March 14: Experience the horrors and hopes facing child soldiers in Africa

An activist, a legal scholar, and a former child soldier show films and discuss “From Conscription to Justice and Reintegration: Child Soldiers in Africa”

When: Wednesday, March 14, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Where: The Old Centrum 520 E. 12th Street Indianapolis 46202

Citizens for Global Solutions presents Bukeni Waruzi Beck, Executive Director of AJEDIKa/Projet Enfants Soldats, and Madeleine, a former girl soldier from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for a public discussion and screening on child soldiers and the work of Mr. Beck’s organization. A light reception will follow.

The systematic and widespread use of children—the most vulnerable members of the population—in armed conflict is not new. The plight of these children continues to shock the conscience and demands immediate and urgent action.

Created to provide justice and accountability to victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has commenced its first landmark case against a Congolese warlord accused of forcibly recruiting and conscripting tens of thousands of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In a recent visit to the ICC, Citizens for Global Solutions’ Legal Analyst, Golzar Kheiltash, met with a remarkable man fighting on the frontlines on behalf of child soldiers in Africa. Mr. Bukeni T. Waruzi Beck is an activist and filmmaker who has dedicated his life to not only revealing the plight of child soldiers, but to giving these children a second chance. Mr. Beck documents the stories of hundreds of child soldiers on film, revealing a stark and systematic cycle of recruitment and conscription, narrated by the children and their families in their own words. His films powerfully demonstrate the difficulties of many children who want to reintegrate into their communities after leaving the camps. This is especially true of girl soldiers who have suffered the added brutality of rape and sexual violence at the hands of their commanders.

Through his NGO, AJEDI-Ka/Projet Enfants Soldats, Mr. Beck combines the power of film with the power of hope: a dedicated staff of eight works tirelessly to demobilize and reintegrate girl and boy soldiers and maintain long-term follow up on the welfare of these children. In the words of Mr. Beck, “we at AJEDIKa/Projet Enfants Soldats devote our efforts to protecting the rights of children and the promotion of justice in their cause.”

Through their Connecting Global to Local initiative, Citizens for Global Solutions highlights Beck’s extraordinary work and provides those of us in Indianapolis with a unique opportunity to engage him on this critical issue.

• From the North: Take Central Avenue south to the intersection of 12th Street and Central Avenue. The Old Centrum will be on your left.


• From the South: Take Delaware Street north to 13th Street. Go east (right turn) on 13th Street to Central Avenue. Go south (right turn) on Central Avenue. The Old Centrum will be immediately on your left.


• From the West: Take 16th Street east to Central Avenue. Go south (right turn) on Central Avenue to the intersection of 12th Street and Central Avenue. The Old Centrum will be on your left.


• From the East: Take Washington Street west to Delaware Street. Go north on Delaware (right turn) to 13th Street. Turn east (right turn) on 13th Street to Central Avenue. Go south (right turn) on Central Avenue. The Old Centrum will be on your left.


• Parking: The Old Centrum parking lot is on the east side of Central Avenue, just north of the Old Centrum building. There is also free parking along Central Avenue, as well as 12th Street.

For a clip of Bekeni Beck, go here.

If you like this event, make sure you see Bukeni, Madelaine, and Golzar when they discuss the International Criminal Court on March 13.

Feb. 1-10 Make the trip to Bloomington for the Middle Eastern Arts Festival

A lot of excellent events if you are in Bloomington between February 1st and 10th:
Annual Middle Eastern Arts Festival

Contact: Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program102 Goodbody, 3rd St, Bloomington, IN 47404, 812-855-5993, Melissa Henige at nelcmesp@indiana.edu

The Annual Middle Eastern Arts Festival Feb 1st-10th celebrates Middle Eastern art, culture, and influence. Visit the event website at www.indiana.edu/~nelcmesp/arts for descriptions, dates, locations, etc. This year, theFestival will feature Middle Eastern art and ethnomusicology, art demonstrations, films, food tasting, folkdance, poetry, lectures, and much more. The sponsored events are free and open to the public.









Windfall Dancers, and Iraqi music group Salaam

When: Feb. 2nd, 3rd, 9th, and 10th at 8:00pm

Where: John Waldron Arts Center,122 S. Walnut St. http://www.artlives.org/

Windfall Dancers use modern dance as a narrative to tell the age-old stories of Arabian Nights. The Iraqi music group, Salaam, performs with them. This show will be a magical event suitable for the entire family. Non-sponsored NELC event, so tickets cost: $10, $8 students and seniors. Tickets available by calling 812-334-0506, at 1101 N. Dunn St, or online at http://www.bloomingtonarts.info/


*********************************************************************************** Middle Eastern Book Exhibit

When: Feb 1st-18th 9AM-5PM
Where: IU-Fine Arts Library, 2nd floor 1133 E. 7th St,

A selection of Fine Arts Library books and facsimile editions of manuscripts on Middle Eastern arts and culture will be exhibited. Accompanying this exhibition will be a selection of artists' books by Buzz Spector, Chair, Department of Art, Cornell University. Contact B. J. Kish Irvine, Fine Arts Librarian for more information 812-855-5445. Free


************************************************************************************ Persian Film: "The Twilight"

When: Thursday Feb 1st, 7-9pm
Where: Swain East 140, IUB campus

"The Twilight", directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, presents an intense and stark portrait of life among the rural underclass and meditates on the meaning of freedom.

