e-culture: Halloween or Day of the Dead, The Borderline, Houston Events
October 15, 2004


IN THIS ISSUE

- Halloween or Day of the Dead
- International Caravan for Justice
- The Borderline/La Linea Fronteriza
- The History of Mexico
- The Color Conference
- The Experience of a Lifetime
- Recuerdos de Gloria Evangelina Anzaldua
- Upcoming Houston Events



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Halloween or Day of the Dead

For many Americans, Halloween and the Mexican Day of the Dead may seem quite similar.

There are some obvious, if completely incorrect, resemblances. Both take place at the same time of year through their historic connections to the Christian holiday, All Saints' Day. And the predominant fall colors of both celebrations are similar: Halloween with carved orange pumpkins, black witches and white ghosts; The Day of the Dead with white skulls and faces outlined in black, altars bathed in glowing orange candlelight, and cemeteries covered in marigolds.

Both use images that may seem frightening or that represent death. Halloween draws from ancient Celtic traditions meant to keep evil spirits away, while the Day of the Dead in the pre-Hispanic indigenous traditions of Mexico is a time to remember ancestors and welcome loved ones who have passed away back into the home.

Images in the celebration of Halloween are often commercially produced (or sold in mass with licensed brands) and, with the influence of horror films and video games, are increasingly violent. While loved ones are usually honored during the Day of the Dead with handmade crafts and flowers bought in local markets; images of death, skulls and skeletons, are usually represented as they were in the best circumstances of their lives - happy and doing the things they enjoyed.

Learn more about Mexico's traditional Day of the Dead:
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico

See images of children taking part in Halloween in Mexico:
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/tricks.html


There are several events taking place in Houston to honor the Mexican Day of the Dead, including an altar construction going on at the Museum of Fine Arts, and a Day of the Dead festival at MECA. Find more activities in Houston:
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/houston.html


The origins of Halloween date back thousands of years. The modern holiday has been influenced by many cultures over the centuries, from the Romans' Pomona Day, to the Celtic festival of Samhain, and the Christian holidays of All Saints' and All Souls' Days.

Read more about the origins of Halloween:
http://www.houstonculture.org/cr/halloween.html

Read about the tradition of carving Jack o' Lanterns:
http://www.houstonculture.org/cr/pumpkin.html

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International Caravan for Justice

During a program on Wednesday, October 27, Soledad Aguilar, mother of a woman murdered nine years ago in Juarez, told of her personal tragedy, as well as the reasons she keeps searching for justice. Her daughter, Cecilia Cobarrubias Aguilar, was the mother of a baby. While the body of Soledad's daughter was discovered on November 17, 1995, the baby was not found and may be a nine-year-old living without any knowledge of her real family.

Soledad created an altar in honor of her daughter and talked with reporters from local Spanish- and English-language television stations about her tragedy. The local Fox affiliate carried a short feature to help raise awareness of the femicides in Juarez, and Channel 13 carried an even more brief report.

The International Caravan for Justice is traveling across the United States, from Canada to Mexico to bring awareness and justice for women in Juarez and Chihuahua, where more than 400 young women have been murdered or disappeared along the U.S.-Mexico border. Violence against young women who work in the maquiladoras continues with another victim discovered earlier this week as little is being done to solve the crimes.

New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman has introduced Senate Resolution 392 to condemn the killings and call for a government investigation. Resolution 466 calls for similar measures in the House of Representatives.


WHAT YOU CAN DO
We made a tape of the October 27 event at MECA (Multicultural Education and Counseling through Arts) and can bring it to meetings and events, where it may be used to help create awareness of the murders and the influence of economic policies on conditions in Juarez. Once better informed about the situation, audience members may take further action by contacting their representatives.

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The Borderline/La Linea Fronteriza

La Linea - The Line. The shared border between the United States and Mexico spans 1,933 miles and touches a great many of the issues that are important to Mexicans and Americans. Americans have become increasingly aware of border issues since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994 and the terrorist attacks of 2001. Mexicans are seeking employment in maquiladoras along the border from Matamoros to Tijuana in record numbers.

Border issues go beyond international commerce and safety regulations, and the ongoing debate over the openness of the border. Knowledge of the border is necessary for everyone to understand the broad issues of both nations.

