach Condon

FESPACO Film Festival

Well, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to the neighboring West African country of Burkina Faso last week to see some of the film festival FESPACO in the capital city of Ouagadougou. This was the 21st offering of the festival as well as the 40th anniversary, so while I was hesitant to leave Mali, who could say no? I saw a whirlwind of 13 films in 4 days, some shorts and even one animated film. This year’s festival was dedicated to the multi-talented Senegalese director Ousmane Sembène, who unfortunately passed away in 2007 and was much missed at the festival. Africultures put out a truly beautiful biography booklet, which was available for purchase at the festival. If I got you thirsty for even more information, check this out.
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I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD

In an attempt to share more about my life here in Uganda, I’ve decided to start a blog series called “I Never Thought I Would.” I will occasionally post an entry about something that (before moving to Uganda) I never thought I would hear/see/experience/think/witness/etc. Here is the first entry, hope you enjoy it!

I Never Thought I Would…

Know the lyrics to several Country music songs: In the four months that I’ve been here, one thing that has become abundantly clear is that Ugandans love country music (especially Kenny Rogers)! I’ve probably listened to more Country music here than in the entire time I lived in the U.S. I asked a few of my Ugandan friends, both young and old, about this national fascination with Country music and they said “it’s very relaxing” “it’s nice and slow and I can understand the lyrics” and “it’s good music to play when you’re spending time with your girlfriend.” I’ve never been a big fan of country music, but during my 6 hour bus rides to northern Uganda, I catch myself bopping my head and singing along to the Country music’s greatest hits tape that blares from the speakers-and that is something I never thought I would do!

Send children running away in horror: I live in the north central part of Uganda, which is inhabited by the Acholi tribe. The word “Acholi” means black in Luo, which is the language that is spoken here. The Acholi people are very dark skinned and anyone who is not as dark as them (including myself) tends to be called “Muno” which means white person. When I’m walking around town, children always point at me and call out “Muno, Muno” until I turn, smile, and wave at them. There are few children however, who react very differently. For a long time, northern Uganda was socially isolated due to the war and still has few visitors and outsiders compared to the other parts of Uganda. As a result, there are some children, usually those around one to two years in age, who haven’t seen many“Munos”. On more than one occasion, the mere sight of me has sent such children screaming and running away in pure horror. When I asked some Acholi friends why the babies react this way, I was told “you look very different from what they know” and “because of your skin color, they think you are a ghost”. I really like children so being the source of child’s fright and horror is something I never thought I would do!

I’m in a Music Video! (Rouki’s “Boa Vista”)

When I was seven, my lifelong dream was to be a Fly Girl on the television show In Living Color (think J. Lo circa 1991). If that didn’t work out, I wanted to be a backup dancer for concerts and music videos. Well, part of that dream has finally come true and even though I’m not dancing, being featured in my friend Rouki’s music video for “Boa Vista” is even better.

You may remember that I interviewed Rouki, a rapper and student, in a previous blog entry where we discussed what this song and his experience at Boa Vista meant to him. (If not, you can find the interview here.) This video, which recounts a typical day during an internship where he worked with extraordinary children, is a touching homage to the kids and the people he worked with— many of whom are prominently featured in the video. The chorus translates to “Boa Vista, I am leaving you but I will not forget you.” As Rouki said in the interview, “it is a song about love and a song about humanity” so please check out this premiere of his video (his first video!) and let us know what you think. Enjoy

“Your last name is bro? Ainsley Bro?”

Kia ora whanau!
When I visited Wellington recently for my Fulbright New Zealand orientation, I had the unique opportunity to stay overnight at the Waiwhetū Marae. Before our group of visiting American graduate fellows and visiting scholars left for the marae, we learned the proper pōwhiri, or rituals of encounter. We practiced the hongi, which is the act of gently pressing noses and foreheads to establish physical contact. We also learned two Māori waiata (songs), to acknowledge the group welcoming us onto their marae. In learning the stages of pōwhiri and the rules and customs of the marae, I think some of us were a bit nervous; the strict cultural protocols made us apprehensive that we would make a mistake and offend our hosts.

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