Fedy Massamba

You HAVE to check out Fredy Massamba. He’s originally from the Republic of Congo( Brazzaville) and resides now in Paris. I like his sound and love the visual story of his video for his song Ntoto. He makes me so homesick. You go Fredy, with one “d” !

Give a listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsowLHE6f0Y

Don’t forget to check out my greeting card line-Sages From the Past. Give the gift of history! You can buy them online at http://www.zazzle.com/28pokou4*

My Sages from the Past greeting cards are also available at

1. VIX Emporium
5009 Baltimore Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19143 - (215) 471-7700
Open Tue-Thu 12pm-7pm; Fri 11am-7pm; Sat 11am-6pm

2. National Liberty Museum
321 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-2800

Samuel Coleridge Taylor; The Man to Listen To

I remember going to library and asking for some books about Samuel Coleridge Taylor. I had heard, via a CD, a South African Orchestra perform his compositions. And the librarian responded in a very arrogant tone, “You mean Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was an English poet.” No, I replied. I meant what I said and in the order in which I had said the name-Samuel Coleridge Taylor. That day, that librarian made a great discovery , too. Brother Samuel,1875-1912, was an accomplished British violinist and composer. He was often referred to as the African Mahler.

To learn more about him, click this link: http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/song.html

WRTI is celebrating his music in honor of Black History Month. Listen to Five Negro Melodies for Piano Trio Op. 59, No. 1. Scroll down to Black History Month on WRTI.
http://www.wrti.org/

Samuel Coleridge Taylor is also part of my Sages From the Past greeting card series. When you give one of my cards, you give the gift of history. You can buy them online at

http://www.zazzle.com/28pokou4*

My Sages from the Past greeting cards are also available at :

1. VIX Emporium
5009 Baltimore Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19143 - (215) 471-7700
Open Tue-Thu 12pm-7pm; Fri 11am-7pm; Sat 11am-6pm

2. National Liberty Museum
321 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-2800

Madagascar at the Oscars 2011

Check out this short film by French filmmaker Bastien DuBois called Madagascar; A Journey Diary. It’s about Famadihana, which is a funerary tradition of the Malagasy people in Madagascar. This film is short and so beautiful and it has been nominated for an Oscar this year. Here’s the link.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgu60j_madagascar-a-journey-diary_shortfilms

Don’t forget to check out, too, my greeting cards-Sages From the Past- at http://www.zazzle.com/28pokou4*

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre at the Kimmel Center

My first grade teacher, Mrs. Saunders, gave me a biography about Alvin Ailey which I read with great interest, especially since I, too, considered myself a dancer. Now eight years later, I will finally get to see Mr. Ailey’s dance company and I am thrilled. My Tante Pat, who recently died due to cancer and who was a globetrotting translator with the African Development Bank , said there very few cultural productions she had seen over her many years that could match the artistry, the history , the raw and refine talent of an Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre performance.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre will perform at the Kimmel Center this coming Saturday, Feb 26 and Sunday, Feb 27, 2011. I’m going with my Tante Pat in my heart and my Tante Mona on my arm. It’s going to be a blast.

Here’s a link for more information: http://www.kimmelcenter.org/events/?id=3756

Fly Me To the Moon

Bernard Harris

Today NASA is scheduled to launch the final voyage of the space shuttle Discovery. Lift-off is to take place at 4:50 p.m. Discovery is NASA’s most traveled shuttle and has been around for 30 years. My little brother, who dreams of being a zillion things including an astronaut, is so excited that a space-related event is in the news.

Now, for all you who have young people in your life who dream of being astronauts and other kinds of scientists check out the Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp for middle school students and it’s FREE. Bernard Harris is a retired NASA astronaut who now commits his time and resources to inspire young people to get excited about science and careers in science. Below is info from the Camp' website and its link. Applications for this summer will be available by March 1, 2011

The ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp (EMBHSSC) is a two-week residential camp hosted at colleges and universities across the nation. For the summer of 2011, The Harris Foundation (THF), in partnership with the ExxonMobil Foundation, will sponsor a total of 30 residential camps held during the months of June-August and provided free of charge to participants. Each camp will provide 48-54 promising middle school grade level students the opportunity to enhance their proficiency in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

http://www.theharrisfoundation.org/sitecontent/565/summer-science-camp/category/457/education.aspx

**My grandfather said I had to add a link to Sarah Vaughan singing Fly Me to the Moon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LxeUBh8ZF4&feature=related

Photo of Crew-collectSPACE/Robert Z. Pearlman
Space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 crew arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 20, 2011. From left: Nicole Stott, Michael Barratt, Steve Bowen, Al Drew, Eric Boe and Steven Lindsey

Where There Be Dragons

My mom always says a person’s behavior-hard work and great attitude- is their passport to great things. So, do you want to trek the Himalayas, visit Tibetan monasteries, walk the Great Wall, learn Arabic in Morocco or Wolof in Senegal …? If you’re 15-22, the world is waiting for you. Check out the programs offered by Where There Be Dragons. And remember, money never gets in the way of you realizing your dreams-there’s financial aid. Go out and change the world!!!

