DIGNITY AND CHANGE

DIGNITY’s powerful text, stirring museum collected images, along with an impassioned call-to-action create a historic book in support of Indigenous Peoples—who comprise six percent of the global population and are amongst its most impoverished and oppressed inhabitants. With inspirational text and photographs, DIGNITY is intended to give a fuller awareness of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (http://www.state.gov/s/tribalconsultation/declaration/) and to advocate for its global implementation. The declaration was adopted by 144 countries in 2007 and is the most comprehensive global statement of the measures every government should enact to ensure the survival, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous Peoples around the world.

As the Obama administration has recently announced a “formal review” of the U.S. position, the publication of DIGNITY comes at a timely moment. In 2007, the U.S. voted against the declaration, along with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Since then, New Zealand adopted the declaration, as well as Australia along with making a formal apology to the Aborigines. It is now a critical opportunity to encourage the Obama Administration to endorse this important human rights declaration and ensure the rights and dignity of our Indigenous communities around the world.

TAKE ACTION ON INDIGENOUS RIGHTS NOW: http://www.aiusa.org/undrip

STORIES OF HOPE

When I photographed in Zambia, impoverished boys from the Goba tribe, knowing that nothing remained of their authentic ceremonial adornments, made cardboard masks for their portrait. In Namibia, Ovazemba girls posed, one with a plastic toy cell phone dangling from a necklace and the other with a bra and no shirt – a collision of traditional, modern and missionary cultures.  I photographed a traditional Fijian warrior who had just returned from fighting a distant war in Iraq. The images from Bhutan depict the contradictions facing this ancient and mystical Himalayan culture whose admirable gross national product is measured in moments of happiness rather than the acquisition of material things. An onslaught of Bollywood and Hollywood images since television’s introduction in 2000, however, threaten traditional values.  At a religious festival, a school boy dressed in his traditional gho crouches with his toy rifle.

Recently, I photographed a San Bushman elder in Botswana, keeper of the legendary rock paintings at Tsodilo Hills, a descendent of the world’s most ancient, peaceful, hunting-gathering cultures.  The elder can no longer provide for his people because the government now requires him to purchase a “hunting license” he cannot afford.  He asked, “How can we pass on our traditional dances and songs if we cannot hunt, if we have no skins?”  His people have been forcibly removed to squalid resettlement camps because their land sits atop lucrative diamond mines.

Amidst such degradation and dispossession, there are stories of hope.  The images of the Hawaiian Chanter, depict the cultural renaissance of Native Hawaiians who seek to heal the centuries of cultural erosion and loss of identity that followed the theft of their kingdom.  Now their children attend Hawaiian cultural immersion programs where they learn to speak their once forbidden Hawaiian language, to dance their traditional hula, and to feel proud of their heritage.

Photograph by Dana Gluckstein

Photograph by Dana Gluckstein

Photograph by Dana Gluckstein

Photograph by Dana Gluckstein

For more info please visit:

http://www.danagluckstein.com/

Clip featuring a voiceover by Hugh Masekela of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s foreword to DIGNITY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP8bI3DEYB8

A recent blog by Dana on Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-gluckstein/international-day-of-indi_b_669425.html

—SANTIAGO CALATRAVA

ARTPORT_making waves is an international art and sustainability project that raises awareness about climate change through theme-oriented exhibitions, residency programs, and artists collaborations.  ARTPORT_making waves was founded in 2006 by two international curators, Corinne Erni and Anne-Marie Melster. In 2009, curator and art historian Oliver Orest Tschirky joined the team. ARTPORT_making waves is based in Valencia, Spain, New York City, and Zurich, Switzerland.

Cancun: 2 Degrees of Separation-Nov 29-Dec 10, 2010

Engaging art where it matters—at the heart of the most important climate conference in the world!

In this comprehensive art project in conjunction with COP16 in Mexico, the program spans contemporary video art; recent film productions; interactive public art performances and interventions by renowned international artists; and panel discussions with artists, scientists and politicians on the impact of art in a political environment.