In 1998, petty criminal, Reza, who has spent half his life in prison in a northwestern part of Iran marries a woman prisoner. They have a child together and, after a while, the woman is pardoned. Several months later the man is also released. The three of them begin a new life outside the prison, but a harsh society is waiting for them. The director, Mohammad Rasoulof, was born in Shiraz in 1973. He has made numerous short films and has worked as assistant director on feature films. "Twilight" is his first feature film. It is based on true events and the characters play themselves.

Contact: plosensk@indiana.edu; sdaneshg@indiana.edu

************************************************************************************ Children's Spectacular

When: Sunday Feb 4th, 2-3pm
Where: Monroe Public County Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave, Library Auditorium

Children's comic program with folkdance, swordsman, and tales from the Middle East. The program has been designed specifically for children, though enjoyable for any age! Performers Katya Faris and Mohamed Shahin will dazzle with their elaborate colorful costumes, dance, and music! Free. For more information call 812-349-3100 or http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/



*********************************************************************************** Middle Eastern Cuisine Sunday

When: Sunday Feb 4th, 7pm
Where: Café Ragazzi, 212 S. Rogers Bloomington

Middle Eastern Cuisine Sunday fills up quickly so please call for reservations for International Cuisine Sunday. Graduate student, Ahmad Almallah, and Café Ragazzi owner, Tamyra Dippolito, will present the cuisine and history of Palestine. Call for reservations: 812-323-9005.

************************************************************************************ Internationally known contemporary artist Najjar Abdul Musawwir

When: Monday February 5, 7:00pm
Where: Foster International Center

Najjar Abdul-Musawwir is an award-winning painter, community-arts organizer, educator and consultant. Signatures of Musawwir’s paintings are harmonious visions of contrasting colors, flowing liquidation, and symbolic transparency. He believes the liquidation of the under painting gives balance to the glazing brush strokes in his works. Contact Andrew Gipe

************************************************************************************ Middle East Art related lectures

When: Friday Feb. 9th, 2:30-5:30pm
Where: Lilly Library, 1200 E. 7th St.

Distinguished professors and graduate students of IU-Bloomington--Christiane Gruber, Yasmine Gencer, and Deborah Justice--will provide talks on Middle Eastern art and architecture. Light refreshments will be provided. Free: 812-855-2452, http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/

************************************************************************************ Ethnomusicology Career Workshop

When: Feb. 9th, 7-9pm
Where: Mather's Museum of World Cultures, 416 N. Indiana. St

Irene Markoff, who is well-versed in Sufi music, having written her PhD dissertation on musical theory, performance and the professional baglama(folk lute),and specialist of Turkey. She will give a workshop on "The Challenges of Teaching Turkish Music in an Ensemble/Lecture Setting," as well as strategies and reflections on an ethnomusicology career. Light refreshments provided. Free, call 812-855-6873 for more information. Sponsored by the American Turkish Society.

************************************************************************************ Ethnomusicology Presentation and Performance by Irene Markoff

When: Saturday Feb 10th, 4-6pm
Where: IMU, Faculty Room of the University Club

Irene Markoff will give a talk on Sufi Music and Ritual in Turkey. The presentation will include a discussion on poetry, rituals, music, and the concepts of sama and zikr. Performance (baglama and voice) will be integrated into the presentation. Light refreshments provided. Sponsored by the American Turkish Society. For more on this event, see

January 18: View the classic Japanese film “Gion Bayashi” at IMA

Watch “Gion Bayashi,” a classic of Japanese cinema, then head upstairs to see the IMA's remarkable collection of Japanese art and pottery

When: Thursday January 18, 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, DeBoest Lecture Hall


This classic Japanese film (1953, dir. Kenji Mizoguchi, 85 mins) follows the training and daily life of a young geisha and her mentor in the Gion district of Kyoto. The movie, a realistic and sympathetic portrayal of geisha, is in Japanese with English subtitles. Presented by the Asian Art Society. Summary:

In the post-war Gion district of Kyoto, the geisha Miyoharu agrees to apprentice
the 16 year-old Eiko, whose mother was a former geisha who had just died. After
a year of training they have to find a large sum of money before Eiko can debut.
Miyoharu borrows the money from the tea-house owner, Okimi, who in turn obtains
the money from the businessman Kusuda. Kusuda fancies Eiko himself and wants to
give Miyoharu to Kanzaki in order to close a large business deal. However both
geishas have minds of their own and, going against tradition, want to be able to
say no to clients.

