Arabian Nights Festival

Thursday night was the 2nd Annual Arabian Nights Festival at Cedars Mediterranean Café. The event was held by the Middle Eastern Culture Club (MECC). The evening featured fine middle-eastern cuisine, Arabic tea, hooka and belly dancing for entertainment. President Andrew Nelson, grad student majoring in political science said, “The event is held to raise interest in Middle-eastern culture.”

Nelson knows first hand about Arabic culture. In summer of 2008 he traveled to Yemen and this past summer studied abroad in Syria. “It was really an incredible experience,” he said. “I know there is a lot of political conflict with these countries, but when I was there, they all wanted to know about America.” Nelson hoped that the club and the festival would draw the attentions of Texas State students to this world.

Amjad Mohammed is the Arabic Language coordinator one of the faculty advisors for MECC. He came to Texas State from Jordan in 2007. He helped start the MECC to bring attention to the Arabic program. “It would be wise for many students to take Arabic. It is very useful in fields like political science, international studies and especially business,” he said in an interview. “Then I started to realize that there was a real lack of knowledge here among the students about Middle-Eastern culture. So we started to hold events and invite speakers from the Middle-East to get students interested in the club, the culture and the language.”

The Arabian Nights festival drew a large crowd to Cedars. Amjad called the event, “a huge success.” “Last year there were roughly 50 students. This year there were more than 80. And they were not just students but faculty and even San Marcos residents.” The night began with huge plates of food from the region. Beef gyros called Shawarma were the main dish with sides of humus and falafel. The air was filled with the rhythmic beats and sounds of Arabian music. As the crowd dined, the belly dancing troupe, Sabaya, took to the floor and proceeded to enchant their audience with their art form. The dancers even took members of the audience from their seats to join them and soon everyone was dancing and having a wonderful time.

After the crowd sat down to enjoy Moroccan tea and smoke water pipes called hookah the dancers were able to sit down for an interview. Rania Kandil has practiced Arabian belly dancing for nine years and has even gone to Egypt to learn with the best. “Belly dancing is a very misunderstood dance form,” said Rania. “It really began as woman dancing together. It’s even been theorized that back in the day when there were no C-sections it was a way of teaching pregnant woman to move their hips and control their bodies for giving birth.”

Angela Nations, another dancer there that night, is actually a Texas State graduate with a BFA in Theatre and Dance. “I studied a lot of modern back then and now I’m able to sort of incorporate that into Tribal belly dancing,” she said. “One thing you need to know is belly dancing is very welcoming. You will see dancers of all ages and body types.” The two girls agreed that the style of dance is very difficult. “There’s a lot more than just moving your hips, it’s your whole body,” said Angela. Rania also added, “But the challenge is definitely its own reward.”

MECC hopes that in the future they will be able to hold more events like this one and at even bigger venues. Amjad said that they hope that they will have live music and maybe add some more educational attractions to their future events. “Right now we’re in need of funding but it’s events like this that get our name out and hopefully we’ll get what we need to keep events like this coming.”

Ways of the People

This past Thursday I went to the 5th Annual Celebration of the People powwow. I had been to powwows before that were very fun and this one was no exception. I have always been a fan of Native American cultures. I remember being a little kid and watching movies like Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans and Geronimo (all of which have Wes Studi in them, usually the bad guy, but still a great actor and one of my favs.) The Native American people, in my opinion are one of the most interesting groups in the world. Completely cut of off from the wars of Europe and Asia, the western civilizations moved on in peace with the earth although not always with each other. Never inventing gunpowder, steel, or even horseback riding, they retained a Stone-age culture til the days of the early Renaissance. And when the white man first came and gave them all gave them these things, they had a Renaissance of their own. Tribes emerged from nowhere with new lifestyles and beliefs. And even though they have been all but annihilated, they still hold onto their ancient ways.