The project title emphasizes the importance of reducing the increase of global temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius, in order to avoid catastrophic natural disasters. It also refers to the famous term “Six degrees of Separation,” which explores the existential premise that everyone in the world is connected to everyone else by a chain of no more than six acquaintances, thus all of mankind is interconnected and needs to take care of each other.

PARTICIPATE IN THE MOBILE VIDEO CONTEST!

Send in 20 seconds of YOUR VISION OF A SOLUTION for the planet. Learn more at www.my20sec.org

DONATE!

Learn more about the groundbreaking live art performance, La Isla Hundida (The Drowned Island) by artist Javier Velasco with hundreds of school children during the UN climate conference in Cancun… and help make this happen through Kickstarter! Even a small contribution can go a long way. http://kck.st/92oUXD

ARTPORT_(Re-) Cycles of Paradise-Nov 11-Jan 16, 2011(First presented at COP15 in Copenhagen, Dec 2009)

In (Re-) Cycles of Paradise, a group of international artists present thought-provoking and interactive art installations focused on women as agents of climate change solutions. The exhibition originates from the hypothesis that the world is, by necessity, the only possible paradise that we can create and conserve. Through video installations, photography, drawings, and large-scale sculptures, the artists explore links between the destruction of nature and the suffering of women, revealing hidden or unknown aspects of the interrelation of gender and climate change. Gender issues are scrutinized as part of a process to reverse climate change. “Paradise” is no longer a long-lost ideal world but can be recreated as a contemporary, more sustainable place on earth.

Artists participating in Copenhagen: Kim Abeles (USA), Subhankar Banerjee (India/USA), Charley Case/masalla (Spain/Belgium), Meschac Gaba (Benin/NL), Anita Glesta (USA), Nnenna Okore (Nigeria/USA) Frances Whitehead (USA), Insa Winkler (Germany).

Additional artists for Mexico: Ander Azpiri (Spain), Yolanda Gutiérrez (Mexico), Perla Krauze (Mexico), Betsabee Romero (Mexico), Javier Velasco (Spain).

For more info please visit: WWW.ARTPORT-PROJECT.ORG

“The hope for our world is in these young children who come to us, because they will make the future good and wonderful….That’s what it is all about.”  - Carol Henriquez, O.C., cofounder of Arts Umbrella, honorary chair of the Arts Umbrella board of directors.

The Story of Arts Umbrella

Arts Umbrella began as a dream of a woman named Carol Henriquez. Together with her friend Gloria Schwartz, they had a dream to instill in all children, a love of the arts, inspiring them to become confident, productive, creative and healthy citizens.  It was a dream to build a centre that would awaken the artistic potential of young people in a way that hadn’t been done before.  In 1979, United Nations’ International Year of the Child, Arts Umbrella opened its doors to 45 children. The need for children’s arts education in the community was clearly evident, and Arts Umbrella took off instantly.  From those early days, Arts Umbrella has flourished with a strong vision and an unwavering focus on inspiring kids for life through the arts by providing the highest quality visual and performing arts education to children, regardless of their financial circumstances.

At Arts Umbrella, children experience the joy of creation and discover their own creative potential.  Most important, through arts education, children gain self confidence, independent thinking, technical skills, discipline, and even improved academic results and specific career direction.  Each year, more than 13,000 young people who may face geographical, cultural or financial barriers to accessing arts education, participate in Arts Umbrella programs free of charge or at a reduced rate through bursaries, scholarships and outreach programs.  Outreach programs harness the Arts Umbrella magic and deliver free-of-charge programs to students in vulnerable communities.

“I dreamed about opening a music school for inner city youth for a long time. The success of this project lies in seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces while they play and seeing how proud they feel from their accomplishments.”  - Sarah McLachlan

Sara McLachlan Music Outreach Project

photos by Kyoko Fierro (SMMO year-end performance, award winners with Sarah McLachlan)

Based on Arts Umbrella’s longstanding reputation in the community and extensive experience in delivering arts education, when international recording artist Sarah McLachlan wanted to realize her dream of creating a music school, she turned to Arts Umbrella.

