johnnyC net

Folk School of St. Louis: 10th Anniversary Concert!

2011-11-24T01:45:00.003-06:00

Hello Friends! This blog has been dormant for a long time....

I'm dusting it off and putting it back in service to invite you all to the Folk School 10th Anniversary Concert on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at the Sheldon.

Betse Ellis.... Ryan Spearman... Pokey LaFarge

Come enjoy an evening of great music and help the Folk School at the same time!

Tickets are available through Metrotix, at the Folk School & from me.

See you there!
-john

Love Those Lights

2008-07-24T23:55:00.008-06:00

This article in the New York Times reports of a little understanding added to the beautiful mystery that is the Northern Lights.

I miss those northern Minnesota nights when I watched the lights play across the sky.
I've got to remember to take some extended winter time up north again and soak them up.
-j

First Derivative: Yes We Can

2008-06-10T18:26:00.001-06:00

My friend Uchenna mentioned this to me. And I mention it to you.

A few of my favorite things...

2008-05-26T13:57:00.000-06:00

Africa, pattern, math, fractals...

Words to Music

2008-05-06T20:46:00.004-06:00

I ran into this video tonight while searching for a t-shirt by Shepard Fairey. I hadn't seen it before. I love the mix of music and speech. And the message.

Johnny C. Campbell...

2008-02-01T16:08:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to see this documentary about the John C. Campbell Folk School for some time, but it hadn't played on our local PBS station. I discovered today that it is available for viewing on-line.

Word's Out

2008-02-01T13:30:00.000-06:00

The latest edition of the West End Word features an article about the Folk School's new location.

Celebrate Folk School's New Home

2008-01-24T21:50:00.001-06:00

The Folk School of St. Louis is celebrating the grand opening of its new home this Saturday, January 26, from noon to 3pm. Come down to 3155 Sutton Blvd in Maplewood to participate in the jam and enjoy the party.

Live-In Blog

2008-01-19T11:57:00.000-06:00

Rather than use johnnyc.net for class, we've created a new Live-In blog. We'll be sharing class research resources and findings there.

Historical Events

2008-01-14T14:55:00.000-06:00

There are numerous weekend events coming up soon that tie directly into understanding and celebrating the early history of the area.

Trailnet's calendar says that a replica Lewis and Clark dugout will be on display at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge as part of Eagle Days on January 19-20 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. For the community minded among us, Trailnet is looking for volunteers to help out with the Eagle Day events.

KETC notes that on February 2, 2008 in historic French Colonial Cahokia, IL they'll be celebrating Mardi Gras at the

Fete du Bon Vieux Temps

What: The 22nd Annual Fete du Bon Vieux Temps (Festival of the Good Old Days) is a colonial Mardi Gras with music and dancing reminiscent of the celebrations held by the area's early French Settlers. From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., various activities, demonstrations and tours will take place at the 1740 Cahokia Courthouse, 1790 Martin-Boismenue House, 1799 Holy Family Parish Log Church and the 1810 Jarrot Mansion.

Date: Saturday, February 2, 2008

Time: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Mardi Gras Ball, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Location: Cahokia, Illinois at Illinois Route 3 and Highway 157

Cost: FREE to public, $10 per person for a ticket to the Mardi Gras Ball

Contact: (618) 332-1782

According to the Fort de Chartres calendar that same weekend, February 2 and 3, at Fort de Chartres is a French and Indian War Assemblage.
Continuing with events from the Fort de Chartres website:

On March 15 and 16 there will be an American Longrifle Association Encampment.

On April 5 and 6 the fort hosts the Colonial Trade Faire and Musket Frolic and on April 26 and 27, the Ecole de Soldat (School of the Soldier).

In May the fort hosts a Kids' Day on the 3rd and the Fort Massac Frolic and Event on May 10 and 11.

Thanks to my friend Lynn, who left a comment on this blog, here is a link to a calendar of events taking place in and around Ste. Genevieve that celebrate the French Colonial period. Of note there, the King's Ball is taking place as it has for 250 years in Ste. Genevieve on February 2.

Livin' History...

2007-12-29T10:20:00.000-06:00

In the spring I co-teach, with my partner Judy, a course called Live-In in which students create documentaries about and in the histroic town of Ste. Genevieve, MO. This year we're expanding the course from a trimester to a semester. Along with the expansion comes an opportunity to build more historic context around our students' understanding of the French colonial and early American history of Ste. Gen. Towards that end I've been putting together a map of various sites we may study/visit in the St. Louis area.

While the map is still in its early stages I'm looking for feedback, additions, criticisms, etc. One change already in mind is improved/contextual icons as replacements for the standard Google map markers.

In addition to the map, I've been collecting links that deal with the history of St. Louis and the surrounding area on my delicious site. There is more information there that should be integrated into the map.