The powwow is a gathering of members of all the different tribes and a celebration of this incredible culture. The powwow celebration was held at the Texas State student center. For hours I watched as tribal dances took place from tribes like Apache, Comanche, Navajo and even Aztec. The walkway was lined with tents selling goods like dream catchers, authentic carvings and animal hides. There were the typical factory made pieces that sold for cheap and the perfectly accurate dance costumes selling for hundreds of dollars, and sold they did. I even picked up Cherokee tomahawk, South American style spear complete with python skin talismans and a few dream catchers to send off as Xmas presents. But as with any cultural event, it's the people that get my attention. The woman I met buying dream catchers was Navajo and had driven all the way from Arizona. Her pieces were perfectly authentic with deer sinew netting and Turquoise stone in the center to give it its magical properties. For those unfamiliar with dream catchers, the southwestern Native Americans believed that dreams were communications with the spirit world. Good dreams were being sent to you from your ancestors while nightmares were evil spirits. A dream-catcher was a magical tool used to filter the dreams you could receive. It would allow the good dreams to pass through the net while the nightmares would be caught.

The dance performances were separated by storytellers. This may be the heart of Native American culture in my opinion. Their stories are unlike any other culture I know with their reverence for the earth and all her creatures. I love the tales they would tell that would explain the things we've always wondered like why do dogs and coyotes howl at the moon, how did the birds get their feathers and who made the first reed flute.

One of my favorites is one about why owls have big eyes, no necks and can turn their heads. On the day that the creator was going to make all the birds different, Owl looked over his shoulder at to learn how the creator was doing this. The Creator then snatched Owl and squashed his head down making his eyes bulge out and giving him no neck at all. Owl can still turn his head but maybe now he won't try and peek at other peoples work.

The one thing that really moved me was the level of pride these people have in themselves. And the thing that touched me the most was not even rehearsed; it just happened right before me.

The last story teller was an old Apache woman. After her story was over she decided to give a speech about how important it was to remember who they are and where they come from. At the same time a young man who had just arrived from class. At first he looked just like any other Texas State student. He was wearing Khakis and a Polo. He proceeded to set all of his books down and then began to change out of his "white man" clothes into his full traditional Apache garb he was wearing underneath: buckskin pants, tanned moccasins and even a bone breast plate. At this point the speaker began to cry as she watched him, not that this young man, who was also Apache, was dressed the same as any normal "American" college student, but that at the same time he had worn the clothes of his people underneath. "When I see things like this young man here in front of me," said the woman breaking away from her prepared speech. "I know that we as a people will always be here." The scene struck home for me. I remember how few of these people are left in our world. It would be the greatest shame for all of humanity if their ways lived on only in history books. But like the speaker, I too felt relieved to see that the young man and so many others at the powwow refusing to let this way of life slip into the folds of time.

Texas State Riverfest

Smiles and swimsuits were abound at Texas State’s annual Riverfest last Thursday. Riverfest is an event put on every spring by the Student Association for Campus Activities (SACA). Free food and drinks were provided by Rosie’s Pizza. Venders ranging from Rukus Board Shop to face painters and caricaturists were there selling and giving away their wares. SACA arranged to have a climbing wall, as well as inflatable game such as “Blow-up Bungee” and “Gladiators” provided by Parties, Picnics and Promotions. On top of all this, three bands took the stage, 46, 11 Fingered Charlie, and the headlining band The Expendables.

Riverfest coordinator, Jill Brownsfield said that “there [was] between 3000 and 5000 students attending. This year’s musical theme is Rock/Reggae ” Students came out to Sewell Park for one last hoorah before the finals weeks. “This is our last chance for us to get our kicks in.”

Preparations for the event started in November of last year. SACA began by putting out a questionnaire to student to see what theme they would like the event to have. In the past, Riverfest has had musical guests from conventional genres like county and pop.

Nelly Chavez, Riverfest staff and SACA member said, “We wanted this time to ask the students what they wanted to hear, and that lead us to them, (the bands listed above).”

