Events By Quarter
Tradition and Transcendence: Music and Dance of Ethiopian Band, Fendika
MCC Theater
Based in Addis Ababa, this seven-member group led by virtuoso dancer, Melaku Belay, re-imagines traditional Ethiopian culture for the 21st century. By combining tribal dances and indigenous instruments with elements of jazz, rock, and theater, Fendika is revitalizing the musical art form of Azmari and other Ethiopian traditions. With lively singing in Amharic, Ethiopian instruments such as the masinqo and krar, and ethnically diverse dance traditions from the Amhara, Oromo, Tigray, and Welayta.
This band will make you dance the night away. $5 for UCSB Students and youth under 12; $15 for general admission.
Purchase tickets here: http://goo.gl/HzAVDp
MCC Spoken Word
An Evening of Poetry with Chrysanthemum Tran
MCC Lounge
Chrysanthemum Tran is a queer & trans Vietnamese-American poet, performer, and educator. Having first made history in 2016 as the first transfeminine finalist of the Women of the World Poetry Slam, she is currently the highest ranked trans woman slam poet in the world. Chrysanthemum's writing has been featured in Them., The Offing, Bettering American Poetry Anthology, among others. Her work explores the continuing legacies of the Vietnam War, histories of queer policing and visibility, and her experiences as a trans woman of color surviving today.
Cup of Culture
White Right: Meeting the Enemy
MCC Theater
Three decades on and we are still waiting for tomorrow to fix today. With a US president propagating anti-Muslim propaganda, the far-right gaining ground in German elections, hate crimes on the rise in the UK, and divisive populist rhetoric infecting political and public discourse across western democracies, Deeyah Khan, daughter of Pakistani immigrants, asks why. And to do so, she first addresses who. Joining the front lines of the very people who call for her elimination from society, Deeyah comes face to face with fascists, racists, and proponents of the alt-right. She joins their cause in an effort to understand, and finds herself in the midst of a war, both in the country she has come to call home and within her own beliefs. 60 m.
Race Matters Series
Facing the Elephant in the Room: Getting Comfortable with Communicating about Race Cindu Thomas-George
MCC Lounge
The reality is that many people feel uncomfortable and under-prepared to talk about issues of race.his interactive workshop will encourage us to face the elephant in the room and learn to feel a bit more comfortable in our uncomfortability. This experiential workshop will expose participants to skills and knowledge that can guide them in working toward creating an equitable and inclusive campus culture that values racial justice and strengthening interethnic/racial relationships on and off our campuses. Cindu Thomas-George, M.A., is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois. She is also the Founder of Shakti Communication and Diversity Training.
