The Illinois-Sao Paulo Chapter of Partners of the Americas is proud to present a 10 day exchange with Sao Paulo-based African Dance and Drumming performance artist Fanta Konate’s cultural mission to Chicago December 1-10. Fanta will reach out to 1000’s in the Chicago area with dance and rhythm workshops showcasing Guinean influence on Brazilian music, including the following public events:

African Sensory Experience

Friday, December 3, 2010 Ÿ 6-10 pm

Suggested Donation $20

Presented in partnership with Jane Addams Hull-House Museum

The University of Illinois at Chicago

800 S. Halsted

RSVP to ksuzanne@uic.edu

Fanta Konatê and Luis Kinugawa of the Africa Viva Institute present an African Sensory Experience. Engaging all senses, this workshop shares the deep culture of Guinea Conakry with participants, combining a history of the region with participatory dance and rhythm workshop and culminating with a taste of West African flavors in a typical Guinean meal.

African Dance & Percussion Workshop

Saturday, December 4, 2010 Ÿ 2-5 pm

FREE

Presented in partnership with Gingarte Capoeira Chicago

1501 West Chicago Avenue

Dance workshop and presentation with Fanta Konate and Luis Kinugawa, with potluck to follow.   Come early for Capoeira Roda for kids and adults, presented by Gingarte Capoeira.

West Africa Dance Introductory Class with Fanta Konate

Saturday, December 10, 2010 Ÿ 2-4 pm

FREE

Presented in partnership with praxis place/CCBdance Project

1474 North Milwaukee Ave., Third Floor

Register at celiaandchristianbambaradance@gmail.com

Brazilian-Guinean singer and dancer Fanta Konate will bring her African Sensory Experience to Chicago from December 1 to 10, 2010 as part of a cultural exchange program sponsored by The Illinois-Sao Paulo Chapter of Partners of the Americas.  A native of Sao Paulo Brazil, Fanta’s public performances of music and dance in schools, with dance companies, and in cultural settings epitomizes the African influence in Brazilian music and dance and highlights parallels to African influence in the arts in Chicago.

“Chicago and Sao Paulo have a common heritage in the Manden culture which spread to Brazil and the United States through the African Diaspora,” said Chris Preissing, Illinois-Sao Paulo Partners Board Member and volunteer coordinator for the Fanta Konate trip.  “It is the goal of this project to use the music and dance of the Manden Culture to engage at risk youths and professionals who work with disadvantaged youths to increase human potential and create environmental sustainability,” added Preissing.

Direct artistic work over the 10 day exchange will reach over 1,000 and include students in Evanston, through the BooCoo Cultural and Music Center, and in Chicago through the Old Town School of Music field trip program, University of Illinois Chicago theater department, Columbia College, Loyola and DePaul Universities. Educational and cultural activities will reach approximately 500 through the Chicago Public Schools, the Kovler Center for Survivors of Torture and more.

Founder of the Africa Vivá Institute, Fanta had her training in the African Ballet styles of “Hamaná,” “Fareta,” “Bolonta,” “Soleil d’Afrique,” and “Sangbarala,” the style of her village. Whether performing deeply traditional West African themes with her sisters and brothers in Troupe Djembedon or with other guest artists and collaborators in the “Contemporary Diaspora” style, Fanta Konatê always delights audiences with her mastery of a variety of timbres, styles and tempos.

Dancer and Singer Fanta Konate is the daughter of Master Djembefola Famoudou Konatê.  Her work represents a fusion of Manden culture often combined with the music therapy of her husband and artistic collaborator Luis Kinugawa.  Their work originated in the “Biomusic Without Borders” work in 1998 in Brazil, and has continued with social projects in Guinea and Sierra Leone from 2000 to 2002 with Non-Profit  Organizations “Warchild,” “Doctors Without Borders,” and “Refugee Children of the World,” training as many as 40 art educators to work with 1,000 to 1,500 refugees at time.

Founded in 1965, Partners of the Americas is a not-for-profit volunteer organization committed to working together as citizen volunteers from Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States to improve the lives of people across the hemisphere. We not only dream of a better world, we roll up our sleeves and make a difference. Illinois-Sao Paulo (IL-SP) Partners is one of 120 Chapters and 60 Partnerships working to foster cooperation across the Western Hemisphere.

For more information visit us at www.illinois-saopaulo-partners.org, or find us on Facebook, Partners of the Americas Illinois-Sao Paulo Chapter.

This was supposed to be a cute post about how the Youth Ambassadors from Ecuador (8 high school students and one adult mentor) ended up having to stay two extra days in Chicago because on the day of their departure (9/30) the military closed the airports in Ecuador after a rebellion by the police, in response to rumors that year-end bonuses were to be cut.

The idea was that as “typical” Americans we tend to gloss over world events unless something connects us personally…or really unless we are inconvenienced.  In the case of recent terror threats in Europe, the news angle was to interview USAmerican tourists in London and France to see if they still planned to visit the London Eye and the Eiffel Tower, respectively.  “Yes, they answered, otherwise the terrorists win” was the trite answer.

In this case, after two weeks of scheduling, homestays, parties, school shadowing, presentations, meetings, museum visits and other assorted planning, the Youth Ambassadors showed up at the airport only to find that they couldn’t travel.

The urgent call came to me as a planner for this program locally in Chicago (via the Illinois-Sao Paulo Chapter of Partners of the Americas–the program was implemented nationally by Partners of the Americas, funded by the US State Department).  “The kids are still here.  We have to find places for them to stay at least until Saturday…possibly indefinitely.”

For me it became a funny anecdote as relates to my realm of responsibility…not a “real event” affecting “real people.”

For 15-year-old Dayana, it was deep concern for  her family’s safety in Ecuador; or for 17-year-old Andres it was wondering when he would see his family, as he already was expecting a two day delay to get to his home on the Galapagos Islands after the group returned to Ecuador.  And for the President of Ecuador it was a threat to his life, and for Ecuadorians a fear for national stability.

Even with a program designed to foster intercultural understanding, appreciation and global leadership (and it does, I don’t want to discount that), it’s still hard to step outside of one’s frame of reference to empathize with the position of others.

Perhaps the person who got it the most right was the Consul General of Ecuador, who was at the airport to say goodbye to the youth when the announcement came through.  He and his wife invited two of the students to stay in their home until they were able to travel (two other volunteers with the program also immediately stepped-up to host the other students for the additional days).

If the role of the Consulate is to protect and serve nationals from their country when on US soil, he certainly aligned his ideas with his actions.

How do your ideas and actions align?

“Getting to know you” is a lyrical description of the premier event that took place in Chicago this past weekend.  Partners of the Americas (POA), one of the largest volunteer organizations in the Western Hemisphere, hosted the first Midwest Regional Conference on volunteerism that featured the power of citizen diplomacy, the primary force in bringing together the two great continents of the Americas and Central America. 

Wisconsin-Nicaragua, Iowa-Mexico, Illinois-Sao Paulo, Brazil, Indiana-Rio Grande de Sul, Brazil, Kansas-Paraguay, Michigan-Belize, Minnesota-Uruguay, Missouri-Para, Brazil, Nebraska-Piaul/Matto Grosso do Sul, Brazil, Ohio-Parana, Brazil, and Honduras-Vermont, represented the breadth of international affiliates that presented the best of the best in intercultural communication with the singular purpose of bringing people and ideas into a closer working relationship for the good of our hemisphere and the global community.

Person to person diplomacy is nothing new but is easily subordinated or forgotten when the events of central government dominate the news.  The enthusiasm for getting to know others through understanding one another’s culture and offering cooperative opportunities to meet each other’s needs was the big “take home” reward for attending this unique and life changing conference. The 62 attendees discovered that working together in their own communities and through international exchanges everyone benefits and a higher quality of life is achieved.  In the face of such daunting projects and need, the question was raised as to what impact one could make. 

The response?  “If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.”

Partners of the Americas began in 1964 as the people-to-people component of President John F. Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress, and has since evolved into a private nonprofit organization, with more than 95 chapters throughout the United States.  Areas of work include education, cultural exchanges, healthcare, and the environment  To learn more or join a chapter, visit www.partners.net.

 Photo by Miguel Yuste, El Pais

Yesterday I don’t know that I would have even clicked to open the article on NPR about the kidnapping of Honduran President Manuel Zalaya and essentially the coup that is taking place there as we speak.

Today, I am desperate to find cell phone numbers for my three friends who will be returning to their homeland in Honduras on Tuesday, to warn them and make sure they knew what happened.  I just met and spent the last three days with Maria, Roselie and Edna at a conference presented by the Illinois-Sao Paulo Chapter of Partners of the Americas and sponsonored by Partners of the Americas.

In the song “Ohio”, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sing “how can you run when you know.”  But we make opportunities to know by engaging in different experiences and interacting with people from different countries, backgrounds and experiences. 

 The military actions in Honduras today are no longer abstract, they are something that is happening to someone I know, now a first voice, first hand experience. 

How can you run, when you know?