What else?
Where would you go..? What would you read, watch?, do?...to broaden and depen understanding of our history?

View Larger Map

Subject says: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2007-12-28T00:47:00.001-06:00

And since my only release is this, here goes:

Contact: Steven Fitzpatrick Smith
Proprietor, The Royale
314-772-3600
theroyale@gmail.com

First ever St. Louis Caucus to be held same night as Iowa Caucus

St. Louis, Mo. - Gearing up for the primary election season the Young
Democrats of Greater St. Louis will welcome Democratic activists to
The Royale Food and Spirits for an old fashioned caucus to pick a
presidential candidate for the Democratic Party.

The event will begin at 8pm at the Royale Food and Spirits at 3132
South Kingshighway. The results of the caucus should be available
around 9:30pm January 3rd while the rest of the night will be
dedicated to watching the Iowa returns. You are invited to send a
camera and/or reporter to watch the St. Louis Caucus as well as the
Iowa Caucus results.
The Caucus will be hosted by 9th Ward Democratic Committeeman Ron Auer
and will be monitored by Kyle Dubbert, Republican Supervisor of the
Saint Louis City Election Board. While the caucus is non-binding, it
will reflect the much anticipated Iowa Caucus and emphasis the caucus
Missouri used to hold.

"This event will give St. Louis voters a chance to participate in a
caucus and to give a glimpse into how the voters in Missouri are
feeling about the presidential Election." says St. Louis City
Democratic party Chairman Brian Wahby. "In a couple of weeks we might
be able to say as goes the Royale so goes Missouri!"

The participants will determine a single winner for Democratic ticket
through the mock-caucus. All who intend on voting for the Democratic
ticket are welcome to participate. Not only will the event will serve
to provide a lesson in how the Caucus system works, it will also gauge
St. Louis City voters on their choice for the upcoming February 5th
Primary.
Representatives of candidates running for President are encouraged to
participate and to persuade caucus goers to support their candidate.

For more information please contact Steven Fitzpatrick Smith, The
Royale Food & Spirits 314-772-3600
theroyale@gmail.com, or Martin Casas with the Young Democrats of
Greater St. Louis at martcasas@gmail.com.

Hardware Wars

2007-12-22T22:56:00.000-06:00

I remember watching this in third or fourth grade in our open classroom at Henry Hough Elementary School. Henry Hough is Great Stuff. And so is this:

Damn! I love YouTube!

-j

You gotta eat....

2007-12-11T22:54:00.000-06:00

...so you might as well eat at the benefit brunch for the Folk School at the Schlafly Bottleworks this Sunday. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to help the Folk School make its move to Maplewood.

From the Schlafly web site:

BENEFIT BRUNCH FOR FOLK SCHOOL
Sunday, December 16
at Bottleworks

Help us support our community by attending one of our benefit brunches, where we donate 10% of our sales to a worthy non-profit. This brunch benefits Folk School and will assist them in moving to their new space in Maplewood. Find out more at www.folk-school.com. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

See ya there!

Cementland

2007-08-24T21:50:00.000-06:00

Every time I'm up on North Hall Street working for the fine folks at AA Importing and whenever I wend my way up to the Chain of Rocks Bridge I am compelled to swing by and try to catch a glimpse of the progress at Bob Cassily's ongoing creation, Cementland. It's good to see the NYT writing about and taking pics of the project.

Those of you who haven't been to STL to check out the City Museum must give it a try sometime soon. I must say though I miss the days of the Cabin Inn, the Blackeyed Susies and the unicycle riding fire jugglers out back...Those days (and all web references to them) seem to be gone.

Folk School Show at the Sheldon

2007-05-23T23:09:00.000-06:00

It is been far too long since I've posted anything here. Last time was at the start of Spring Break; school ends tomorrow. The living has been busy, the reflection and sharing poor.

I'd be remiss in my duties to the Folk School of St. Louis if I didn't point out to you loyal reader(s? - I know I'm here) that the Folk School's third annual concert at the Sheldon is coming up on Tuesday. If you're in StL and have the evening free, I recommend coming down for a great show. I've got tickets to sell if anyone's looking to avoid the lines the night of the show.

See you there,
-johnnyC

Spring Break

2007-03-24T10:28:00.000-06:00

has arrived. I have no firm plans. As I listen to a friend's music thoughts run through my mind:

Hike chautauqua.
kayak the confluence.
wander
the west end. with luna.
amongst friends.
and strangers.
drink air.
swim in the wind.
forget worries.

write letters.
dance rhythms.

drip

with possibility
and humidity.

Might end up at Lemp tonight to catch the always odd Prince Myshkins.
And/or at Yemanja Brasil for the Samba Bom benefit for Radio Rio.
Want to join me for that (or something else)?
Drop me a line.