The film explores the clash of pre-war traditionalism in the pleasure quarters with the new atmosphere of individual liberty and equal rights for women in post-war Japan.

The film showing is free. Make sure you view the IMA's excellent collection of Japanese art, including ceramics, lacquer ware, woodblock prints, sculpture and paintings, and one of the finest collections of Edo-period painting in the U.S. The collection also offers contemporary ceramics by Japan's leading artists.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the equally classic Japanese film Kaidan on April 28 as part of the IMA's series of films that have inspired the Cuban artist Magdalena Maria Campos-Pons. And definitely attend the Indianapolis International Film Festival April 25 to May 4.

Return to IndyBuzz List of Events for Spring

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Visit IndyBuzz's sister site "Views-PRI" for an essay that connects many of the events related to Asian economy and culture: "China, Japan, Indiana: Eastern and Midwestern Cultures Mingle."

February 8: Go to IMA to watch the Brazilian film "Favela Rising"

IMA's fascinating "Africa in the Americas" film series presents "Favel Rising"

When: Thursday February 8 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall

"Favela Rising" documents a man, a movement, a city divided and a favela – a Brazilian squatter settlement – united. Haunted by the murders of his family and many of his friends, Anderson Sá is a former drug trafficker who turns social revolutionary in Rio de Janeiro’s most feared slum. Through hip-hop music, the rhythms of the street and Afro-Brazilian dance, he rallies his community to counteract the violent oppression enforced by teenage drug armies and sustained by corrupt police. At the dawn of liberation, just as collective mobility is overcoming all odds and Anderson’s grassroots Afro-reggae movement is at the height of its success, a tragic accident threatens to silence the movement forever. Favela Rising has received thirteen national and international film festival awards.

It's free!

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some of the other films the IMA is showing about African culture in the Americas: RIZE on February 15 looks at a life-affirming adaptation of African dance to the hard streets of South LA; "African Blood" about African-Mexicans shows February 22; and you will very much want to attend the Indianapolis International Film Festival April 25 to May 4.

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February 15: Rize to the occasion by viewing the "krump" film "RIZE" at IMA

Part of IMA's "Africa in the Americas" Film Series, "RIZE" documents the rise of new hip-hop dances and fashions drawing from African tribal rituals

When: Thursday February 15 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art 7:00 pm DeBoest Lecture Hall Free

"Rize" reveals a groundbreaking dance phenomenon that’s exploding on the streets of South Central, Los Angeles. Taking advantage of unprecedented access, this documentary film brings to first light a revolutionary form of artistic expression borne from oppression. The aggressive and visually stunning dance modernizes moves indigenous to African tribal rituals and features mind-blowing, athletic movement sped up to impossible speeds. “Rize” tracks the fascinating evolution of the dance: we meet Tommy Johnson (Tommy the Clown), who first created the style as a response to the 1992 Rodney King riots and named it “Clowning”, as well as the kids who developed the movement into what they now call Krumping. The kids use dance as an alternative to gangs and hustling: they form their own troupes and paint their faces like warriors, meeting to outperform rival gangs of dancers or just to hone their skills. For the dancers, Krumping becomes a way of life – and, because it’s authentic expression (in complete opposition to the bling-bling hip-hop culture), the dance becomes a vital part of who they are.

The film will be introduced at IMA by Larry, one of the dancers featured in the film. Earlier in the day, Larry will lead a presentation for students at the Madame Walker Theatre Center. Both events are presented by IMA and the Madame Walker Theatre Center.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out another film at IMA about African music and culture in evolving the Americas, the Brazilian "Favela Rising" on February 8. Get live performances by Sancocho February 9 and the Urban Drum Emsemble April 26.

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February 23 - March 1: You HAVE to see the film "Iraq in Fragments"

Iraq in Fragments, an extremely well received highly awarded film makes its Indianapolis debut

When: Feburary 23-March 1
Where: Key Cinemas 4044 South Keystone Avenue Indianapolis

If you like a good story, you’re in for three of them. Iraq in Fragments (the title itself evokes images of a war-torn country tainted by religious strife) examines the life of an 11-year old Sunni boy in Baghdad, follows sympathizers of the Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr, and also focuses intimately on a tiny village located among the Kurdish populace in northern Iraq. The film and its director, James Longley, have already received numerous international and national honors, including Sundance awards for Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.

