RWANDAN DOCUMENTARY PLANNED
“Rwanda: Beyond the Deadly Pit,” a moving documentary produced by a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, will be presented Monday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium in Melrose Hall at Linfield.
Actor and Director Gilbert Ndahayo lost 52 members of his immediate family in the Rwandan genocide, a wave of ethnic cleansing that took the lives of more than a million within 100 days. The killers stormed a convent in a small hill town of the capital city and executed 200 Tutsis villagers, including Ndahayo’s parents, who were burned alive in a pit in his parents’ backyard.
“Beyond the Deadly Pit” is an autobiographical attempt to come to terms with the loss of loved ones, and a portrayal of the post–traumatic challenge of survivors, the tension between personal and collective memory, and the way Tutsi survivors are rebuilding their society.
“If one wants to be healed from the sickness, he must talk about it to the world,” Ndahayo said. “For 12 years I lived with the remains of 200 unpeaceful dead in my parents’ backyard. I wanted to tell a story about their death, a story that has not been shown on film.”
“The documentary is the heart-rending testimony of a young man seeking the truth about his parents’ death,” said French studies Professor Thierry Durand. “The film is about knowing and the impossibility of understanding, the meaning and difficulty of forgiveness and coping. The intensity of the filming also makes it an exemplary account of the suffering of an entire country and its uncertain future.”
Ndahayo’s technique of superimposition confers a haunting quality that renders in a unique way the feeling of so many survivors. The film immerses us in the gaze of a survivor and his never–ending attempt to deal with loss and trauma. It is an endeavor where filming and editing one’s past becomes an affirmation of one’s survival and voice within the present.
Filmed over the course of three years, the 2009 production is the first personal video documentation produced by a survivor of the genocide. Ndahayo is a recipient of the 2008 Verona Award for Best African Feature Film, a Signis Commendation for Best African Documentary and a First Time Director award for previous works, “Behind This Convent” (2008) and “Scars of My Days” (2006).
For more information contact Durand at 503-883-2474.
FACULTY LEARNING COMMONS SET
Rob Gardner, assistant professor of sociology, will present “Blended Teaching and Learning” at the Faculty Learning Commons on Monday, Nov. 16, at 11:20 a.m. in the West Wing of Dillin Hall.
Gardner will lead an interactive discussion about web-based teaching and learning. Drawing from his own experimentation with web-based technologies, he will address the pedagogical strengths and weaknesses of blogs, class websites, YouTube,
iTunes U, Facebook, Google Docs and Catfiles, and various other applications in the college classroom.
CAREER ADVICE OFFERED AT TALK
Derrick Olsen, international relations officer with Business Oregon (aka Oregon Business Development Department) will offer advice on pursuing an international career on Monday, Nov. 16, at 4:30 p.m. in the Fred Meyer Lounge in Riley Hall. Olsen, formerly with the U.S. Foreign Service, will speak about his work in international affairs and public service and offer advice on starting a career. For more information, call the Office of Career and Community Services, 503-883-2562.
PORTLAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA SET
Linfield College invites the community to celebrate the holiday season with the Portland Baroque Orchestra. The ensemble will perform Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium in Melrose Hall at Linfield.
The orchestra gives audiences an opportunity to experience music as it sounded almost 300 years ago, performing on instruments as old as the music. Linfield’s “Joyful Noise” concert will feature works by Johann Sebastian Bach, including his much loved “Brandenburg Concerto No. 2.” The concert will also include music by Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer and Georg Philipp Telemann, the most prolific composer in the history of classical music, with 800 compositions to his credit.
Featured soloists include guest director Alexander Weimann on harpsichord, Barry Bauguess on baroque trumpet and Gonzalo Ruiz on oboe. The concert is sponsored by Ronni Lacroute, Linfield College trustee.
General admission is $10, and Linfield students with ID are admitted free at the door. Faculty and staff may purchase tickets in advance in the College Relations Office, 026 Melrose Hall, Monday-Friday, x2217, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (cash or check only). Tickets will also be sold at the door and doors open at 7 p.m.
Learn more about the Portland Baroque Orchestra at www.pbo.org. For further information call 503-883-2275.
ARTIFACTS ON DISPLAY AT MUSEUM
Ancient ceramic artifacts are on display through Dec. 15 at the Linfield College Anthropology Museum, located in 121 Walker Hall.
The exhibit “Ceramics: Crucibles of Culture” features the work of Hopi, Pueblo and Turkish ceramic craftsmen and details the techniques used to create them. The museum holds a total collection of 664 pieces, from several different donations. A variety of plates, bowls and pots emphasize pottery as a medium that can convey much about a culture, from religious beliefs to culinary techniques.
“The ceramics show not only the pottery making techniques and styles but also painting styles and practices,” said student curator Gordon Paulsen. “The southwest pieces have a very distinct, sparse style of painting in contrast to the Turkish pieces which are very colorful and complex.”
The southwest pieces were made using coil pottery techniques and are comprised of pieces that would be used for ceremonial occasions and daily use.
“The Turkish pieces show the development of the pottery in the region, from the simple oil lamps to the much more decorated plates,” Paulsen said. “Through study of ceramics, we can know more about the everyday life of the creators.”