The concert started off at about six. Texas State’s Battle of the Bands winner, 46 took the stage and was met with much applause and head banging. The home grown rock band got much approval for their drum and guitar solos from the growing crowd of listeners. Also hailing from San Marcos, Eleven Fingered Charlie followed and filled the night air with slow rhythmic reggae. The headliner band, coming all the way from Santa Cruz California The Expendables had many fans out in the audience, and won new ones that night.

Maria Bonaparte, nursing sophomore, was doing free caricatures and said with a smile, “I just heard about it from a friend and decided to come out. It’s definitely fun so far.”

The Expendables began as a teenage band of friends in high school. The band consists of Adam Patterson on drums, Raul Bianchi on lead guitar, Ryan DeMars on bass; the name was given by lead singer Geoff Weers.

“In the beginning when we were just getting started we were nobodies so that meant we were Expendable,” said Weers.

The band has a wide range of influences. Patterson listed bands and artists from Pantera and Metallica to the Police and Bob Marley. The music is a blend of two genres to form a sort of ReggaeRock. The Expendables have four albums which were available at the concert.

“I would say my favorite song to sing is 30 Second Bus,” said Weers. “It’s about my friend’s sex life. 30 seconds and he’s done.”

Patterson chose a more serious song as the song that best characterizes the band. “Sacrifice is all about the sacrifices you have to make as a performer and especially as a band, like the long road trips and nights away from home.”

The concert concluded after eleven. The bands said that they would be open to the possibility of future performances here at Texas State.

Golden Dragon Acrobats

Saturday afternoon, Texas State will host the Golden Dragons at Evens Auditorium. The performance is part of Texas State Fine Arts’ Encore Series. The Dragons are visiting as a part of their 2008-09 Cirque D’Or tour. The tour will commemorate the 30th year of continuous touring in the US. According to Art Fegan, their booking agent from Fegan Entertainment inc. says “They are the only Chinese Acrobats touring year round in the states.” The group has received two prestigious nominations from the New York Drama Desk, the first for unique theatrical experience and the other for best choreography. Fegan says on his web site “The citizens of China continue to present their acrobatic art for the world today, as it portrays the hard working nature of their people.”

The Chinese art of acrobatic dance, began as far back as possibly 4000 years ago. According to Jessie Chang, the group’s manger, “It truly became an art when they started using it as entertainment for the emperor, about 2500 years ago.” The art form incorporates props from everyday life in ancient china such as tridents and wicker rings from farm life and tables, plates, bowls and chairs from in the home. Chang says how the most “most dangerous stunt is defiantly the chair stunt.” The stunt involves stacking up to six chairs on top of one another while two performers dance from the tip of this teetering tower of terror. “The Golden Dragons are a family business,” says Chang. “Danny Chang (no relation) inherited it from his father and did the first American tour thirty years ago.” Performers that come along with the Dragons will do a one and a half to two year tour and then take time off back to their homes of Hebei, China. “This way the experience changes, new people join in. This is what has allowed them to be the only year round [Chinese] touring group in the states.”

Lei Zhang is one of the performers that will be here on Saturday and the only English speaking member. He has been practicing acrobatic dance for almost twenty years. “I think the thing I like most [about it] is the movements and the jumping and stunts,” says Zhang. He said how, as a small boy, he really liked kung fu but found that he was not that aggressive so instead found the Golden Dragons and has performed with them. “My favorite is the hoop part,” says Zhang. To get an idea of the hoop imagine five men whirling one hula hoop without any of them touching the ground.

Saturday’s performances are priced at fifteen dollars general and five dollars for students. Texas State’s Fine Arts department event coordinator Elizabeth McDonald says “There are still lots of tickets available for both the 2:00 and 7:30 performances.” These performers have filled almost every major performance to date. The performance should be one to remember. Tickets are available online at www.encoreseries.txstate.edu.

