e-culture: All Saints' Day Presentation on New Orleans, Diwali, Partnership Walk, More
October 31, 2005


IN THIS ISSUE

-All Saints' Day Presentation
-Altar for Emma Tenayuca Exhibit
-Diwali Celebrations in Houston
-Partnership Walk, More Events
-Upcoming Educational Adventures


Houston Institute for Culture continues its film and discussion series in conjunction with the Altar for Emma Tenayuca exhibit.

Tuesday, November 1, 6:30pm - Presentation: All Saints' Day: New Orleans

During All Saints' Day we will look at traditions of another former European colonial city. A slide presentation and discussion will survey New Orleans's diverse history and cultural experience, including the legacy of defiance and music of the Black Indians, community art projects and their messages, traditions of diverse populations like Sicilians and Canary Islanders, lesser known cultural celebrations in New Orleans, and more. We will also briefly cover our future goals for the Louisiana Project, as well as other current projects of the organization.


Thursday, November 3, 6:30pm - Film and Discussion: When the Mountains Tremble

Filmmakers Pamela Yates and Newton Thomas Sigel had unprecedented access to military and indigenous liberation forces during Guatemala's civil war in the 1980s. The film features dialogue by Rigoberta Menchu along with documentary footage and interviews with key figures to express the condition of the Maya in Central American and southern Mexico that led to armed rebellion in Guatemala and Chiapas. The film and discussion will consider social-political issues in Latin America, and the events that led to the Nobel Peace Prize for Rigoberta Menchu.


Sunday, November 6, 6:00pm - Presentation: The US-Mexico Border

A slide presentation and discussion will explore the social, economic and health issues on the US-Mexico border, and factors behind immigration. There will also be a survey of the regions and traditions of Mexico.

International attention continues to focus on four situations in Mexico - maquiladora labor in Juarez and Tijuana, the serial killings of young women in the state of Chihuahua, Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, and immigration shift to the Arizona border. But most are unaware that the most severe cases of violence against women (including a murder rate that is growing faster than in Juarez), poverty and hunger, corruption within government agencies, assassination, repression of indigenous populations, industrial pollution (from the largest concentration of maquiladoras on the border), and major health crises are situated on the border with Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, just six hours from Houston.

All presentations are free. Please arrive early as seating is limited. Light refreshments will be provided.


The exhibit Altar for Emma Tenayuca will continue through November 6. There are many activities available, including:

-View and learn more about altars for Emma Tenayuca and women of the US-Mexico border

-A Listening Station is available for visitors to hear the historic music of San Antonio and South Texas; labor and civil rights songs; and movimiento music of the Chicano struggle for equality

-Learn more about Day of the Dead observances in Houston

-View photos of Day of the Dead altars from the recent MECA Day of the Dead Festival

-Learn more about health and economic issues on the US-Mexico border

-Visitors are invited to bring necessities (shoes, toothbrushes, OTC medicines, food and clothing) to donate to people living in colonias on both sides of the US-Mexico border

http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/houston


Houston Institute for Culture
5555 Morningside, Suite 204
Houston, Texas 77005
713-521-3686

Located in the Rice Village between Rice Blvd and University Blvd, upstairs from Brian O'Neill's Restaurant.


An educational guide about Day of the Dead prepared for this exhibit is available on line: http://www.lulu.com/houston

Order two copies and receive free shipping, or if ordering one copy, be sure to select 'media mail' to receive the lowest shipping rate.


Learn more about the Day of the Dead
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico

Learn more about Emma Tenayuca
http://houstonculture.org/hispanic/tenayuca.html

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Diwali Celebrations in Houston

The Hindu festival of lights is celebrated in the month of Kartik (late October/early November) on the Hindu calendar. There are several celebrations in the Houston area, including:

Diwali Mahotsav hosted by BAPS temple: October 29 - November 2 (BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, 1150 Brand Lane, Stafford, TX 77477, 281-499-7974.

Diwali - New Year and Govardhan Puja hosted by Hare Krishna Dham: October 30 - November 12, 1320 West 34th Street, Houston, Texas 77018, 713-686-4482, Website: http://www.iskconhouston.org

Ekal Vidyalaya Celebrates Diwali (with Mayor Bill White) hosted by Ekal Vidyalaya: Sat November 12, 6:30pm (Hilton Americas, contact Meera Kapur at 281-497-8932 or Jugal Malani at 281-596-8398, or Ramesh Shah at 281-933-6169 for details.

Learn more about Diwali:
http://members.tripod.com/~jennifer_polan/diwali.html

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Partnership Walk, More Events

Theatre Collide
Friday, November 4, 8:00pm

Preview party for the troupe's new season, featuring excerpts from Byzantium, a New Musical, which they performed for the 2005 New York International Fringe Festival. COLLIDE's new resident company of artists will also perform excerpts from the upcoming season's shows.

$20
For more information go to: http://www.theatre-collide.com

The Artery
5401 Jackson (entrance on Prospect)
http://www.arteryhouston.org

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Aga Khan Foundation Partnership Walk
Sunday, November 6, 10:00am

Houston has been hosting the Partnership Walk since 1998. The first Walk in Houston attracted 15,000 people, a record for any city, as enthusiastic Texans raised more than a million dollars to support the alleviation of poverty.

University of Houston Main Campus
4800 Calhoun, Houston, Texas 77004
1-866-599-9255 (WALK)
Local: 281-879-1661
Email: houston@partnershipwalk.org
http://www.partnershipwalk.org/usa/content/cities/houston.html

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Third Annual Houston Peace and Justice Center Awards Dinner
Friday, November 11, 6:00pm Reception; 7:00pm Dinner

The National Peacemaker Awardee and keynote speaker will be Bob Jensen, Professor of Journalism at UT-Austin. Through his teaching, guest lectures, editorial writing, and books, Jensen has become a prominent critical analyst of American polical policy and social practice. His most recent book is "The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege." Other works include "Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity," "Writing Dissent: Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins to the Mainstream," and, with Gail Dines and Ann Russo, "Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality." Houston-based honorees will be State Senator Garnet Coleman, Sissy Farenthold, and immigration rights activist Maria Jimenez.