Relative costs

2007-03-21T20:20:00.000-06:00

A parent of students of mine sent me this one...

CCD

2007-03-20T00:05:00.000-06:00

I caught a couple shows with these fine musicians in St. Louis in December 2006.
It's good to be able to revisit them here.
My body wouldn't stop moving.

Begging

2007-03-19T09:10:00.000-06:00

Does anyone out there have an old unused cingular cell phone you don't need anymore?
Mine is dying and I don't want to purchase a new one unless I have to.

Thanks!
-j

Juggling

2007-03-16T15:13:00.000-06:00

My juggling friend Scott recommended this video.
Some day he'll do this stuff with students at our school...

Convergence?

2007-03-16T01:15:00.000-06:00

Somewhere in the mix of organizations that includes [but is in no way limited to] the Folk School, Trailnet, Great Rivers Greenway, The Commonspace, the Center for Recording Arts, the Green Center, SCOSAG, the City Museum, the River Des Peres Watershed Coalition, the St. Louis Blues Society, etc. is a vision I rambled to paper at the old Commonspace/People's Coffee a few years back.

Keeping the list going:
Missouri River Communities Network,
KDHX,
the MCRP,
the folks creating the Meeting of the Waters conference,
etc.

This is how it works...

2007-03-16T00:40:00.000-06:00

Inspired by my youtube posting of Africa Matimbo at Millenium Park, Landme83 subscribed to my movies. Intrigued, I checked out landme83's youtube site and found this

That is how the magic works.

Three Virtual (and Real) Gifts:

2007-03-16T00:10:00.000-06:00

Joy in checking email::

A couple great Mikes made recommendations to me tonight (phenomenal night tonight, BTW - Folk School gathering at the Tap Room was out of sight and Joe's Cafe as a nightcap was rocking beauty in the neighborhood. Good to see friends and dream of journeys):

From a Mississippi Mike via STL: folkstreams.net

From a Minnesota Mike via Seattle: Michael Meade

And (new for me) landme83 commented on my Africa Matimbo videos. All props go to the artists in Dakar:

"I certainly don't have to agree with things I'm saying. I just have to say things."
-MM

Shoes for Senegal

2007-03-13T21:02:00.000-06:00

The people with whom I went to Senegal this past summer are raising funds and shoes for people there. Join the festivities at RAC on April 12 from 7-9pm, have a good time, and help in the cause.

My personal interest is in getting a nice pair of Keen sandals for Augustin, the head of Africa Matimbo. He asked for my pair while I was in Dakar last summer but I didn't let them go. If you've watched any of the dance video on this site and would like to help me give him a pair, drop me a line, send me some change, and I'll buy him a pair to send back with Akema, Mimi and the folks from Senecorps.

Two Thursdays of Music

2007-03-13T20:39:00.000-06:00

The wonderful people at the Folk School of St. Louis will be hosting their regular Student & Staff Showcase on Thursday, March 15 from 7-10 p.m. at Club Room of the Schlafly Tap Room. The event is open to the public and costs a mere $5.

The following Thursday, March 22, head out to the 'burbs and catch Justin Townes Earle at the Ranch House Concerts series.

Bamba Diopp, John Diopp and Jim Ndiaye

2007-03-04T23:07:00.000-06:00

went to Saam Ndiaye and were there met with a festive gathering.
Here's some of what they heard and saw, snippy and clippy as it is:

Tennessee Coming Home

2007-03-04T12:38:00.000-06:00

From the information being distributed by the good folks at The Learning Center:

Tennessee Williams' first full-length play, Candles to the Sun, will be presented in a staged reading by actors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) on Friday, March 16, at 8 p.m. The reading will take place at The Learning Center, 4504 Westminster Place, in St. Louis' Central West End. The building occupied by The Learning Center originally housed the Wednesday Club, where the play was first produced seventy years ago. Admission at the door is a $10 minimum donation to benefit The Learning Center.

For information, contact Emily Richard at The Learning Center 314.361.1908 or Tom Mitchell at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 217.333.3538. Tickets can be purchased at Left Bank Books or ordered by calling The Learning Center.

Zeus Jr.

2007-03-03T17:13:00.000-06:00

Speaking of what's in circulation, my high school friend Paul Benjamin has just released Pantheon High, a manga graphic novel that "imagines all of the characters of the various world mythologies living together in one universe—and sending their children to the same high school in Los Angeles" (and here I thought it all happened in OKC). I tried to grab a copy at my local comic shop, but they didn't have one so I ordered it on-line and passed it off to a manga fan student of mine. I'll post kid reviews here as they come in.

Where do you stand?

2007-02-28T03:34:00.000-06:00

I don't know if I can recommend highly enough the documentary At the River I Stand which chronicles the sanitation workers' strike that brought Dr. King to Memphis.