Colorism: the dirty little secret

CC Stinson is a young African American woman with a very light skin tone. “Light, bright, damn near white!” was the jeer that Stinson heard every day from bullies as a child. The peculiar thing was that the girls making these racist remarks were also black, but of a darker tone of course. Now, as an independent film maker in Austin, Stinson along with Neobe Welis have produced a film bearing the same name she was called. The film delves into the topic of colorism. “Colorism is defined as internal discrimination based on skin tone, or discrimination within a race,” says Dr. Sherri Ben, VP of multicultural student affairs.
In Stinson and Welis’ film they interview many people from multiple racial and ethnic back grounds and finds that they have either heard of or in many cases experienced this form of discrimination. In 1992 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 374 charges of color-based discrimination. In 2006 the EEOC received 1,241. In the film Stinson quotes Professor Joni Hersch of Vanderbilt University saying that “Light skinned immigrants to the US, have 8 to 15 percent higher incomes than immigrants that have the same characteristics but with a darker skin tone.” This reflects a major difference in how US society treats not just races but the people with in that race.
Dr. Laurie Fluker, of the Mass Communications department, grew up the lightest of her siblings. “I was spared of this [colorism] by my mother” says Fluker. In her family that was an area that was off limits for the basis of teasing. Fluker believes that the real problem of being of a lighter color is that you are excommunicated in a way by one’s on race. Fluker says, “If you have light skin, other blacks might think you have it better or are better.”
But at the same time, people who have lighter skin do seem to be thought higher of by their respected races. If someone asks an African American girl “who do you think is a pretty girl from your race?” their answer will almost always include Alicia Keys and Tyra Banks. If you ask the same question to a Latina girl her answer would probably include Jennifer Lopez or Jessica Alba. Colorism is not often talked about within discussions on racism. And it is certainly not limited to America. In India, according to BE Magazine, the major skin product that has dominated the market is known as Fair and Lovely, which contains lightening elements. “I do believe that it [colorism] is a dirty little secret,” says Dr. Fluker.
It makes one wonder, what ever happened to the James Brown quote, “SAY IT LOUD! I’M BLACK AND PROUD!”
The film “Light, Bright and Damn Near White” will be shown in LBJ on Wednesday at 7:00pm. The film will be followed by a discussion panel lead by Dr. Laurie Fluker and Dr. Sherri Ben. Students are encouraged to come to this panel. The panelists are conducting this because they feel that this is an issue that must be talked about.

Cesar Chavez "Si se puede"

March 31st marked the birth of civil rights activist and founder of the United Farm Workers of America, Cesar Chavez. The Latino Student Association, presided over by Christina Zambrano, held a dinner in commemoration of Chavez and his works. “I was surprised when I noticed that not only students but a lot of people really don’t even know who he was.” Said Zambrano. 4th year advertising major and LSA member Abigail Morena’s parents worked in fields to provide for her and her sister, so Cesar Chavez’s work in California meant more to her than most. They and the rest of LSA wanted to stage the dinner to help students learn more about this incredible man.
After being served by Los Cucos that catered the event, Joe Michael Gonzoales, a fellow Bobcat who is currently working on his Post Doctorate degree shared a film that he had created using stock footage of Chavez and La Caosa (the cause), Life and Legacy of Cesar Chavez. This was the first showing of this film. It showed him and the members of his organization staging protests, fasting, and boycotting against companies that abused their farm workers. “The new generation must be made aware of this man.” Said Gonzales. The film ended with a showing of Chavez’s funeral to which over 50,000 people attended. “And it’s important that we say he was not a Mexican martyr but an American Hero. The food on the table, before it was served was handled by a farm worker” also said Gonzales. The film concluded with Chavez saying “We are not a service we’re servants. You don’t ask, we give.”

