“Using Drama to Create Empathy in Medical Education”

One of the objectives of this blog is to establish a point of convergence between the field of Arts and Human Development and further open our minds to the different areas in which Arts have become quite useful in a field other than the filed of Arts. I came across this article and thought it will not be a bad idea to share this with all my fans and colleagues who also believe strongly in the Power of the Arts, as against Art for Art’s Sake. It looks at the applications of  Drama in Medical practice. I am sure you will all find this article quite interesting and inspiring too.  Click and read on

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to leave your comments…

Art festival exposes raw young talents

Youth prevails: Video art featuring the beauty of the earth can be seen at a National Young Fine Arts Festival.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vi Kien Thanh, director of the culture ministry’s Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, said: “The artists create works for Vietnamese fine arts of today and the future. The festival is not only the aggregation of young artists but also helps art and social managers have deeper and wider views of art issues and young artists.”

He also referred to the development of art in recent years. “Art has been widened to apply to fashion and modern furniture design. It now sees the interaction of viewers and artists, as well as the participation of visitors in process of creating artwork,” he said.

The participating artists provide viewers with an insight into modern life. Visitors can realise familiar images in life, such as street corners in Ha Noi, a vendor pushing her bicycle and a parking lot. Read more

Cultural tourists tend to be well-heeled and well-off

With its own set of linguistic luggage that includes terms such as “authentic” and “passionate cultural travellers,” cultural tourism can be travel that’s “attraction-based” – such as a museum or festival – or “place-based,” in which tourists seek out a region to experience a range of attractions or activities. Whistler wants to become a place-based cultural destination.

Cultural travellers can be divided into smaller groups of enthusiasts, based on categories that include heritage, visual arts, wine and culinary and performing arts.More

ARE YOU A FILM MAKER? YOU WILL FIND THIS FREE BOOK QUITE USEFUL

If you have been following filmmaking trends you know the world of indie filmmaking is changing fast.

Inexpensive production technology coupled with the decline of traditional movie distribution has forever transformed the ways in which movies are marketed, seen and sold.

These days, filmmakers must not only make great movies, but in order to prosper, modern moviemakers must now master crowdfunding, internet marketing and social media.

To help you succeed as an independent filmmaker, I collaborated with nine other prominent filmmaker thought leaders to provide you with a complementary filmmaking Action Guide on how to survive and thrive in this ever changing industry.

It’s called “The Modern Moviemaking Movement” and it will provide you with 100  pages of useful, modern, no-fluff filmmaking information such as:

1. Uncover Successful, Modern Screenwriting Tips – Jurgen Wolff
2. Find Out How To Make the Most of Movie Money- Norman C. Berns
3. Discover Six Ways to Finance Your Feature Film – Gordon Firemark
4. The State of The (Indie Filmmaker) Union – Tom Malloy
5. Get The Inside Scoop On Crowdfunding – Carole Dean
6. Plan Your Production For Maximum Success – Peter D. Marshall
7. Modern Guerrilla Filmmaking – Gary King
8. Navigate Film Festivals and Do Them Right – Sheri Candler
9. Sell Your Movie Without the Middle-Man – Jason Brubaker
10. The Producer of Marketing & Distribution – Jon Reiss

Grab “The Modern MovieMaking Movement” instantly here: http://www.ModernMovieMaking.com. Also, if you like this 100 page indie filmmaking Action Guide, PLEASE GIVE IT AWAY to your closest filmmaking friends.

PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA ON STAGE @ 77

PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA

The month of July is quite remarkable for Theatre practitioners, dramatists, literary critics and political activists who have come to find power and voice in the ARTS. July 13th of every year is well celebrated world over; it’s the birth of our own Professor Wole Soyinka; a literary icon and Noble Laureate, whose works have been of great influence to dramatists and Theatre practitioners worldwide, also a point of convergence for politics and theatre.

PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA & MR. IBARE AKINSANYA

The Muson centre in honour of this great man organised a forum tagged My Kind of Music and brought professor Soyinka on stage to share with the audience this great passion of his that is not so popular to the public. The life interview was conducted by Mr. Ibare Akinsanya. It was a great opportunity for the audience to see the Nobel Laureate on stage talk about his passion for classical music, jazz music and Indian percussion. Reflecting on one of his Songs, “Don’t Touch my Uniform”, he said this song was composed for the production of his play “Beatification of Area Boys” which was triggered by Military rule in Nigeria, particularly the Abacha regime which also forced him on exile.

