Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 1979)
Page 6 Portland Observer O ctober 25, 1979 HAPPENINGS ENTERTAINM ENT 5 C O M IN G A T T R A C T IO N S 7» C trie divi live tnb the hu pri / qui ant sta not bat gut hei (h i fot arc co so< th wc eri fir th tn th th sti Hi cc Gene Holm es Gene Diamond and Gene Holmes in a Pair of Genes w ill appear together at th e J a n tz e n B each Red Lion Inn on O c to b e r 29th at 8 00 PM VC (a di 111 cl tc p> hi rr tl li a A n S ct Charlie O w en's " In k S p o ts” Charlie Owen's Ink Spots! w ill be at the Show Place Lounge. Sheraton- A irp o rt on O ctober 22 through 27 ( J Gwinyai highlights conference by Linda Bullard Th b b c c r I t I ► a a EN TER TAIN M EN T Entertainment for the Northwest Conference on South A fric a , has been designed to enhance the program 's educational value by providing a rich experience in the culture o f Southern Africa. An all women's essemble called “ gwinyai” will perform traditional and contem porary A fric a n music at 8 p.m . Saturday, at the Instep Studios, 221 W E. I Ith & Pine. The leader o f the group, Lora Chiorah, came to the U nited States from Zim babw e (Rhodesia) nine years ago, bringing her special talent in the music o f her people, the Shona. She and the other four members o f the group came together in 1974 at the w om en’ s festival at the Evergreen State College in Olympia. They took the name "g w in y a i” which in Shona means " to be strong,” because they knew that’s what they were going to have to be i f they were to make themselves heard. And Gwinyai they have indeed become. The group has perform ed and given workshops throughout the Northwest and Bay Area and has been in vite d to numerous regional and natio na l music festivals, where their unique and vibrant shows are always en thusiastically recieved. A Gwinyai performance is more than a concert: It involves the playing o f instruments, singing, dan cing, storytelling and drumming, all o f which the group executes with both precision and abandon. Their primary musical instrument is a type of M BIR A, or thumb piano, called the N YU N G A -N Y U N G A , which is closely related to the Kalimba. T hey are backed rhythmically by congas and beaded gourd rattles called HOSHOS. These instruments have remained essentially unchanged in form for thousands o f years, as has the music which is played on them. The songs in G w inyai’ s repertoire have been notated - it was not necessary to put them on paper because they were so integrally bound up w ith the everyday ex perience o f the people, who fa ith fu lly passed them on from generation to generation. Much of Shona music describes and celebrates activities common to all generations: Songs about harvest time, weddings, ch ild re n, and anim als. However, some o f the music was inspired by historically specific events which af fected the entire society. For exam ple, Gwinyai does a piece entitled "chemtengure" which tells the story of the arrival o f the first Europeans in Zimbabwe. The sounds used in the refrain are intended to imitate the sinister noise o f the creaking wagon wheels which brought the white set tlers and the era o f foreign oc cupation. In Zinibawe and the rest o f Africa musical and literary expression are not split into "audience” and "p e r former,” as is the case with much o f Western culture. Everyone joins ar tistic enterprises in whatever way they feel called upon. Gwinyai main tains this tradition by attempting to transform their spectators into par ticipants: There are parts fo r everybody. A Gwinyai concert is a treat for the eyes as well as the ears, for the members are costumed in traditional African dress. Watching them is like seeing an African fashion show: The colors, fabrics, and designs are as bold, riotous, and full o f joy as is the music itself. There could hardly be a group more appropriate than Gwinvai to provide the cu ltural dimension to the N orthwest C onference on Southern Africa. Their music is an authentic product o f the creative vigor which is now surging through the demands o f African people for fu ll and equal rights o f their own land. Futhermore, