Archive for December, 2009
Happy Holidays from Brazil!
This is the Coral Natal de Luz (the Christmas of Light Choir) singing a poppy version of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” in Portuguese. The kids are all in different windows of a building in downtown Fortaleza, and if you look closely, you can see Santa in the bottom center window.
Fieldwork 101
Lesson 1.Don’t always trust directions from the internet. I’ve gotten lost in Fortaleza twice now thanks to Google Maps. A few weeks ago, I arrived at a friend’s wedding an hour and a half late, and the place shouldn’t have been more than a five minute drive from my apartment. It wasn’t entirely the map’s fault. Most of the streets had no signs, so I had to guess where and when to turn. At one point, I glanced down at the map on the seat next to me while I was driving, and looked up to find a donkey standing in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes. My heart racing, I sped home and called a friend who gave me better directions and I made it in time for dinner.
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Do It With A Kick-A$$ Song
I had a great chat with Peter Mawanga a few days ago. It turns out he’s been traversing Malawi up and down the last two weeks in promotion of his new album Paphiri Ndi Padanga, which is getting lots of good press in Malawi. People are calling the radio stations daily requesting to hear it. He did an acoustic show with some of his bandmates for a live album promo recently… from the way he described it, I’m imagining Eric Clapton unplugged. Picture that concert but with a laid back Malawian guy in a perfectly placed stylish ball-cap strumming away to an entranced audience (…sometimes my imagination takes its liberties…) Check out a review of the album HERE.
I’d like to introduce myself beyond just the little blurb on this site. How did I become interested in Malawi? AIDS? Concept albums?
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Goodbye For Now…
For my final blog entry, I will provide an overview of the work I did while in Uganda, discuss project sustainability and future plans, and share a few lessons learned from my Fulbright experience.
The Overview
One Hand Stand
The goal of my Fulbright project was learn how the Hip Hop Therapy Project (HHTP) could be strengthened to better serve the young people participating in it. In this effort, I conducted a needs assessment exercise with the aim of using the findings to inform the project’s growth and development.
After speaking with over 30 young people and meeting with other project stakeholders I decided to focus my efforts on:
members
information for project members
Up to four awards will be available to pursue projects around an aspect of international contemporary or popular music as a cultural force for expression. Preference will be given to creative projects that are conveyed in a dynamic fashion and are accompanied by a feasible plan. In addition to presenting unique projects on music as a global force for mutual understanding. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2012.