We are preparing a resource for people interested in issues related to the U.S.-Mexico border, including: health and environmental issues; living conditions in the colonias; working conditions in maquiladoras; and, crime and corruption.

The resource will report on what Houston doctors and hospitals are doing to meet the urgent health care needs of indigent people along the border, and what you can do to help.

Learn more about La Linea Fronteriza, The Borderline: http://www.houstonculture.org/border


The Houston Institute for Culture also seeks donations to improve the quality of life for people living in the colonias near Reynosa and Rio Bravo. The items are distributed during medical missions.

Needed donations include: Toothbrushes and Toothpaste; Spanish-language Educational Materials; Children's Shoes; Stuffed Animals; and, Rice and Canned Goods

There are presently locations where you can drop off donated items at Rice University and University of Houston. For more information on these locations, or to help set up other drop-off locations, please send an email to info@houstonculture.org

Learn more about what you can do to help:
http://www.houstonculture.org/border/help.html

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The History of Mexico

We are producing a special resource for educators and anyone interested in the history of Mexico. We are presently featuring John Schmal's state histories of Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacan, Morelos, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, and Zacatecas.

The histories of the indigenous populations from the central Mexican states are valuable in understanding aspects of Mexican culture, including the traditional Day of the Dead (El dia de los muertos).

See these state histories and a history of the Aztec Empire:
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/states.html

In November we will present a thorough history of central Mexico's indigenous populations.

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The Color Conference

The Houston Institute for Culture and the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of St. Thomas will hold the first in a series of conferences on the diverse topic of color on November 15 and 16.

The conference will introduce students and community members to new interests and ideas across disciplines and cultures. Presenters will explore concepts of color in media, psychology, art, politics, and in the modern sociology of our world.

Presenters for this unique forum include:

Debra Andrist, professor of literature and feminism, St. Thomas University: "The Color of Change: Morocco"

Michelle Bonilla, professor of psychology, Rice University: "Fear of Color in Modern Cultures"

Fernando Castro, art critic, writer and photographer, Rice University: "The ideology of Color"

Patricia Gras, PBS producer and reporter: "How color affects people from a journalist's point of view"

Nan Linke, MD, psychologist and astrologer: "Chakras and Color: A Reflection of Unseen Energy"

Reginald C. Adams, executive director of the Museum Of Cultural Arts, Houston (MOCAH): "Color, Culture and Community Development"

The conference coordinator is Rose Mary Salum; the moderator is Debra Andrist.

Free
November 15 and 16, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Anderson Auditorium
St. Thomas University
info@houstonculture.org

Complimentary refreshments will be served

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The Experience of a Lifetime

Camp Dos Cabezas - The Experience of a Lifetime

Houston Institute for Culture is seeking education partners to sponsor scholarships, which will make it possible for grade school children to attend Camp Dos Cabezas.

Camp Dos Cabezas is an extremely ambitious educational project that will provide the experience of a lifetime for deserving at-risk children in Houston. The camp will offer such an unforgettable experience that we believe it will be the event children who may otherwise drop out of school will point to as the inspiration for their success.

The camp will introduce participants to one of the most dynamic and significant regions of the United States - the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The Apache called this "the Land of Standing Up Rocks." The fantastic geology of the region will keep the campers excited to participate each day on hikes through dramatic rock formations, and during visits to museums and historic sites. The diversity of cultural history and environments will help shape the children's future interests in biology, anthropology, history, geography, political science, and more.

Camp participants will learn about the experiences of people who influenced United States history - African-American Buffalo Soldiers, Mexican ranchers, Chinese railroad workers, Mormon Battalion soldiers, Serbian miners, Jewish pioneers, and Swedish homesteaders.

From early Spanish exploration to the Gadsden Purchase and the Civil War, southeast Arizona is rich in heritage. The diverse cultures of farming Pima Indians and nomadic Apaches will come to life as campers look out from mountaintops across the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. Visiting historic sixteenth-century Jesuit missions, and exploring a land made famous by a host of names in western lore - Geronimo, Pancho Villa, Wyatt Earp, and the "Lost Dutchman" - children will learn about significant events in American and Mexican history.