Before this interview, little did the public and audience know about Professor Wole Soyinka’s passion for music and the fact that he is a great composer? Did you know that he composed the COJA ANTHEM in conjunction with another renowned guru of music in Nigeria; late Elder Steve Rhodes? Professor Wole Soyinka has also composed several songs for his plays to advance and instil his messages in the psyche of the audience. This is because, music is a very powerful tool of communication and continuity; its easier to absorb, assimilate and memorize cause of its melody. When music is combined with drama, it becomes a vehicle of instruction, development and change in the hands of the masses.

MUSIC

According to Stephen Sondheim, a song marries lyrics to relentless tempo of the music which pushes the lyric along at speeds a listener cannot control. Poetry, she said can be read, reread, or put aside; a theatre song lyric must be grasped and understood the first time through or you risk losing the thought for the rest of the performance. In this, she said the writer of the theatre lyrics shares many of the platform concern of a public speaker. Criteria for effective communication are the same. There is no second chance once a statement is sounded. Sound symbols provide basic communication. Nothing escapes time, space, rhythm.

To buttress this point being made on music, the DJ played one of his songs, titled, “Etike Revo Wetin?” This is a pure commentary on Nigeria politics and the intrigues of our leaders. This track was from the collection of the “Unlimited Liability Company” alburm, released in July 1983 and also banned by the government of the day. The audience could identify every words or lyrics of the song and come to terms with the message. This is because the song employed the staccato technique peculiar to most of the songs written for his plays; the words are punched, and enunciated for clarity and emphasis in a stylised manner without losing its melody. At the end of the song, he concluded by saying NOTHING MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN and the audience replied in the affirmative.

THE POWER OF MUSIC

Still talking on the power of music, Professor Soyinka shed some light on the works of Lanrewaju Adepoju; a popular traditional Yoruba EWI exponent who uses his kind of music to expose the atrocities of the government of the day. His music has become a powerful voice for the oppressed that are his major fans. The fact that his songs are played on every street where you find cd sellers has also made this figure and his music quite popular and a threat to the government of the day who thought he was embarrassing them. Professor Soyinka would have loved to play one of his music for the audience to listen and reflect on but said it was quite unfortunate that his only copy of the CD could not be found and every effort made to buy more copies proved abortive as a particular character in government whom he called Dani Elebo ordered that all the copies be bought as soon as it was released.

VOTE OF THANKS

This is how powerful and revolutionary music can be when employed in advancing the yearnings of the masses. For the audience, it was a great opportunity to see and listen to this man of honour in person, talk about his passion for music and not just drama or theatre that he’s popularly known for. It was a wonderful experience and an indelible one too. More information on Professor Wole Soyinka

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1986/soyinka-bio.html

AFRICA IN MOTION 2011 SYMPOSIUM / 29 OCTOBER 2011

Africa in Motion 2011 Symposium / 29 October 2011

Myths and Fairy Tales in African Art

The Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival 2011 will focus on films and events that open doors to children and youth in Africa. Throughout the festival and at this one-day symposium we will look at artistic representations for, by and about children and young people in Africa. As a vital aspect of children’s lives is their education both within and outside of the family structure, we will look at how their stories and myths are told, changed and exchanged through time, and how they influence the form, style and structure of film in the relatively young cinema from Africa.For more details, CLICK

 

 

 

WHAT’S THE RELEVANCE OF ART TO THE HUMAN SOCIETY?

The question about the relevance of art subjects is consistently generating concern both at the academic level and at the larger society. As for parents, their children are better tutored to become a Medical Doctor, Accountant, Engineer than exhausting their energy in a subject or course classified as not lucrative. Most curriculum at the primary and secondary level don’t even create room for the subject, if they do, it is classified as extracurricular activity; a subject not to be taking so serious and without academic value. The 18-months study by Arne Duncan was triggered by similar issue; “the findings follow the fall-out from the Government decision…to exclude creative subjects from the English Baccalaureate” This proposal triggered “The Reinvesting in Arts Education report”