FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 21, 2007

Folk Arts Events Will Showcase Cultures of Four Local Refugee Communities

Syracuse is home to a number of international refugee communities who enhance the diversity of the city. The Anthropology Department of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs will host events on March 29 and 31, and on April 12, to celebrate the cultures of four groups of refugees who are exiled from their homelands. All events are free and open to the public.

The largest event, “Folk Arts Soul of Syracuse,” will feature three traditional performances on Saturday, March 31, 2-4 p.m. at the Community Folk Art Center at 805 East Genesee Street. The Sudanese DiDinga will perform their harvest celebration dance, “Nyakorot”; the Ahiska Turks of Russia will perform “Haliy,” a celebratory dance; and the Karen of Burma will sing and dance to traditional music. There will be domestic arts demonstrations by Ahiska Turkish women, and Karen women will demonstrate traditional backstrap weaving called “tahtah.” This event is sponsored by the Anthropology Department and New York State Council on the Arts.

In addition, on Thursday, March 29, 2007, at 4 p.m., Heather MacLachlan, a Ph.D. candidate in ethnomusicology at Cornell University, will speak on “Karen Nationalism: Historical and Contemporary Expressions” in 500 Hall of Languages (Killian Room). The Karen people are the largest ethnic minority group in the ethnically-diverse country of Burma/Myanmar. Due to intense hostility with the ruling military elite of the country, this group has been forced to flee their home country over the past three decades. The talk and folk arts demonstration by Karen folk artists is sponsored by the Anthropology Department, New York State Council on the Arts, and New York Council for the Humanities, an affiliate of NEA.

Finally, on Thursday, April 12, 2007, Dr. Richard March, a folk and community arts specialist from the Wisconsin Arts Board, will speak on “From the Ottoman Empire to the Empire State: The Musical Culture of Bosnian Refugees.” The talk will be followed by a performance by the Bosnian MAH Band, and Bosnian folk art demonstrations by Emina Bajric and Hava Tihic. Dr. March will speak at 4 p.m. in 200 Eggers Hall (Public Events Room); the performances will take place at 5 p.m. in Eggers Commons. This event is sponsored by the Anthropology Department, New York State Council on the Arts, and New York Council for the Humanities, an affiliate of NEA.