Since 2002, Arts Umbrella has partnered with Sarah McLachlan to offer free, high-quality instruction to youth in grades 4 to 12, from inner-city schools. Students receive high quality music instruction, with a foundation in classical practices and techniques, in guitar, piano, percussion and choir, led by professional musician instructors. Students have the opportunity to explore their creative process through songwriting, playing in an ensemble and recording their own original work.  Public performances allow students to develop their musical skills, foster pride and reach out to the community.

East Vancouver is home to Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach Project and where young people can explore their creative potential and develop positive peer connections that will inspire them to succeed in life, in addition to building a life-long love of music and enthusiasm for learning.  The program is supported by the Sarah McLachlan Foundation.

To learn how you can support the program please visit:

http://www.artsumbrella.com/support

In the early thirties her paintings show the first tendencies towards surrealism; an approach which produced complex compositions springing out of her inner life.  In her 1940′s self-portraits expression, we see the “authoritarian eye”: Frida takes the stage like a saint “worthy of adulation”; her dominant aura is inescapable.

The exhibition Frida Kahlo contains around 60 paintings, 20 objects and 80 works on paper. These are combined with a selection of photographic documents, compiled by Frida’s great-niece Cristina Kahlo.  Most of Kahlo’s artistic legacy is in Mexico and the USA.  Due to the lack of Kahlo’s European collections, and the sparsity of exhibition projects in Europe, this show is a sensation for Vienna.  The exhibition is being held in cooperation with the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin. The exhibition curators in Vienna are Ingried Brugger, Florian Steininger and Helga Prignitz-Poda.

Statement Concerning Change

Frida Kahlo has a pioneer role for so many generations of female artists, she paved the way for crucial positions in feminist art, especially in context with bodyart and performance. Her physical and psychological suffer was depicted in such a direct, violent and surreal way, especially in the painting “unos cuantos piquetitos!” from 1935.  Diego Rivera’s betray with Frida’s younger sister Cristina is transformed in a violent bodilly agitation, in the brutal murder of Frida Kahlo: blood is smeared everywhere, also on the frame, so to pretend the real character of this action.

Florian Steininger, Exhibition Curator in Vienna

The architect of this unique recording project, is keyboardist, producer and composer Idan Raichel.  Originally from Kfar Saba,Israel, a small city near his current home of Tel Aviv, Idan was born in 1977 to a family with Eastern European roots, and although music was an important part of his upbringing, his parents did not place much emphasis on performing music from his particular cultural background. “I think the fact that I didn’t have strong family musical roots is what made me be very open to music from all over the world,” says Idan.

He started playing the accordion at the age of nine, and even at this young age was attracted to the exotic sounds of Gypsy music and tango.  As a teenager, Idan began playing keyboards, and studied jazz in high school, honing his skills at improvisation and working with other musicians. In Israel, military service is mandatory for all young men and women, and at 18 Idan was conscripted into the Israeli army. Rather then heading to the front lines in this volatile region, Idan joined the Army rock band and toured military bases performing covers of Israeli and European pop hits. As the musical director of the group, he became adept at arrangements and producing live shows, making his Army experience productive and positive.

After completing his service, Idan started working as a counselor at a boarding school for immigrants and troubled youth. Notably, the school was filled with young people from Ethiopia who were part of Israel’s growing community of Ethiopian Jews. Idan developed friendships with members of the Ethiopian community and began to explore Ethiopian music and culture.  He started going to Ethiopian bars and clubs and soon was invited to Ethiopian synagogues, weddings and ceremonies.  Meanwhile, Idan had become a successful backup musician and recording session player for some of Israel’s most popular musicians. He decided it was time to pursue a project that reflected his musical ideals, and began working on a demo recording in a small studio he set up in the basement of his parent’s home. Idan invited over 70 of his friends and colleagues from Israel’s diverse music scene to participate in the recordings. He never expected his musical experiments to turn him into Israel’s biggest musical phenomenon in recent memory.