Tickets $50; some subsidized seats available
University of Houston Hilton Hotel
For more information and to reserve seats, call Herb Rothschild, 713-861-2494.

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Ibdaa! Palestinian Folkloric Dance
Friday, November 11, 7:00pm

Ibdaa (Arabic for "to create something out of nothing"), a Palestinian folkloric dance troupe composed of youth from Dheisheh Refugee Camp, Palestine, will be performing in Houston as part of a nationwide tour organized by the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) to help fundraise for the Ibdaa Cultural Center.

Tickets for the event are $20.00 regular, $15 students and $10 for children and seniors.
Texas Southern University Granville M. Sawyer Auditorium
3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX 77004

For more information: email hadeelassali@yahoo.com, or call (217) 766-5907 http://www.mecaforpeace.org/IbdaaNational.html
http://www.dheisheh-ibdaa.net

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16th Annual Texas Mennonite Sale and Auction
Saturday, November 12, 9:00am - 4:00pm

The annual sale and auction will support relief and development, peace and justice work in more than 50 countries around the world. An auction of several dozen quilts will begin at noon. There will also be crafts from Ten Thousand Villages, which deals in native and Fair Trade goods, woodworking, needlework, baked goods, and more. An excellent place to begin holiday shopping.

Holy Cross Lutheran Church
Wirt Road at Westview
http://www.texasreliefsale.org

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Arab-American Cultural & Community Center 10th Annual Unity and Friendship Gala
Saturday, November 12, 7:00pm
This year's honorees are The Mosaic Foundation, established by the wives of Washington, DC-based Arab ambassadors, and John Zogby, internationally recognized pollster.

Westchase Marriott
2900 Briarpark Dr.
Email: acc-houston@ev1.net

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Houston Social Forum Potluck Dinner and Film
Sunday, November 13, 5:30pm

Houston Social Forum dinner and movie The Houston Social Forum will host a potluck dinner and screening of Rumble in Mumbai. The film documents the World Social Forum held in Mumbai, India January 2004 and the 100,000 plus people who attended the forum, all looking to build solidarity and a better world.

The Houston Social Forum is a regional event planned for April 2006 that will address local as well as global issues. It is comprised of diverse groups building from common values. It is nongovernmental and nonpartisan but actively supportive of true participatory democracy, nonviolent resistance to world injustice and mechanisms that value people over profit. HSF seeks active participation from groups and individuals alike who share these values and concerns.

The Artery
5401 Jackson (entrance on Prospect)
http://www.arteryhouston.org

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"The End of Suburbia"
Tuesday, November 15, 6:00pm and 8:00pm

When the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston screened "The End of Suburbia" in September, the response was so enthusiastic that it is holding another showing. The film considers the lifestyle challenges posed as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. Following the first screening, there'll be discussion led by Matthew R. Simmons, author of "Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy."

$6
Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Brown Auditorium Theater
1001 Bissonnet
http://www.mfah.org

For more information about the film, please see our July 8, 2005 review:
http://www.houstonculture.org/archive/e050708.html#suburb

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2005 Power Tools for Nonprofits Conference
Wednesday, November 16, 7:30am - 4:30pm

2005 Power Tools for Nonprofits Conference workshops cover all aspects of organizational work, including board development, fundraising, media relations, and financial management. The binder of materials by itself is worth the registration fee.

Reliant Center
Two Reliant Pkwy
Houston, Texas

For more information and registration forms contact: University of Houston Continuing Education Division, 713-743-1060
http://www.uh.edu/continuingeducation


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Stay tuned to the calendar for more upcoming events.
http://www.houstonculture.org/events

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Upcoming Educational Adventures

We are going to have two slide presentations in our office (associated with the current exhibit) which will provide a great opportunity to find out more about our trips. One presentation is about New Orleans (Tuesday, November 1, 6:30pm) and the other about the Mexico border (Sunday, November 6, 6pm), but we will also give a brief survey of many of our destinations, as well as our travel methods and ideals.

With increasing fuel prices and other costs going up, this may be the last effective way to travel without getting on a large charter bus on a tight schedule.

It is recommended that you attend a slide presentation to learn more and have specific questions answered, and meet other adventurers who you may be traveling with some day soon.

2005-06 Travel Series Schedule

Mexico's Copper Canyon
Friday, November 18 - Sunday, November 27, 2005
Batopilas, Chihuahua, Mexico

A Southwest Christmas
Friday, December 23 - Thursday, December 29, 2005
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Camp Dos Cabezas
Saturday, May 27 - Sunday, June 4, 2006
Cochise County, Arizona.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Friday, June 30 - Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Wednesday, July 5 - Monday, July 10, 2006
Washington, DC

The Land of Enchantment
Saturday, August 5 - Sunday, August 13, 2006
Gallup, New Mexico

El dia de los muertos (The Day of the Dead)
Monday, October 30 - Sunday, November 5, 2005
Taxco, Mexico

Call 713-521-3686, or email info@houstonculture.org to learn more.

http://www.houstonculture.org/travel

Find brief descriptions of our tours at:
http://www.houstonculture.org/travel/descriptions.html


Thank you for supporting great educational and cultural activities.

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M  a  r  k @houstonculture.org

With assistance from Ann Wang


Houston Institute for Culture
5555 Morningside #204
Houston, Texas 77005

http://www.houstonculture.org