http://www.wheretherebedragons.com/

We're Cool Like That

Even though I’m from Cote d’Ivoire and I love our music, some of the best music on the continent comes out of Nigeria, Zaire and South Africa. I recently learned about Trenton and Free Radical. Trenton, the lead singer, is originally from South Africa and his band members are from Uganda, Zimbabwe and Spain. Though Trenton’s musicianship may be minimal, I like where his heart appears to be. Listen to and watch the video of Mr. Mandela. I especially like how African people are presented. I like the range of looks and ethnicities that are showcased and which comprise both South Africa and the continent. I see beautiful people celebrating their hero- Mr. Mandela. …no big stomachs, no big bellies, just people living. Click the link to see what I mean. Also, I’m posting my poem, again, “We’re Cool That” as a complement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D77PM62YqJQ

We’re Cool Like That

By Sojourner Ahebee

I’m cool like that, I’m proud like that and I’m African like that.
Not a bloated stomach, not a face encircled by flies, not a beggar’s hand
I am part of a billion people, with a million dances and thousands of tongues
to tell not only stories of tears, to play not only in the mourning band
I have a direct link to the origin of all humanity and shout this fact with my lungs
filled with the sands of the Sahara and the Kalahari.

I’m cool like that, I’m proud like that and I’m African like that.

You place me in your books and newspapers as one mass face
of AIDS and Malaria and T.B. –always the loser of the human race
I am one piece of a mosaic of 53 countries full of resources and grace
I dream, when you come to arm the hungry and take our wealth out of its place
that the Mediterranean and Rea Seas, the Indian and Atlantic Oceans would give chase
to drown your greed and let the waters be its burial place.

I’m cool like that, I’m proud like and I’m African like that.

You dare to rescue Africa with aging rock stars and uninspired actors
with agendas that do not include using us as our own benefactors
Listen to our voices filled with wisdom and experience and not be only our detractors
Listen to Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, Wangari Maathai, Wole Soyiknka, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Listen to Africa.

Because we’re cool like that, we’re proud like that and we’re part of humanity like that.

Catch You In The Air !

I love the phrase-lay claim to… You want it, and then claim it. I feel this way about travel and seeing the world. You don’t have to wait until you’re grown to develop an interest in the world and a hunger to wander. There are so many programs for young people-teenagers-to participate in; programs that take you to France, Japan, Tanzania, Australia and Peru to name a few places.

This is what you do. Go to the post office or even Walgreen’s and get a passport application. Fill it out with your parents and send it off. Now, each evening pick a destination on Black Atlas and let Nelson George take you on tour of a city you want to discover. Below are links to his Paris trips. I love how Mr. George not only shows you a place from his perspective, but he introduces you to African-Africans who actually live in the places he is presenting. He makes you feel that you can get there, too and you can. The world is ours.

http://www.blackatlas.com/city/landing/3186/Paris

http://www.blackatlas.com/city/storydetail/407/3186

After bookmarking Black Atlas, check out Oxbridge Academic Programs. Here is a link to information about its Paris program this summer for students in grades 9-12. Financial aid and scholarships are available. This is just one of many programs.

http://www.oxbridgeprograms.com/academie-de-paris/

I’m hitting China this summer and next time I’ll tell you about some amazing programs to get you there, too.

Multicultural and Diversity Festival at Chestnut Hill Academy

One of my major entries into the world is food and from there I have opened myself to receive the music, the politics, and the personalities of our global village. It’s amazing the numbers of ethnicities that abound in our local community and it’s equally amazing how little some of us are able to enjoy and learn from some many vibrant cultures.

This is why each year I so appreciate and look forward to the Multicultural and Diversity Festival sponsored by Chestnut Hill Academy and the Springside School. My Aunt Danni is a major organizer of this event which takes place this Sunday, February 27, from 3:00 to 6:00 P.M. at Chestnut Hill Academy, 500 West Willow Grove Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. Here are some words from my aunt, Danni Brockenbrough, about this unique and celebratory festival:

Multicultural and Diversity Day is an annual event hosted by Chestnut Hill Academy and the Springside School. This festival serves to acknowledge and celebrate many of the cultures within our community. The festival fosters understanding and a deeper respect of one another by offering all participants the opportunity to share in learning about and appreciating a wide variety of foods, dress, crafts and performances. We are in our 9th year. We are so thrilled this year to welcome some of the Tuskegee Airmen as our guest speakers. The event is on Sunday February 27, 2011 from 3PM to 6PM. The event is free and open to the public. Please pass this information to everyone you know.

Come out and if you do, believe me, each year you will come again. See you there!

For more information, call 267-974-0050

Esperanza Spalding Wins Best New Artist

I did not watch the Grammy Awards, but I was thrilled to learn that Esperanza Spalding won as the best new artist. WOW! Now a lot more people can discover a REAL talent.
Here’s a link to an introduction to Esperanza.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk-oJGAXSjA

Photo-from Bass Musician Magazine