CONCERNING CHANGE

The Idan Raichel Project burst onto Israel’s music scene in 2002, changing the face of Israeli popular music and offering a message of love and tolerance that resonated strongly in a region of the world where headlines are too often dominated by conflict. With an enchanting blend of African, Latin American, Caribbean and Middle Eastern sounds coupled with sophisticated production techniques and a spectacular live show, the Idan Raichel Project has become one of the most unexpected success stories in Israeli music history…

“To say that everything that has happened was the fulfillment of a dream would imply that I even dreamed that any of this could happen,” notes the humble Raichel, whose rise to fame was as much a shock to him as it was the skeptical Israeli music industry executives who said his multilingual, cross-cultural fusions would never find mainstream acceptance.

In 2008, The Idan Raichel Project released the album Within My Walls (Bein Kirot Beiti) in Israel to tremendous acclaim. The album is to be released worldwide outside of Israel by Cumbancha in early 2009. Much of Within My Walls was recorded over the past few years while Idan was on tour, during recording sessions in hotel rooms, backstage dressing areas, private homes and other impromptu settings. His poetic lyrics reflect these travels and contemplations; sung in Hebrew, Moroccan Arabic, Spanish, Cape Verdean Creole and Swahili, the songs address the struggle for personal fulfillment and the true meaning of love in a conflicted and complex world.

For Within My Walls, Idan recorded and co-wrote songs with Colombian singer Marta Gómez, Cape luminary Mayra Andrade and the silken-voiced Somi of Rwandan and Ugandan heritage. Inspired by the lush, moody strings of Nick Drake, Idan assembled a 24-piece orchestra and worked with Israeli arranger Assaf Dar to transpose his engaging melodies into an orchestral format. Idan also invited some of his favorite musicians, such as Middle Eastern percussionist Zohar Fresco, traditional flute and woodwinds specialist Eyal Sela, Mark Eliyahu on kamancheh (a traditional Persion fiddle), and legendary bassist Alon Nadel to lend their talents to the recording. The result is a deeply moving recording, overflowing with rich melodies, engaging poetry, stunning vocal performances and intricate arrangements.

Please see Within My Walls Featured Artist Biographies

The album’s title track follows, featuring Idan on vocals. With its lyrics dealing with walls and the way they simultaneously protect and isolate people, it is easy to interpret the song as a commentary on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but Idan denies any overt political agenda in his songs. “I have a strong political view about the situation in Israel,” he points out, “But I refuse to say what I think about it because I still see myself as a representative for the musicians and singers of the Project in and out of Israel. We may have opposing viewpoints, but we can relate on an artistic level, and I don’t want differences of opinion on politics to come between us.”

However, Idan does admit “You cannot close people in walls. They’ll immediately want to break them. Even if you have a kid and you want him to stay away from something, you don’t build a wall around him to force him to stay away, you just explain to him why it’s important to stay away from this. If you just build a wall and say to stay away, he will break the wall and want to get there anyway.”

With the release of Within My Walls, the Idan Raichel Project embarked on their next great adventure by bringing their music to an even wider audience across the globe. The album released by Cumbancha, a record label founded by Jacob Edgar, the longtime head of the A&R and music research at Putumayo. Dedicated to presenting exceptional artists from around the world to a wider audience, Cumbancha has worked closely with the Idan Raichel Project since it released their eponymous first international release in the fall of 2006. With major tour dates planned in North America, Europe, Latin America and other regions, the Idan Raichel Project will be breaking down walls for years to come.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHANGE

http://www.idanraichelproject.com/en

Throughout the 1990s, the West African country of Sierra Leone was wracked with a bloody, horrifying war that forced millions to flee their homes that forced millions to flee their homes.  American filmmakers Zach Niles and Banker White encountered the band in the Sembakounya Camp, and were so inspired by their story they ended up following them for three years as they moved from camp to camp, bringing much needed joy to fellow refugees with their heartfelt performances.  The film was a critical success, and introduced the world to the personalities and dramatic stories behind the band, not to mention their instantly appealing music. “As harrowing as these personal tales may be,” wrote The New York Times, “the music buoying them is uplifting.” Newsweek raved, “It’s as easy to fall in love with these guys as it was with the Buena Vista Social Club.”