Cesar Chavez fought for the “forgotten people” and learned first hand, as so many migrants do, the harsh conditions of farm work during the depression. Chavez dreamt of building an organization to protect farm workers and their family’s rights to fair pay and decent working conditions. In 1962 he founded the National Farm Workers Association, now known as UFWA. The protests and strikes he lead were modeled after that of Martin L. King and Gandhi. In 1975 his dream became reality as California passed the Agricultural Labor Relations Act, protecting the farm worker’s rights to unionize. It remains the only law in the states that does this. Chavez died in his sleep in 1993 at the age of 66.
The philosophy of non-violence has worked countless times in the past for securing rights of individuals. The use of violence to bring about change is usually met with more resistance and almost always fails in the end. The idea is use tactics that simply remind the oppressors of the humanity of the oppressed. Once this is done, the oppressors can not continue to wrong them because now they would be wronging “people” not laborers, slaves or infidels.
Jaime Martinez the 1st Mexican American to be elected to a national Union executive board and close friend of Chavez during La Caosa, also spoke at the event. Martinez met Chavez doing union work and traveled with him helping with his security since there was a contract on the man’s life. Martinez told a story how Chavez was once ambushed by hired gunmen and thrown into a truck with his union workers to prevent them from trying to organize a labor camp. “Every year more barriers are place by legeislation. But we are still here, organizing. God sent him to us.” Said Martinez.
In addition to the dinner, Lambda Theta Phi was joined by LSA and Chi Upsilon Sigma in serving their annual Chavez day breakfast. The groups provide a free breakfast to all custodial and construction workers employed by TXST. Paul Vega President elect of LSA felt that in the spirit of Cesar Chavez “It’s really important that we give back to them. Because with out them there would be no TXST.”

Tri-religious Panel

Last Thursday, The Muslim Student Association hosted a panel composed of religious leaders from the three Judaic faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Texas State was blessed with the presence of Rabbi David Komerofsky, former Minister for Chi Alpha Kampala, Richard Skinner, and Sheik Islam Amonousad. The three sat down and took questions and addressed concerns of students about the similarities and differences of the religions.
The discussion started off with the panelists telling about their respected faiths. The Rabbi began with “We’re a religion of Deeds rather than Creeds.” This meant that since they believe we should “Focus on the here and now,” your actions are what are important to Judaism. The deeds would be the 614 commandments listed in the Torah. “The most important figure in Judaism is Moses; which is not Hebrew but Egyptian.” Said the Rabbi
According to the Minister, “Being Christians means, we accept Christ into our souls, and our lives.” He told listeners that in Christianity it is this and neither church attendance nor just doing good deeds that makes someone a good Christian. “It’s more than that,” He said.
The most recent of the religions, Islam, had the most basic tenets. The Sheik listed “the five pillars of faith” as ”submitting to god, praying five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan, giving a percentage of your pay to help the poor, and lastly make at least one trip to Mecca.”
After the introductions, the three men took questions on issues. When they talked about marriage and relationships, the Rabbi said that “in Jewish law it is the man that should be the head of the house, but he must provide for the wife’s every need. If she is not sexually satisfied, then even that is grounds for divorce.” On a related topic of domestic violence, Sheik stated that when it comes to spousal abuse, “I believe the number of cases in any Islamic state is equal to if not lower than in the US.”
When asked about the nature of evil, Christianity proved to be very different from its brother faiths. “There is no Yin Yang,” said Skinner. “Evil is a person, or a spirit named Lucifer.” The other two religions believe that there may be an external form of evil, but most is internal.
The major topic that got a lot of laughs was on the process of converting to a religion. The Rabbi said “that a Rabbi must turn you away three times” before considering trying to convert you. “There is no real process to become a Christian,” said the minister. It begins with “Letting yourself fully trust in Christ.” The funny part came when the Sheik told about a story that happened in Iraq. “A pilot was about to crash and he was screaming at the Kuwaiti air control who said, ‘Sir, repeat after me.’” The pilot was converted before crashing his plane. Perhaps Allah smiled upon him and let him survive the crash to tell the tale.
Each of these religions shows the connection between faith and philosophy. Each one of them makes a normative claim about what they feel the world and individuals should be like. I believe that if religions focused more on their philosophies then their history of interrelations with people of other religions, then people would see the massive similarities between all faiths. And then, after having seen that the differences were mostly imaginary, almost all major conflicts about religion would come to a halt, or at least they would need to find a different reason for violence.
The MSA said that they hope to hold an event like this next semester, along with the Ramadan Fast Fest. Next time it may be possible for members of the Hindu, Buddhist, and other religious communities to take part in this coming together to understand each other. “God made us different so that we could get to know one another,” said Sheik Amonousad, which was added to by Rabbi Komerofsky “Viva la Differance! No, that’s not Hebrew…”

