AN EVENTFUL EVENING OF AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY IN THE URALS

UNCLAS YEKATERINBURG 000013


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OEXC SCUL KPAO RS
SUBJECT: AN EVENTFUL EVENING OF AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY IN THE URALS


1. ConGen Yekaterinburg's Public Affairs Section sponsored an
evening of African American Poetry at the Urals Literary Museum
on Wednesday, February 25. PAO kicked off the event with an
IIP-produced Powerpoint presentation on Black History Month.
The presentation provided an introduction to African American
culture and history as a setting to the poetry readings.
Professor Galina Babich, Dean of the International Relations of
the Urals Pedagogical University followed with an introduction
to African American literature. Regional English Language
Fellow Vino Reardon then gave an overview of Maya Angelou's
life. Professor Babich's English students had translated a few
of Maya Angelou's poems into Russian that were printed in a
booklet distributed to the audience of fifty, mostly students
and teachers. The students also read the original and
translations, including "Why the Caged Bird Sings," "A Million
Man March," and "A Phenomenal Woman." A choir of young women
then sang a spiritual called "Feeling Good."


2. Next was a live DVC with African-American poet Thylias Moss,
who appeared from a college classroom at the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor where she teaches English literature. The
audience had a fascinating encounter with Ms. Moss who shared
intimate details of her life story, her philosophy of poetry,
and a reading of her poem, "I Want To Be." The DVC connection
held out reasonably well, despite the fact that the internet
signal in the nineteenth century wooden museum was coming
through a cellphone modem plugged into a laptop plugged into a
projector, camera and speakers. The technology came through to
provide a stimulating, creative interaction between the Russian
audience and the African-American poet. Many of the students
were moved by Ms. Moss' poignant life story and the profundity
of her poetry and philosophy. At one point the Skype connection
lost sound but a local translator volunteered to read a poem by
African-American poet Marilyn Henson, who had visited
Yekaterinburg the year before. This provided a good lesson to
have backup material in case the technology fails. After the
DVC, the audience witnessed two of Ms. Moss' video "poams"
(Products Of Acts of Making) featured on You Tube.


3. Following the event a Ministry of Culture representative and
the Museum Director expressed their appreciation for this
in-depth introduction to African-American culture, which is
little understood in Russia. Participants also conveyed their
surprise at the avante garde character of the program.

SANDUSKY