The movie, album and eventual U.S. tours helped expand their following, and soon the band found itself playing in front of enraptured audiences of tens of thousands at New York’s Central Park SummerStage, Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival and the revered Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. They appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, contributed a song to the Blood Diamond film soundtrack, participated in the U2 tribute album In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2, and earned praise and backing from Sir Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Ice Cube, Angelina Jolie and others inspired by their life-affirming story and captivating music. In one of the most surreal moments of their climb to fame, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars opened for Aerosmith at the 12,000 capacity Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

CONCERNING CHANGE

The senseless deaths and illnesses of friends and family, and the slimming hope for great change in their country as a result of peace, has only strengthened the resolve of Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars to do what they can to turn their country around. Their weapon in this struggle is music, and their message, while offering critique and condemnation of wrongdoing, remains positive and hopeful. Optimism in the face of obstacles, and the eternal hope for a better future motivates their lives and music.

“It’s been a long struggle out of the war, out of miserable conditions,” notes Koroma, “So now we are trying to develop ourselves as a band and be based in our country. We are really moving towards finding ways of elevating ourselves somehow. But we do not just think about ourselves alone, we try to bring out sensitive issues that are affecting the world. It is all of our responsibility that the masses are suffering. We bring our positive messages into the world so we can expect a positive change in the world. And, most importantly, bring about peace.”

For their second album, the members of the All Stars knew that they needed to prove to the world that they had the talent to produce an album that would rise above their unique story and stand on its own musical merits.  After recording some songs and demos in Sierra Leone, the group went to New Orleans, Louisiana to work on the album with veteran producer Steve Berlin, a member of Los Lobos who has produced for Angélique Kidjo and many others.  The residents of New Orleans in turn could relate both to the All Stars experience of being displaced from their homes and to the important role music plays in healing spiritual and emotional wounds and bringing communities together. The result is Rise & Shine, a masterful collection of songs that reflects how much Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars have grown since their early days jamming around campfires in isolated refugee camps. The title of the album reflects the band’s desire to remain positive in the face of struggle, always greeting a new day with a spirit of excitement over what the future holds.

The band will be performing at Momo on May 15th & Celebrating Sanctuary on June 13th in London.

For More Info Please Visit:

http://refugeeallstars-audience.fm

“Hip hop Palestinian style with DAM the leading Arab rap group” CNN

“Intifada Hip Hop” VIBE

“Very impressive.  Hard to imagine how they managed to make such a good record in the current circumstances. Unlike many hip hop albums, each song is clearly different from its neighbour, some decorated with traditional Middle Eastern instruments like qanun and oud. There’s humour and beauty as well as pride, anger and defiance. Hearing the album wets the appetite for seeing the group play live ” BBC Radio CHARLIE GILLETT UK

“DAM lend their hip-hop beats a uniquely local flavour with the clattering use of indigenous Arabic percussion.” * * * *THE TIMES UK

“DAM address the big issues. Traditional Arabic strings and funky breaks help punch home the message * * *”THE OBSERVER UK

DAM is the first and leading Palestinian Rap Group and one of the most interesting groups to get international attention. It is composed of Tamer Nafar, 31, his younger brother Suhell, 27, and Mahmoud Jreri, 28. The group has been performing together since the late 90s. Tamer, who had been performing Rap since 1998 with his brother, was first contacted by Mahmoud Jreri. Mahmoud was writing his own lyrics so they quickly decided to join forces and the group was born in 1999. All three members of the group were born and grew up in the slums of Lod, a mixed town of Arabs and Jews, 20 km from Jerusalem.

DAM’s album is a tour de force and has been completely written and conceived at home with key producers from the local scene. It is a unique fusion of East and West, combining Arabic percussion rhythms, Middle Eastern melodies and urban Hip Hop/Rap.

Interview with Palestinian Hip Hop Group DAM from IMEU.NET on Vimeo.

The powerful lyrics of DAM are influenced by the continuing Israeli – Palestinian conflict as well as by the Palestinian struggle for freedom and equality. DAM also draw their influence from such controversial issues as terrorism, drugs and women’s rights.

Musically they take their inspiration from both Hip Hop artists (Nas, Common, 2Pac, Mos Def, IAM, NTM, Saian Supa Crew, MBS etc.) and Arabic music (Marcel Khalifa,Kazem Saher,George Wassouf, Majda al Romi etc.)

DAM’s debut album “Stop Selling Drugs” was released locally in 1998, followed by the second album called “Min Irhabi” (“who’s the terrorist?”) which was released in 2001. The controversial title track of this album was released on the net and more than 1 million people downloaded it within one month from the website ArabRap.Net. The song was also distributed free with Rolling Stone magazine in France and became a “street” anthem. It was also featured in a compilation in France with Manu Chao, Zebda, Noir Desir and many other top artists.  Furthermore, the lyrics of the song were taught in some Universities around the world because of their deep meaning, and were also used in pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the world.

Further information on DAM on:

www.dampalestine.com

www.myspace.com/damrap

www.slingshothiphop.com

http://www.dubaifilmfest.com/en/films-explorer/?id=2839

Raoul Peck was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and studied film at the DFFB in Germany.  His films include Haitian Corner, Lumumba, Death of a Prophet, The Man by the Shore, Lumumba, and Sometimes in April.  In 2001, he received the Human Rights Watch Lifetime Achievement Award.

Director Statement

With this film I wanted to explore the often hidden side of power.  No doubt, an occasion for me to revisit my own political experiences in Haiti and elsewhere. What’s the final day like for a man with unrestrained power, whose supremacy has never been challenged, who is now plunging dizzyingly into a black hole of events he cannot control?

I wanted to explore what happens behind closed doors, during a tragic and unruly “farewell to arms,” when everything becomes possible and irretrievable at the same time? Redemption as well as demise. During these minute gaps in history, a person reveals crudely his true essence, his fears, and his desires—given that there is no time left for craftiness.

We might even see a little bit of ourselves in these characters. With this film, I also wanted to return to my country. I wanted to re-examine, with a Shakespearian perspective, the tragic and foolish nonsense of the past 60 years of upheaval. A battle for “democracy” which took no prisoner. Nowhere else but in Haiti has reality generated so much confusion and so many contradictions.

We chose to shoot Moloch Tropical in a unique location, the Citadelle Henry, built by King Henry Christophe at the beginning of the 19th century atop a steep mountain. With a size of approximately 100,000 square feet, it is the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere. Perhaps, more importantly it is the indestructible symbol of the only nation in human history that was created by victorious slaves.

The single and unique time in which the trail of slavery that began in Gorée Island (another symbol) was permanently broken. But at what cost?

MOLOCH TROPICAL

Inspired by the kingdom of 19th-century king Henri-Christophe, one of the revolutionary leaders who won for Haiti its independence from French colonial rule, but set in a modern milieu, Moloch Tropical presents a fictionalized portrait of the final days marking the collapse of a regime. The hot air is thick with a tightly coiled tension at President Jean de Dieu’s palatial fortress outside Port-au-Prince. His security force rattles with civil unrest and international diplomats one by one turn their backs on the president’s summit invitation. Hobbling around his quarters, de Dieu erratically exerts scraps of control as his authority rapidly disintegrates into humiliation.

