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Felicitous phenomenon!
That’s from Marianne Moore’s poem “O To Be a Dragon,” one of four works set to music by pianist Dave Burrell and performed tonight in duo with bassist Michael Formanek. The poet Nzadi Keita recited Moore’s words before each piece. With its unique performance environments, Philly can be such a delight, and this program at the Rosenbach Museum & Library,
Senegal, odds and ends
Senegal is one of those places that, according to the preconceptions of many, shouldn’t exist — a 95%-majority Muslim population that maintains excellent relations with the U.S. In Senegal one finds proof that Islam and democracy can be compatible, and disproof that there is a unified “Muslim world” with a common chorus of grievances against the West. In part, this
On Rushdie
Salman Rushdie will speak in Philly this coming Monday. I have a little blurb in the current Philadelphia Weekly (scroll down).
“A soldier of ideas”
It’s nice to start the morning with a hearty good riddance to Fidel Castro, who declares in his resignation that “I only wish to fight as a soldier of ideas.” It was observed in passing on NPR this morning that in Castro’s Cuba, people are forbidden to have Internet connections in their homes. Soldier of ideas? No, Castro is a
Music in Dakar
Wednesday, Feb. 13 was a starry and perfect night on Île de Gorée, just off the coast of Dakar, where my colleagues and I saw Youssou N’Dour (top photo) perform in a temporary structure that sat about 200 people max. N’Dour is a magnetic performer, as audiences well beyond Senegal have known for a while (the classic live clip of
China persecutes baby; Galloway unmoved
Human rights advocate Hu Jia was recently jailed by the Chinese government. His wife and newborn daughter are under house arrest. Just a hint of things to come as China turns the screws on dissent in preparation for their whitewash Olympics. But along comes George Galloway, supposed defender of the oppressed, writing under the headline “China’s Olympics Will Light the
“Wake up, good morning, this is Dakar calling”
[From the lyrics to “Wake Up (Africa Calling),” by Youssou N’Dour.] This was the view from my hotel window on the dreary jet-lagged morning after arrival in Dakar (click to enlarge). My impressions of the city quickly grew more positive, although the grinding poverty to be found in this, a cosmopolitan hub in one of Africa’s most stable democracies, gives
Out of Africa
I’m just back from Senegal, after a long and nearly sleepless haul on trains, planes, automobiles back to Philadelphia. The plane may have landed, but my brain has not. I’ll post details of the trip in the coming days after I’ve sorted them out. Meanwhile, I thought I’d post this hasty pic of a North Korean tanker in the port