For more information, contact Paulsen at 907-518-1524, gpaulse@linfield.edu.
POLITICAL DEBATE SCHEDULED
A debate over Measures 66 and 67 will be held Thursday, Nov. 19, at 11:30 a.m. in Ford Hall. The event, which is open to the public, will include a representative from Defend Oregon, www.DefendOregon.org, which supports the tax increases, and a representative of Oregonians Against Job Killing Taxes, www.StopJobKillingTaxes.com. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers.
The 2009 Oregon Legislature relied on two income tax increases to balance the 2009-11 state budget. At issue are questions of how Oregon should fund state programs and whether tax increases during a recession create further economic issues. Those questions will be addressed during a debate between supporters and opponents of the tax increases.
For more information, contact Kevin Curry, adjunct professor, at kcurry@linfield.edu.
GLOBAL HEALTH WEEK SET
Students, health care providers and community members are invited to Global Health Week Nov. 30 through Dec. 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Portland campus of Linfield College. The event features exhibitors, art, film, food and internationally renowned speakers, and coincides with World AIDS Day.
“As students, we hear a lot about cultural competence and the importance of being socially aware,” said Kinara Brocius, president of the Linfield chapter of Nursing Students without Borders. “The reality is that you don’t learn to be culturally competent by sitting in a classroom. Multiculturalism requires exposure to culture, and this event provides the perfect opportunity for people to gain the tools to become more involved.”
“People with AIDS, women facing the risk of maternal death, children with malaria and all those who face grave health challenges in our countries must no longer be made to compete for the health care that can save their lives,” said Rolake Nwagwu, director of Positive Action for Treatment Access. “They need comprehensive health services, and the United States has a crucial role to play in making that happen.”
World AIDS Day and related events will involve millions of people around the globe. The day is considered one of the most widely recognized international observances set by the United Nations.
The Linfield College event is a fundraiser for the global health scholarship fund, sponsored by the Linfield chapter of Nursing Students without Borders and the Oregon Student Nurses’ Association. Admission is $5, and includes speakers, exhibitors, art and films. Lunch is available each day for an additional suggested donation.
All events will take place on the Linfield College campus in Portland, at 2255 NW Northrup. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.linfield.edu/portland/ghw. For further information contact Kinara Brocius at 503-819-1922 or kbrociu@linfield.edu.
HUNGER AND HOMELESSNESS
Linfield College will join over 500 campuses nationwide to participate in National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. The week of events kicked off Friday, Nov. 13, with One Night Without a Home, an overnight camp out and simulation to raise awareness about homelessness, held on the Intramural Field. Other events planned for the week include:
MONDAY, Nov. 16: Bake sale fundraiser benefitting Yamhill Community Action Partnership, Walker Hall
TUESDAY, Nov. 17, 4-7 p.m.: Thanksgiving Food Drive at Albertson’s and Roth’s Grocery stores; 7:30 p.m.: “Children Underground” in Ice Auditorium
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 18, 11:20 a.m.: Voices: Public Issues Forum, “What About the Community?” in Dillin Hall; 7 p.m.: Hunger Banquet in Jonasson Hall
Throughout the week, food collection barrels will be located in Riley Hall for the Yamhill County Regional Food Bank. For more information call 503-883-2636, jwade@linfield.edu.
HOLIDAY POTLUCK PLANNED
Linfield faculty and staff are invited to a Holiday potluck luncheon Monday, Nov. 23, at noon in Jonasson Hall in Melrose Hall. For more information, call Donna Root, 503-883-2275, droot@linfield.edu.
CAMPUS CALENDAR
MONDAY, NOV. 16
All week: Ceramics exhibit, Anthropology Museum
All day: Hunger and Homelessness bake sale, Walker
11:20 a.m.: Rob Gardner, Faculty Learning Commons, Dillin
4:30 p.m.: Derrick Olsen, international career talk, Fred Meyer Lounge, Riley Hall
7 p.m.: Gilbert Ndahayo, “Rwanda: Beyond the Deadly Pit,” Ice Auditorium
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
4-7 p.m.: Food drive, Albertson’s and Roth’s
7:30 p.m.: “Children Underground,” Ice Auditorium
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18
11:20 a.m.: Voices SoAn table, Dillin
Noon: German conversation table, Dillin
7 p.m.: Hunger banquet, Jonasson Hall
THURSDAY, NOV. 19
11:30 p.m.: Measures 66 and 67 debate, Ford Hall
Noon: Chinese conversation table, Dillin
Noon: French conversation table, Dillin
FRIDAY, NOV. 20
Noon: Spanish conversation table, Dillin
7 p.m.: Women’s basketball vs. Northwest
7:30 p.m.: Men’s basketball at Northwest Christian
SATURDAY, NOV. 21
Today and tomorrow: Swimming at Northwest Invitational
11 a.m.: Cross country at NCAA III national championships
Noon: Football NCAA playoff vs. California Lutheran
SUNDAY, NOV. 22
3 p.m.: Women’s basketball at Cal Lutheran
MONDAY, NOV. 23
Noon: Holiday potluck, Jonasson Hall