OK. I'm perplexed. In this day and age of inexpensive reproduction, why does a documentary this good about a period so momentous see such limited availablility? The good kids at Netflix don't seem to have a copy. And the St. Louis Public Library only has the VHS available for limited circulation in public viewings. Of course, they do have the book of the same name.

Is the dvd available in your library?

Cup O' Joe

2007-02-28T01:30:00.000-06:00

Tim wants everyone to know that Kuva Coffee Company now offers recurring delivery. Beware - Kuva's effects have not been studied: I drink the stuff daily and can't begin to say what it's doing to me...

A road not travelled...

2007-02-27T23:53:00.000-06:00

From time to time something triggers a thought of how different (neither better, nor worse) life might have been had I walked through this open door in 1992. Dan W are you out there? What ever became of our CS224 implementation of the Turing reaction-diffusion algorithm? I'd like to play with it again and see what patterns we can make in 3D. Once I dreamt in code; no more.

More Riverfront Happenings...

2007-02-26T22:53:00.000-06:00

Down South

Buffy...

2007-02-26T13:49:00.000-06:00

Sarah turned me on to this one.
Thanks Sarah!

Old Time Religion

2007-02-25T23:20:00.000-06:00

Slowly I'll rediscover the magic of the summer and share some of it here.
Africa Matimbo at Millenium Park:

A good stretch of livin

2007-02-25T18:01:00.000-06:00

How do I embed this flickr set of my kayak building at North House Folk School as a slideshow?
Technology evades me once again.

Thanks to Michael, this is how you do it.
Someday I'll do again the things I've done before.

An essential question...

2007-02-25T17:56:00.001-06:00

Down By The Riverside

2007-02-25T16:07:00.000-06:00

Related to Donna's comments re: the Riverfront trail, recent conversations about the progress and potential of the celebration of the Con flu e n c e, the goodthings brewing at Great Rivers and Trailnet, the differences between downtown STL and Memphis in our approaches to living on the river, etcetera etcetera etcetera is this issue of PPS.

Time to wake up.
(Thank goodness for folks like this who are getting us there.)

If we are to be a great city....
If we are to be a great nation...
If we are to be a great people...
If we are to be a great world...
If we are to be.

Bug Fix #2

2007-02-25T15:16:00.000-06:00

I put these up here hoping that someone (I at a future date?) will recognize the answer in my question and wire me up:

My good friend lj asked me why an rss feed isn't readily available.
My reply:

Pain in the *censored* is why it doesn't offer a feed.
johnnyc.net is actually a pointer to http://johnnycnet.blogspot.com/
Use that url and you'll be offered a feed.

You, my friend, are missing nothing. That's what I like about you.
-j

Apropos

2007-02-25T14:56:00.000-06:00

Particularly Apropos:

Come on down to the confluence folks.
-j

Nice comment!

2007-02-25T14:25:00.000-06:00

[Bugfix: Posting this comment with embedded imagery to the original entry didn't work even though I own the blog.]

Alrighty Michael!

(Why haven't we been running into one another more often?)

Those deserve embeddedness:

Where is the footage of Sister Rosetta playing with Woodie?
Did it happen? Will it tonight?

Gospel is as gospel does.
Acts!
-John.

Soul'd In

2007-02-25T13:33:00.000-06:00

In memphis Thursday at Stax, bought some DVDs:

Glimpses:

Soul To Soul, Ghana 1971:

Otis Redding: Remebering Otis

Ray Charles Live in Brazil: 1963.
(Rhino link on this one: Don't find an IMDB entry. Who is running the show over there? Pass the word...)

Classics

2007-02-25T13:25:00.000-06:00

Course, nothing beats the classics. I've dreamt since high school of the day when one might watch whatever one wants to watch, hear what one wants to hear, be etc..:

We're getting close. St. Louie Blues:

Freedom: YouTube

2007-02-25T13:15:00.000-06:00

Gotta admit. I'm behind on the creative force that is YouTube. Others are well ahead of me in the freeformsearching necessary to find the goodstuff. But this artistic endeavor is accomplished:

Seen something I might like? Funnel your bests to me in the form of comments.

Mister Smith

2007-02-25T12:09:00.000-06:00

My main man in the MO Senate [he won that race kids], Jeff Smith, is the topic of an incredible locally produced documentary now showing on PBS stations everywhere.

(If Independent Lens isn't showing on your PBS station or internet feed or on the air all the time, question the freedom of media in your area. Respond in kind with anything you know about that might not be playing here in the Lou, please).

My good friends Mitch and Donna saw the movie while they were crashing at my pad while I was overseas this summer. I've tried to find their blog post about it, but am only coming up with this blurb from an email: "Movie at the fancy theater across the street from Riddles. (saw the documentary about Jeff Smith. Now we know all about him and understand why his sign is in your front yard)."

If you care about STL and visitors' perceptions (or not) I highly recommend Donna's honest assessment of the Riverfront Trail (the mighty mississippi is OUR national treasure folks... See what we've done? Racism meets ecological disaster meets profiteering meets... makes my blood boil.)

'Nuf Rambling for now.
-j

Nothing but nets

2007-02-25T12:03:00.000-06:00

Folks,
You may know (if you've been looking below, you do) that I spent the summer of 2006 in Senegal, West Africa. As I read this article I think of the many incredible people I met there and wonder at their and their children's future health prospects. Check out this organization, based here in St. Louis, and see if you might have it in your heart to fund some nets for our friends in Senegal.

Peace.
-john

PS. For those of you in scurrying distance, the benefit concert on Sunday March 4 from 3-10pm for NetLife is in my neighborhood at the inimitable Joe's Cafe. Base yourself out of my casa. Play with my doggie. Come early. Stay forever. With that lineup the show is just getting started.

Mixing it up...

2007-02-18T09:45:00.000-06:00

Teaching a Civil Rights course in an experiential education school with an adventuresome co-teacher and an energized group of students has been a real pleasure this winter. The latest gem (of many - and I'll tell about others some day) was a visit to and with the fine folks at De La Salle Middle School in the Ville. Below are a few lingering pieces of wall art:

I was inspired by the first to sign the Birmingham Pledge. Did anyone else know this was out there?

Does this work?

2007-02-17T19:59:00.000-06:00

Just testing an embedded YouTube movie...
This is video from Africa Matimbo, summer 2006:

MLK March On Monday

2007-01-12T14:51:00.000-06:00

Howdy Friends,

If you're reading this and will be in St. Louis on Monday, January 15, 2007, I encourage you to come down to the Old Courthouse at 10:00 am. The annual St. Louis celebration of Dr. King's life and legacy will meet there. The march west to Powell Symphony Hall starts at 11:00 am.

Brave the ice and cold and join in as we show solidarity with King's dream of peace and unity.
A recounting of the march from three years ago was my first post on this blog.

Hope to see you all there.

Choteau's Message To The New Year

2006-12-31T12:50:00.000-06:00

Remember!

Listen to the wise old owl.

Don't be stingy.

Share Peace

With your neighbors

And you too will ride with the wind.

Safely in NYC

2006-08-10T10:06:00.000-06:00

Hi folks,

Just a note here to say that I'm safe and sound and in NY staying with my friends Andrew and Carrie.
Luckily I wasn't caught up in the terrorist plot at London's Heathrow Airport. I can't say that I wasn't thinking about just such a threat as I made my way through that aiport yesterday. A London to New York flight seems a likely target for folks unhappy with with the policies of our government and our nearest ally. What a difference a day makes.

Circus Cirucs

2006-08-10T08:05:00.000-06:00

Though we saw several great shows as part of the Edinbugh Fringe Festival, the highlight of the lot for me has to have been NoFit State's gothic circus, ImMortal. The show, dominated by dark, otherworldly tone set by live musicians, thickly accented hosts and black costuming, featured expert acrobatics and rope work. Most striking was the intermingling of audience and performers with nearly complete dissolution of a proscenium. Costumed ushers, fully integrated into the show, maintained necessary zones of safety that shifted with each act, but that allowed maximum interaction between audience and performance. If you're in Wales, or their in your home town, check these folks out.

Vortextual Reunion

2006-08-10T07:48:00.000-06:00

The good times in Edinburgh with Fergus and Claire and their gang of friends were extended and augmented by the arrival of two more friends from the states. Wolf Ridge buddy, Dave Mackey and his wife Ellen were in Scotland for vacation before Dave heads off to Sweden to partake in the Adventure Race World Championships and Ellen heads back to teaching in Boulder.

If I'm putting things together correctly, it was the first time that Ferg, Dave and I had been in the same place since northern Minnesota days. Catching up with the adventures of Dave and Ellen (there are plenty), hiking around town and up Arthur's Seat, checking out more of the festival and eating some good food rounded out the days in Edinburugh.

So the story goes

2006-08-05T01:22:00.000-06:00

The highlight of the Scottish leg of this trip hasn't been the beautiful countryside, the historic castles, the festival or even being in a place where I speak the language again, though those are all perks.

The really good stuff has been hanging with my old friend Fergus from long-ago Wolf Ridge days, and getting to know his wife Claire and their community of friends. The evening out at Ruth and Ronnie's home outside of Edinburgh eating good food and swapping tales and tunes gave a glimpse of the talents and friendships of these storytellers. Really good stuff.

Great stuff, really.

Gotta jump the pond more often to hang out.

Festive Time in Scotland

2006-08-05T01:01:00.000-06:00

The festival is on.

The duo that comprises Gamarjobat gets my nod as favorite so far. Their technical skills in mime and magic are mindboggling. Amazing how much can be communicated without language.

Other highlights: Chanbara as much for the drumming as for the swordsmanship.

Jump, much more for the martial arts than the comedy, for me.

We've seen a couple free shows as well. Comedians. One British, the other Australian. Let their names fade into the ether.

More to come.

Paris

2006-08-05T00:38:00.000-06:00

Paris.
Was there. Flying through. Four days.
What a place to walk.
From colony to colonial power. Mindtwisting trip.

At least when they were doing it the French got the architecture right.
Monument to a powerhouse faded. Disney world of world domination.
Damned good museums. Former palace grounds turned everyman parks - that's what they got. And good cheese.

Our little shrub of a Napolean keeps the good stuff behind corporate walls.
When, I wonder, will we see the parks and treasures of the new empire? Will Haliburton cough up any sculpture to gawk at?

And where is today's Picasso, today's Guernica?
There's no lack of material.

Mea culpa

2006-08-05T00:29:00.000-06:00

So that experiment just didn't work.

What, really, were the chances that I'd post frequent meaningful ditties to this blog while travelling in Africa?

Slim, folks, slim. But not none, I suppose.

Not that there's not a bit that I've been thinking about to write. The kindness of the people of Senegal, issues of transportation and sanitation, community and the line between self and other, music music music, arts and artists, third places, parrallels twixt there and here (which?), language and not having it: These all seem like topics I'll get back to at some point.

But it didn't happen while wandering. Maybe from the comfort of home. With pics and sound and movies sorted. After wrestling the transition back to USA and all its trappings.

Sorry to have lead you on.

From St. Louis With Love

2006-07-06T17:54:00.000-06:00

Hey All,
I'm not going to take much time to write tonight, but I am taking advantage of the generous gift of time on University Gaston Berger, Saint-Louis' network to upload a bunch of photos. (Thanks to Professor Barry and the folks in campus networking for helping me out there!)

Check out the photos on my flickr account. There's a mix of stuff there from my camera and Jim's and taken by numerous photographers in the group. I hope you enjoy them. I'll try to give context to the pics at a later date. Maybe I'll organize them stateside.

These three days we're here at the university enjoying a series of morning lectures about the political history, culture, arts and religion of Senegal. In the afternoons we're free to wander into the French colonial/slave trade town of St. Louis on the Senegal River. Despite its sordid past, the town is beautiful and reminiscent of port cities such as New Orleans or Savannah. The slower pace of the university and the town is a pleasant change from the hubbub of Dakar.

Will write more soon.
-johnnyC

PS It seems my johnnyc.net email address was down for a few days. I apologize to anyone who tried to email there. It is working again.

Africa Matimbo

2006-07-04T12:38:00.000-06:00

Music and dance: they've been a critical part of the past few days.

Senecorps arranged for us to take a couple drumming and dance courses with a performance troop called Africa Matimbo. The classses, taught by the troop's leader, Augustin, were excellent. With the help of several other members of the troop we were introduced to the rhythms and steps of the Coocoo - a dance commemorating the bird. Despite (or because of?) his expert status in both fields, we neophytes were treated with respect and a sense of working toward a greater potential. In the supportive atmosphere of a community of practitioners and teachers, progress came quickly.

Perhaps more powerful than the classes themselves though was the opportunity to sit in on performance rehearsals following the courses. The force of energy and the strength and talent of both the drummers and the dancers is awe inspiring. I've captured (as best I can) a wee bit of the power of these experiences in some short movie clips and photos I took with my digital camera. The upload to youtube is in process right now. I hope by the end of my time here at this cybercafe, I'll have a link to send along.

The follow-up to watching the troop practice for several hours each of two nights was an epic three dance performance at Dakar's Millenium memorial, just up the shore from downtown. In the middle of a very hot day (they're all hot right now) dancers and drummers worked for nearly three hours to recount a trilogy of tales: the killing of a lion, the fete of the king, and a day of celebration. Decked out in face paint and elaborate costumes, both drummers and dancers put everything into the day's performance. Several drummers told me they'd been out playing until 4am at a hotel and had other gigs that night. I was exhausted just watching.

The music and dance (they are joined at the hip) doesn't stop with formal troops and performances. Last night on the way to dinner at a friend's house we came upon a "spectakle" (pronounced with the emphasis on the 'tack' syllable: speck TACK le). I'd estimate that 80 or so neighborhood kids were gathered in the street in a circle surrounding several drummers. As the drum called for different dances and changes in dancers, young girls (mostly) took turns jumping in the circle and strutting their stuff. Butts, arms, legs, heads, hands and feet fly, all in concert with the drum. And the neighborhood is there to watch.