Using symbolism and an almost Shakespearean madness that reverberates across modern governments, Haitian-born auteur Raoul Peck (Lumumba) meticulously drapes the poetic across the political in a searing critique on the universal malady of absolute power corrupting absolutely. Adding to Moloch’s atmosphere, elegant cinematography by Eric Guichard richly captures the lush mountainous landscape and the opulent mise-en-scène of the historic La Citadelle Laferrière.

Special benefit screening for Handicap International.

–Roya Rastegar

The public screening is today at 3:00 pm at SVA-1.

[MOLOC] | 2009 | 107 min | Feature Narrative

Directed by: Raoul Peck

France,  Haiti

New York Premiere

Interests: Politics,  Violence

www.velvet-film.com

With the album Zebu Nation, Razia has created an inspiring collection of songs that draw deeply on the music she heard growing up in the town of Antalaha in northeastern Madagascar. The source for the world’s most prized Bourbon vanilla, Antalaha is one of Madagascar’s wealthiest communities, although there remains a great gap between rich and poor. Razia was born on December 1, 1959 when her mother was just a teenager and not yet ready for the role of parenting. To diffuse the scandal, her mother was sent to the Comores Islands and Razia’s grandparents raised her in a bustling household filled with relatives. Razia first heard the infectious rhythms of local salegy music blasting out of the town’s ubiquitous radios. It was one of Razia’s older uncles that first introduced her to French music as well as The Beatles, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and other Western stars. Her uncle even invited her to sing the latest French pop songs on stage with his band when she was just ten years old.

Believing that her grandparents were her parents, Razia was in for a shock when she learned at age eleven that “Aunt Hassanatte” who regularly visited from the Comores was actually her mother. In fact, by that time Razia’s real mother had married a French architect and wanted Razia to join them in the West African country of Gabon. Suddenly, Razia was uprooted from the world she knew and traveled on an epic journey through Dar Es Salaam, across the Congo River to a new life and family. In Gabon, Razia discovered that the local church had a choir, but one had to be Catholic to join, and Razia was raised a Muslim. Music was far more important to her then the details of which God she prayed to, so she begged her mother to allow her to convert…which she did. Razia was also exposed to the funky grooves of Fela, Pierre Akendengue, Papa Wemba and other African artists who were popular in Gabon at the time.

After three years in Gabon, Razia was sent to boarding school in southern France, where she first started learning to play guitar. Seeking economic stability, Razia received her doctorate in Pharmacology and moved to Paris. But her passion remained with the arts, and in Paris, Razia made a living through modeling, acting and occasional music gigs. In 1987, Razia moved with a lover to New York City, and they worked odd jobs in order to earn enough money to spend three months a year living in Bali, Indonesia. Over the years, Razia also lived in Ibiza and Milan, working as a stylist, an actor and in fashion, struggling all the while to find her own musical direction.

Eventually, Razia met and married Jamie Ambler, a musician, filmmaker and advertising creative director, and he worked with her to record her first album. While Razia was happy to have gotten some of her songs recorded, the pop-oriented, English-language R&B and jazz direction left her unfulfilled. Razia had been traveling often to visit her family in Madagascar, and after she had a chance meeting with members of Njava, one of the country’s best bands, she decided that she needed to record songs in the Malagasy language and inspired by the rhythms, melodies and instruments she fell in love with as a young child.  Thus began the long and challenging process of recording Zebu Nation. Work began in 2006 In Belgium, where Njava was based, but Razia felt that the only way to truly capture the sound she was looking for was to bring the producers to Madagascar to record with local musicians in the right setting. For six weeks, they traveled around the island, and discovered along the way the environmental damage taking place as the result of unfettered slash and burn agriculture and climate change. Razia’s longing to protect and preserve the environmental and cultural heritage of her homeland permeates the songs on the album, and gives Zebu Nation a powerful, real- world significance.  While it has taken her many years and life detours before she arrived at this musical destination, with Zebu Nation, Razia Said has finally returned home

