Archive for the 'Art & Music' Category
The Work of Betty LaDuke
July 15th, 2006 by editor
Since 1972 Betty LaDuke, a Professor of Art at Southern Oregon State College, has traveled the world in search of inspiration. During the years 1985-92 Ms. LaDuke traveled in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Egypt, Morocco, Togo and Benin. These travels, and most importantly, the lives of the women she encountered, inspired the works pictured here.
Feminist Perspective
Ms. LaDuke’s art is strongly influenced by her feminist perspective. In a search to understand women and women artists from less industrialized nations, she explores archetypes–universal motifs which weave through her work. There is the woman in her primary biological role as the physical and spiritual nurturer of children, as expressed in her works “Spirit Mother” and “Corn-Mothers.” Continue reading ‘The Work of Betty LaDuke’
Cameroon-related Videos
June 22nd, 2006 by admin
The following Cameroon-related videos are currently available:
-
Chocolat
Available on DVD and VHS
A young French woman returns to West Africa to contemplate her childhood in a colonial outpost in Cameroon. Her strongest memories are of the family’s houseboy and the intricate nature of relationships in a racist society.
Starring: Mirielle Perrier, Emmet Judson Williamson, Cécile Ducasse
Directed by: Claire Denis
1988
Rated PG-13
In French with closed-caption subtitles -
Africa Between Myth and Reality
Available on VHS
An upbeat, contemporary view of African life emerges in Betty LaDuke’s paintings, drawings, and etchings inspired by ten years of travel in Africa. Her experiences with village life, artist cooperatives, and artists have inspired her images, a composite of myth, magic, and reality. She transforms rites of passage and daily life experiences into vibrant, colorful rhythms that capture the essences of Africa’s rich and diverse cultures and traditions. In this video, filmed by Brian Varaday and introduced by Bruce Guenther, we are transported from LaDuke’s Oregon (USA) studio into market-places religious shrines, cummunal celebrations, women’s associations and art communities of Africa.
-
Clando
Available on VHS
In Clando, as in his other films, Teno hopes to show the world how government-initiated violence has become a way of life in Cameroon, where the quest for democracy has ignited great tensions and uncertainty.
-
Destination Cameroon
Available on VHS
This 20-minute video, produced by the Peace Corps Worldwide Schools Program, is a feel-good introduction to Cameroon which profiles three villages in different regions of Cameroon and PCV’s working in those villages. This video won an award for educational development form the National Association of Government Communicators and was produced with the help of several FOC members.
-
Afrique, Je Te Plumerai
Available on VHS
This 1992 film by Jean-Marie Teno is a tongue-in-cheek documentary on Cameroon’s political revolution and colonial influences thereupon. It is about 2 hours long, in French, with English subtitles.
-
SDF Propaganda Film
Available on VHS
The first half of this video is excerpted from a BBC special on Cameroon which was filmed just before the 1992 elections; the second half consists of political statements and footage by and of SDF party members and supporters.SDF, the Social Democratic Front, is Cameroon’s largest opposition party. NOTE: FOC is a politically non-aligned organization; Political materials are provided as a service to members without any implied endorsement.
-
Sango Malo
Available on VHS
This film portrays the successes and failures of an idealistic young Cameroonian teacher who tries to improve upon the entrenched status quo in a Cameroonian village.
-
Baka: People of the Forest
Available on VHS
An excellent National Geographic documentary about the people of the Baka tribe in eastern Cameroon, this film follows a Baka family for about a year, documenting traditional hunting and fishing, shelter construction, honey collection, and birth of a new child, as well as customs and lore of the tribe. Throughout most of the film, the Baka language is heard and translated with English subtitles.
-
Quartier Mozart
Available on VHS
Illustrating Cameroonian beliefs in the supernatural, this film recounts 48 hours in the life of a spirited Cameroonian schoolgirl who, with the help of a local sorceress, enters the body of a young stud so that she can experience for herself the real “sexual politics” of her Yaounde neighborhood. 80 minutes long, in French with English subtitles.
-
Peace Corps: The Power of an Idea
Available on VHS
Produced by World Wise Schools and the National Peace Corps Association, this 20 minute film follows the history of the Peace Corps from its founding of Peace Corps through the 35th Anniversary celebrations, with a series of film clips from each decade and around the world. One clip features Craig Benson, (PC Cameroon 92-94), who also stars in Destination Cameroon. An eight minute version is also available.
-
To Touch the World: The Peace Corps Experience
Available on VHS
The Peace Corps Experience: This 10 minute video features Thurman Mattheison (PC Cameroon 92-94, also known to us from Destination Cameroon) as its primary narrator. Through a series of film clips, Thurman tells his friends about his work as a Volunteer in Cameroon, about Peace Corps as an organization, and about other Volunteers’ experiences. According to its producer, World Wise Schools, this film allows viewers “to gain insights into the uniqueness of the Peace Corps as a development organization and as a tool to promote cross cultural understanding.”