Volunteers and participating organizations will also benefit from this great experience and its positive impact on the community. In addition to park rangers and museum guides, our education partners from Houston will help the children discover ecology and geology as they practice field research, journal writing and species identification.

The educational benefits and value to the community, combined with the unique nature of the camp will benefit the missions of participating organizations and improve public awareness of their efforts.

The cost to provide a scholarship for one child and the volunteer support of up to two adults per child is $1,000. Education partners may provide one or two volunteers to assist in camp activities. One group of adults will facilitate daytime activities for the children, and the other will participate in evening activities and preparations.

If you would like to receive a sponsorship packet for education partners, please send an email to info@houstonculture.org, or call 713-521-3686.

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Recuerdos de Gloria Evangelina Anzaldua

Students and faculty will honor the memory of Gloria Evangelina Anzaldua at the University of Texas on Friday, October 22, including tributes, personal memories, arts performances, and discussions on her life.

The memorial will continue on Saturday, October 23 at ALLGO's Tilley Street Theater (701 Tilley Street), and will feature a roundtable discussion on diabetes and health issues facing the Hispanic community.
http://www.techmex.net/anzaldua/program.htm


Gloria Evangelina Anzaldua was a pioneering Chicana feminist, poet, writer, and cultural theorist. "Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza", her 1987 book of poetry and memoir in Spanish and English, and historical-cultural analysis, was named one of the 100 Best Books of the Century by Utne Reader and Hungry Mind Review.

Of her complex borderlands subject, Anzaldua described, "The actual physical border that I'm dealing with in this book is the Texas-U.S., Southwest/Mexican border. The psychological borderlands, the sexual borderlands, and spiritual borderlands are not particular to the Southwest. In fact the borderlands are physically present wherever two or more cultures edge each other, where people of different races occupy the same territory, where under, lower, middle, and upper classes touch, where the space between two individuals shrinks with intimacy."

Anzaldua received many awards, including the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award and the American Studies Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

During the 1980s, Anzaldua produced highly acclaimed feminist studies, This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color" (1981) and "Making face, making soul - Haciendo caras: creative and critical perspectives by women of color" (1990).

She was the author of several bilingual children's books dealing with immigrant-social issues, including "Prietita Has a Friend" (1991), "Friends from the Other Side-Amigos del Otro Lado" (1995), and "Prietita y La Lorona" (1996).

Gloria Evangelina Anzaldua was born September 26, 1942 in South Texas community of Jesus Maria of the Valley.

See received a bachelor's degree from Pan American University, the first in her family and in her community to do so. She went on to receive a master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and was in process of completing her doctorate at the University of California, Santa Cruz when she died on May 15, 2004 from complications related to diabetes.

She is survived by her mother Amalia, a sister and two brothers.

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Upcoming Houston Events

For information on Day of the Dead events going on in Houston:
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/houston.html

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"Human Rights and Wrongs" presented by William F. Schulz

In conjunction with the Houston World Affairs Council, William F. Schulz, Executive Director of the Amnest International USA will discuss the role of the US in achieving global human rights. This even it $20.00 for non-Houston World Affairs Council Members.

November 4, 2004, 6:00pm
The Westin Oaks Hotel
Houston, TX
713-524-9839
http://www.rothkochapel.org

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"La Forza Del Destino"
Presented by Boeing Student Night at Opera in the Heights

In an initiative to introduce young people to the exciting world of opera, Opera in the Heights presents the inaugural Boeing Student Night with a preview performance of Giuseppe Verdi's "La forza del destino." This preview performance, by invitation and photo student ID only, is Tuesday, November 9 at 7:30pm at the newly renovated Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights Boulevard in Houston's Historic Heights neighborhood.

Maestro William Weibel conducts the full-length production of "La forza del destino" which is sung in Italian with English subtitles.