Celtic Pride in San Marcos

People at the San Marcos activity center donned their kilts and shouldered their bagpipes for the city’s first Celtic Spirit Worldwide cultural event on this past Saturday. The San Marcos Area Arts Council, along with several others, sponsored the event, showing off many displays of fantastic Highland art. Many performances were done by well known, local entertainers.

Thomas “Doc” Grauser performed at 1:00pm on a harp that stood around five feet tall. His music was of a calm, beautiful mood setting that really did a fine job transporting the audience back to the old country. Listening to his performance, makes you feel as if you have literally gone back in time and are sitting in a castle courtyard or perhaps a quiet tavern on a midsummer’s day.

Next up were the Austin Scottish Country Dancers. The pipes were played loud and strong as this six person group (2 men and 4 women) took to the stage. The dances they performed were not all exclusively from Scotland. Some were Irish, and others were more of a modern variety. For the last song the performers snagged up volunteers from the audience and taught them the basic steps to Highland pairs dancing.

Of course no Highland event can go without their heritage’s staple food, haggis. If you don’t know how they make haggis it might be best to wait until you have tried it first. It is made from leftover parts of the animal (not unlike hotdogs) and boiled in the stomach of a cow. But despite this disgusting process, it is actually quite delicious.

After this short break in performances, the show went straight back to the music. An unnamed performer at one point was asked to get up on stage and play. His instrument of choice was a reed flute and without a word he went right into a slow Irish folk song. This one song in my opinion was easily the most beautiful piece played that day.

As the event moved on into the afternoon, we turned from music to stories of the old country, told by Celtic story teller David Thompson. Thompson told many tales and sang several songs about great Highland warriors and of course the mythical fairy folk that is so typically Celtic. His stories made the audience smile with joy as well as slump with sadness. Thompson, in one hour, reminded the audience of the power of stories and storytelling.

Apart from the main attraction was the art gallery. At the exhibition, many paintings, sculptures, and other forms of art considered to be the traditional forms, stood side by side with their modern counterparts. Nature was prevalent all of the art displayed there, with pictures of animals in spiritual forms. Snakes and elk were seen by the Celts to have healing properties since they have the ability to shed their antlers or skins and grow new ones. Owls were also seen on much of the art as they were very important to the Celtic faith. “Sometimes owls won’t be shown in the art itself, but many patterns are based on the movements of owls” says Elantu Veovode, an artist whose work was one of the ones in the show. “The spiral for example, is actually based on the hunting patterns of an owl, since owls circle their prey in a spiral shaped flight path.”

Of course there were classic Celtic crosses made of stone on display. The Celtic equinox combined with the Christian cross gives a look at how the Celts preserved their religion even while being converted to Catholicism. Harold Thiele, an expert on Celtic traditions, tells the meaning behind the four point of the equinox. “The top point represents Winter Solstice, the bottom point is Summer Solstice, and the two side points represent the two days in the year where the daytime is equal to the night.” But the most interesting symbol he showed me was the Triscalene. “This symbol is present in every culture from the Celts to the Japanese and even the Australian Aborigines.” It means different things in different cultures of course. To the Celts though, it represents the past, present, and future. The Triscalene appears in cave paintings as old as 35,000 years, according to Thiele. There were many present in almost every piece of art in the exhibit. One can only hope that the Triscalene continues to appear in San Marcos’s future, especially if it is accompanied with a series Celtic Spirit Events, intertwining the this ancient culture with our own modern life.