Follow that up with a night at the local jazz club (head out at midnight, back at 3am) with the same band playing everything from straight jazz to reggae to west african traditional music and you've the beginning of something that finds itself in every step.

One week in Senegal

2006-06-30T04:13:00.000-06:00

Hi folks. Sorry for the delay in writing.
I'm in a wonderful space of immeasurable time.

Only one week has passed since I was stateside, hanging out with friends in DC, dealing with a strange last minute bout of something on my face that a clinic doctor in Virginia deemed either poison ivy or shingles (got lotsa drugs for both and all is now better) and preparing to walk into a new world. The experiences since then have been densely packed and wonderful. That it has been only a week seems unrealistic.

And yet a full week has passed. Almost a fourth of the time that I will spend in Africa has already spun by. I am just beginning to find my bearings in this french, english, wolof mix. Gutteral sounds that meant nothing a week ago now impart greetings and kindness so easily read on faces. French grammatical patterns seem easier to find somewhere in the recesses of my mind and in the mix of sounds in the air.

There are three of us Americans in my position here, a small and intimate group, all educators. My roommate Jim is a high school english teacher from Denver. His son has just finished a year abroad in Dakar and loved the experience so much that Jim was enticed to jump in. Dorothy is a history teacher from Nipher Middle School in Kirkwood, MO. We are all in Senegal for the first time.

This week, we live in relative luxury in a beautiful home in a neighborhood of Dakar called Djiepel. Our hosts, Akema and Mimi - the Americans who run Senecorps - and Conyoe and Bamba - two Senegalese Senecorps members - live with us. Meals, served and eaten from a common dish are a center of our community and regular points of rendezvous at 8am, 2pm and 8pm each day. Conyoe can cook.

This week, our days are divided regularly into three primary sections: work, Wollof language study, and cultural activities.

Dorothy and Jim are both teaching at a local school, while I have had the unique opportunity to spend time with Bamba (a gentle host who is becoming a great friend) working on a film. Bamba and I have been collecting footage for a project that has yet to find it's final form. (TCS: I feel as though I am a student in Live In class.)

We are working with a local singer named Magou who lies in a seaside part of Dakar called Ngor. His songs communicate a strong tie that he feels to the ancestral land that is his home. He is inspired by the sea, by his family, by his pride in his homeland and by deep faith in something better to come. As we work to capture images that reflect these themes (for a music video, for a documentary, ?) I am taken by the deep sense of community that is evident in his village. His father, also a musician, left Senegal many years ago to make a life in Paris. Magou's challenge to himself is to stay rooted here and to give back to his community.

Another man named Bamba (and with the same last name as well: Diopp) teaches us Wolof each afternoon. The sounds and structure of the language seem unrelated to any other I've heard. For me, expressions are hard to recall in context, but each day I am able to grasp a few more elements of the conversations around me. Greetings are at the core of decorum in this society and sometimes come in scores. Nanga def? Mangi fi rekkk. Nanka wa ker ga? Nunga fa. Nanga fananne? Jaam rekk. And on it goes...

At night we've hung out at clubs (Just 4U, an open air bar in the university district reminds me of the Kiva in Study Butte, but with an incredible fusion of jazz, carribean, rock and traditional african music), joined a local documentary group for screenings, received drum and dance instruction from a local troop (my favorite), attended a basketball game and hung out at home with the local Senecorps crowd.

It has been a great week.

To Africa...

2006-06-22T00:08:00.000-06:00

Hi friends,

I'm heading to Senegal in the morning for a month of cultural immersion, school building, documentary production and just plain fun.
The opportunity there is courtesy of a small organization with big
dreams, Senecorps, and should be quite unlike any I've ever had.

From Senegal I'm heading up to Paris then on to Scotland to catch up
with some friends too long unseen. As fate would have it, several
friends from different parts of the world should all be in Edinburgh
at that time. Sometimes you just get lucky that way.

I remember wishing in 1995 before beginning a similarly grand domestic
adventure into our national parks that I could easily disseminate
photos and thoughts to my community. In those nascent days of the
internet, I probably could have done so, but expenses and my budget
were at odds. And most of my community wasn't looking at anything on
the web.

This time I'm hoping to stay in touch with folks via email, postings
to an almost never used blog at www.johnnyc.net and via my flickr account at flickr.johnnyc.net . Between now and my next posting, check out the slew of photos that are up there now. They include that '95 adventure.

I hope to return to the US energized by the experience, excited by new
relationships, and informed by a new depth and breadth of perspective on the world. I look forward to hearing about your adventures and experiences this summer too.

Please pass this info on to anyone you think might want to follow along. Comment on the blog and pictures. And please let me know if
you'd rather not receive these emails.