CONCERNING CHANGE

Madagascar is home to thousands of plants and fauna unique to the island, which is the world’s fourth largest and situated in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. One third of its native forests and vegetation have disappeared in the last thirty years, and scientists predict that several species of amphibians and reptiles found in Madagascar’s mountainous north could become extinct in the next 50-100 years because of global warming.  The loss of forests in Madagascar is what galls Razia the most. “To see my country stripped like this is heartbreaking.” Her song “Slash and Burn,” is an outcry against the rampant practice of clearing brush which devastates Madagascar’s fragile soil. “What I saw shocked and appalled me,” Razia says. “I found the decimation of what once made Madagascar unique in the world: its intense, vivid flora and fauna, its forests, its very essence. I saw an entire country being destroyed.”

In addition to delivering an urgent message, Zebu Nation creates a personal, soulful portrait of Madagascar. Razia says, “The songs of Zebu Nation let listeners journey to the magical place I have always known and loved.” Songs such as “Yo Yo Yo” and “Mifohaza” speak to the richness of Malagasy sounds and rhythms, while “Omama” sends a message of love and thanks to Razia’s grandmother, who still lives on the island.  “As the strife and political chaos of the country are growing daily,” says Razia, “some of the Malagasy people are turning to art to inspire unity. We want to share in that movement and tie in with communities and organizations that are working on projects for change in Madagascar.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHANGE

FOR MORE INFO VISIT: http://www.raziasaid.com/

Vishavjit Singh found his love for arts at a very young age. He started doodling Sikh characters in his free time. But thanks to his South Asian heritage was encouraged to leave arts for the sciences in teenage years.

He studied Biological Sciences at University of California, Santa Barbara and Biostatistics/Epidemiology in Graduate School at University of California, Berkeley. The 9/11 attacks in United States and the subsequent hate crime wave adversely affecting many Sikhs created the ripe conditions for an artistic spark. Inspired by the creative response of American editorial cartoonists to the tragic events, Vishavjit started creating cartoons focusing on Sikh news/events.

As a survivor of 1984 genocidal killings of Sikhs in India his cartoons focus on the fine line that separates contradictions from righteousness, lies from truth, inspiration from vanity, figment of imagination from reality all within the context of Sikh community around the world. He creates cartoons on a weekly basis that appear on his website, www.Sikhtoons.com. His work has been featured in museum and gallery exhibits, film festivals, youth retreats/camps and conferences. Many Sikh news and portal websites/magazines publish his work on a regular basis. He currently resides in New York State with his wife.

CONCERNING CHANGE

One salient lesson life has taught me, Change is the only constant in life. Born into a Sikh family in the US I had an instant proclivity to the arts. I was doodling, sketching, panting in my free time. My first teenage year it was reasoned upon me to choose sciences, practicality, professional career and money over the passion for arts. In 1984 I survived a genocidal wave of killings in India that consumed thousands of innocent Sikh lives. Life went on and I moved back to the land of my birth to be an engineer then a doctor. Neither manifested into reality. Lost in a sea of humanity in college that looked so different from my turbaned and barely bearded looks, I took off my turban and chopped my unshorn hair to get lost in the crowd. Then I eased into atheism. Discovered Buddhism on the shelves of bookstores in Santa Barbara. Delved into Taoist meditations in Berkeley. Finally for the first time befriended the faith I was born into, Sikhism. A month before 9/11 with my hair long enough donned the Sikh turban. After 9/11 I was the target of ignorance and ensuing hate from fellow Americans who only saw my turban and beard.

The response of some American editorial cartoonists to 9/11 and subsequent events created the spark to embrace my long lost passion. I started cartooning about Sikhs armed with my laptop and right index finger. My evenings and weekends have since been consumed by capturing Sikh frustrations and aspirations around the globe. The inevitability of Change is my constant guide.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHANGE

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST

http://www.sikhtoons.com

Watch Sikhtoons NYC Exhibit – When a Big Tree Falls