Set in eighteenth-century Spain, Verdi's interpretation of the Spanish novel by the Duke of Rivas is a magnificent work with some of the most beautiful melodies in Italian operatic history. The story opens as Leonora and Don Alvaro are preparing to elope. They are discovered by Leonora's father, the Marchese de Calatrava, who has opposed the marriage because of Don Alvaro's low social rank. In a token of surrender, Don Alvaro throws his pistol to the floor. It discharges and fatally wounds the Marquis who curses Leonora with his last breath. This sets "the force of destiny" in motion as Don Alvaro precipitates a series of catastrophic events, which demonstrate the power of fate.

High school and college students can purchase tickets for this performance of "La forza del destino" at the special price of $1.00 per ticket with student ID. To make group reservations, teachers can call the Opera in the Heights office at 713-861-5303.

Tuesday, November 9, 7:30pm
Opera in the Heights
1703 Heights Boulevard
Houston, TX 77008
713-861-5303
http://www.operaintheheights.org

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2004 National Peacemaker Award

The Houston Peace and Justice Center has named Kathy Kelly as recipient of its 2004 National Peacemaker Award. Ms. Kelly will accept the award and give the keynote speech at HPJC¹s Annual Awards Dinner. During the decades between the two Gulf Wars, She helped found Voices in the Wilderness in an effort to lift economic sanctions on Iraq, which contributed to the deaths of over a million Iraqi children by malnutrition or disease. Kelly repeatedly defied U.S. government prohibitions against bringing aid to the people of Iraq and has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Friday, November 12, 7:00pm
University of Houston Hilton Hotel
Call 713-522-9850 for information and reservations
http://www.hpjc.org

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"48 Hours" The 8TH Annual Arts and Music Festival
Hosted by Project Row Houses

This annual celebration of art, music and African-American culture, history and heritage is a FREE, city-wide festival event, located in the grassy park area behind the newly renovated Eldorado Ballroom on 2310 Elgin @ Dowling and connecting to the main campus at 2500 Holman. The Dupree Park Stage and the Row House Village Stage will feature several of America's best R&B, zydeco, blues, rock and much more. Additionally, Saturday night at 8 pm in the Eldorado Ballroom you can dance and enjoy the sounds of Sherman Robertson, plus Dora & the Zydeco Badboyz for only a $10 cover charge at the door.

The Festival features artists and artisans from all over the world, selling their original art works to excited collectors. This year's Festival will include for the first time 34 Houston area artists who will create an array of site-specific art works throughout the festival sites. In conjunction with the festival, Project Row Houses Round 21 (new art installations) will open featuring the works of Paul Druecke, J. Hill, Demetrius Oliver and Saba Oskoui in addition to the new Public Artworks Artists Carter Ernst and the team of Karen Atkinson and Jane Jenny. Families will enjoy the Row House Village where artists will work with kids to create exciting arts and crafts while at the same time listening to live music and open-mike poetry on the Village Stage. In addition to the art and music events plan to bring your appetite to indulge in our wide selection of tastes from our local food vendors

Talent includes: Lady "D" Zydeco, Sonny Boy Terry, The Zydeco Players, Gloria Edwards, Rick Lee, kayumanggi, Stackin Chips, J.B. Money, Space City Gamelan, StreetSoldYa, D.D. Bret , Curtis King Jewel Brown, The Kuumba Kids, The Blackout Arts Collective, Kenyha Shabazz and The Starving Poets.

Free
Saturday, Nov.13th, 11:00am to 7:00pm
Sunday, Nov.14th, Noon to 7:00pm
ELDORADO BALLROOM
2310 Elgin at Dowling and the 2500 block of Holman
(713) 526-7662
http://www.projectrowhouses.org


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Artists At Large

Cedeno Laussell's colorful originals will be showcased October 20th through November 9th, followed by Bud Barras' Japanese influenced burlap and bamboo oils November 9th through the 30th of December.

Jefe Bar
502 Main St at Prairie
across from the Preston rail station downtown
Open Monday-Wednesday, 11:00am - 11:00pm
Thursday-Saturday, 11:00am - 2:00am
Sunday, 1:00pm ­ 10:00pm
713-226-8868
http://www.mitchandcarolyn.com


Don't forget to vote on November 2.

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M  a  r  k @houstonculture.org


Traditions of Mexico:
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico

Latino Music Initiative:
http://www.houstonculture.org/musica

Texas-Mexico Border Issues:
http://www.houstonculture.org/border