This is Longley’s second acclaimed documentary to hit the silver screen. The success of his first film, Gaza Strip, which captures the quotidian life of Palestinians, may have been the impetus for a second Middle East- based film. Most likely, though, it was his need to tell another good story. During the process of filming and editing, he spent three years in Iraq, living both alone and also with translators and journalists, in Baghdad and in the more stable North. It was his wish to expose as much of the country as possible, within the limits of safety. Longley asserts, “It is important to me that this film presents many layers and points of view-reflecting the diversity I found.” In his director’s statement (which, along with the production notes, is highly recommended pre-viewing reading) he goes on to say that it was his aim to show “not only the divisions, but also the unifying forces that tie it together.”

Your interest and attendance is important for two reasons. First and most evidently, it is good to witness coverage in Iraq through a different lens and from several different angles. Second (and equally as important), your attendance will directly affect Indianapolis’s growing ability to access important films that, all too often, silently pass us by.

Read more about the film, including background, notes and critical responses here: www.iraqinfragments.com

February 22: Learn about Africans in Mexico with the film "AFRICAN BLOOD" at IMA

As part of its "Africans in the Americas" series, IMA shows "African Blood," a documentary by Roberto Olivares featuring testimonies, reflections, and powerful cultural expressions made by contemporary Afro-Mestizos who live in the Costa Chica region, in the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero.

When: Thursday February 22 7:00 PM
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art DeBoest Lecture Hall (Free)

Mexican identity is often assumed to be a fusion between Indigenous and European cultures. This documentary gives voice to the people of the Costa Chica region in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero of Mexico. They carry a little-known legacy: Afro-Mestizo, or Afro-Mexican culture. Roberto Olivares's film features displays of African traditions: men in masks and costumes resembling West African bush devils to dance on All Saints' Day. An elderly woman reminisces about growing up in a redondo, a round mud house with a thatched roof similar to those found in Africa. A musician plays an instrument made from a pumpkin that mimics a tiger's roar. Women carry items on their heads. Through testimonies, reflections and powerful cultural expressions, we witness their struggle to strengthen and claim their own identity and their African roots. In Spanish with English subtitles. Free!

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some other films shown at IMA about Africans in America: "Favela Rising" on February 8, and RIZE February 15.

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March 22: Lose yourself in the classic film "Battle of Algiers"

TBA

April 28: Watch three films that inspired María Magdalena Campos-Pons

Take in one or more of these gems of international cinema selected by artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons for their influence on her work.

When: April 28 11:00 AM;
The Body Films: A One-Day Series
DeBoest Lecture Hall
Free

11:00 am
L’Age d’or (dir. Luis Buňuel, 1930, 60 mins.)
L’Age d’Or was a follow up to Buňuel’s collaboration with Salvador Dali: Un Chien Andalou, a groundbreaking surrealist film that opens with a razor slicing the eyeball of a woman. L’Age d’Or details the sexual and social frustrations of a couple prevented from consummating their love by their families, the Church and society. According to Buňuel, Dali wrote that the film was about “the impossible force that thrusts two people together [and] the impossibility of their ever becoming one.” At the opening of the film in Paris in 1930, fascists led a violent protest of the film’s fetishism and blasphemy. Critic Michael Atkinson called L’Age d’Or “subversive culture's seminal anthem film.”

12:45 pm
Kaidan (dir. Masaki Kobayashi, 1964, 125 mins.)
Nominated for an Oscar for best foreign film in 1965, Kaidan is a collection of four different ghost stories, drawn from Japanese folktales. These quasi-horror stories feature a snow witch, a blind musician and a lovelorn samurai. The Kobayashi, a student of Asian art, explores common ground between traditional Japanese visual arts and cinematic expression. The work is a “visually ravishing film that uses dazzling color palettes and carefully composed widescreen photography to bring the viewer into an entirely supernatural world,” writes critic James Kendrick.

3:00 pm
Blow-Up (dir. Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966, 111 mins.)
A detached, aimless London fashion photographer wanders into a park where he photographs what may be a murder. Antonini’s classic thriller was the highest grossing art film of that date, gaining Oscar nominations for screenplay and direction. Blow-Up is a film about illusion, seduction and ennui—a zeitgeist of the swinging sixties—that also toys with the subjectivity of artist, object, and perception.

If this event sounds interesting, you really have to check out the spectacular Indianapolis International Film Festival ... in fact, it's going on during this screening at IMA.

Return to IndyBuzz List of Events for Spring
Return to IndyBuzz Themes for Events in the Spring

Visit IndyBuzz's sister site "Views-PRI" for an essay that connects many of the events related to Asian economy and culture: "China, Japan, Indiana: Eastern and Midwestern Cultures Mingle."

April 25- May 4: Make a priority to attend the marvelous Indianapolis International Film Festival

April 25- May 4
Indianapolis International Film Festival