Moving Right Along
Seems like I’ve barely had the chance to catch my breath since the last entry. To bring you up-to-date–I’m not going with Mariachi Imperial de America to Albania and Macedonia, due to lack of sufficient funds, but audiences there are in for a real treat. I still remember their tour of Armenia as an 8-day musical party. What a pleasure!
And I just purchased the airplane tickets for Sami rights pioneer Magne Ove Varsi’s US tour–Texas, Arizona, Hawaii and Minnesota. It’s going to be quite an experience, as he’ll be speaking at a human rights center, tribal colleges, and public universities too. Still trying to figure out what to pack–Minnesota AND Hawaii in April? Maybe fur-lined sandals?!
The highlight since my last post, of course, was the trip to Israel. Ten very full days–sightseeing, friends, and family. My new grandniece really is incredibly cute! And two days packed with meetings with museums, embassy staffs, venues and organizations to share with them the power and diversity of Indigenous performing and visual artists from around the world, from Tibetan singers to Hopi reggae to Mexican son jarocho and so much more. I really believe that much will come from these meetings–a museum is seriously considering an American Indian singer-songwriter, a puppet festival asked for materials from an Indigenous puppet theater, and an embassy is looking at materials that could lead to a veritable mini-festival. Stay tuned!