Peace.
-johnnyC

PS If you've called me in the past few days and I haven't gotten back
to you, I'm sorry. Drop me an email. I'll talk to you down the
road.

Remembering Martin

2004-01-20T01:13:00.001-06:00

I celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day today as I have the past several years: by marching several miles from The Old Courthouse at the base of the Arch in downtown St. Louis, where humans were once sold into slavery and where the landmark Dred Scott Case was decided against those seeking personhood peacefully through the courts, to Powell Symphony Hall , the grand home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, a long-segregated venue. Today, as it has for many years, it served as the St. Louis home of an annual celebration of Dr. King's legacy and vision.

As has been the case the past two years, I was accompanied by several young people, current and former students. They were energized by the vision of a more equal America. They were equally troubled by the gross inequities they see between their homes, schools and lives in suburban St. Louis and those in the crumbling infrastructure of much of north St. Louis and East St. Louis, IL. They were moved enough to spend their day off walking in twenty-three degree weather with others of many colors, cultures and creeds, singing chanting and sharing in a memory and a dream.

Along the route I was reminded of why this is perhaps the most spiritual of holidays for me. It is the day we celebrate the life and mourn the assassination of a man who in a modern context saw through the mask of difference that plagues our consciousness as humans. We honor a man who took to heart the grand lesson of religion that we answer hatred with love for at our core we are unified by a force beyond humanity. He is my most tangible example of a man who, against insurmountable odds, strove to live the word of Christ as set down in the book of John:

"Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” 1 John 4:7-8

The core understanding of that most precious Law is echoed in Martin's postulate:

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
-Martin Luther King, Jr. - Letter from a Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

He was a man who took to heart the vision laid out by our nation's founders and pushed it toward its ideal, sacrificing all to extend Constitutional rights to a people who had been recognized as American citizens for 100 years, but whose rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were thwarted through misguided and conspiratorial laws, an economic system employed to maintain the "benefits" of slavery, the violent terrorism of organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and the complacent silent acceptance of so many.

Just last Thursday I accompanied a group of students to East St. Louis. On that journey we visited the site of a too-little known event: one of the largest race riots in the history of the nation. The 1917 East St. Louis race riot saw poor whites, consumed by hatred and the fear of possible job loss to blacks moving up from the south, kill over 100 African-American women children and men. So consumed were they by their hatred that they burnt the core of their own town as they set afire buildings to drive blacks from shelter so they may be shot or thrown back to burn. The sole hospital in the city refused service to badly burned and bullet riddled blacks - it was for whites only.

In the shadow of that event grew the likes of Miles Davis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee . I wonder at a world without their contributions had their parents been among those killed on those fateful days in 1917. I wonder too at the unsung lives of those who perished. What might they, their sons and daughters have contributed to our world?

Thursday saw more than history. We witnessed a present that unceasingly allows drug dealers to sell their wares within sight of a school named in honor of Miles Davis. We saw a city, so abandoned by its county, state and nation that numerous stray dogs wander its streets without control, that federally subsidized housing is built below the flood line, and that the remnants of architectural gems crumble dangerously on main street. We saw a city bordered by corporate-owned "cities" such as Monsanto, IL - legal jurisdictions set up to avoid enforcement of labor, environmental and health regulations.

Amidst those conditions live our nation's children. I wonder at their ability to meet their full potential, our full potential, under such conditions. I wonder at our inability to "love one another" on a grand scale in this world and sense that we live soundly in a network of injustice rather than justice. Its cyclical nature should be constantly at mind - even from the comfort of our more privileged homes .

Toward the end of the march today a portion of Dr. King's Riverside Church speech caught my eye. Delivered April 4, 1967 - one year to the day before his assassination - King expanded the scope of his activism beyond domestic issues in that speech. I was amazed that these were words I had never heard nor read. Their applicability to today could not have been more true. On a placard being carried by another marcher was an excerpt similar to this long excerpted statement:

"A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say, "This is not just." It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of South America and say, "This is not just." The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just.

"A true revolution of values will lay hand on the world order and say of war, "This way of settling differences is not just." This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice, and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. [sustained applause]

"America, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values. There is nothing except a tragic death wish to prevent us from reordering our priorities so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war. There is nothing to keep us from molding a recalcitrant status quo with bruised hands until we have fashioned it into a brotherhood." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Riverside Church, NYC, April 4, 1967

What have we wrought in this nation, where in the '60s we allowed our most enlightened leaders to fall victim to the fate of the bullet? Do we even allow them to grow safely to adulthood today?

King's final campaigns were for health care, economic opportunity, and just foreign policy informed by coalitions with peoples involved in democracies worldwide. Are these not the issues that plague us today?

We have missed his wisdom.

Peace.
-johnnyC

PS Check out this montage of King's words set in a modern context.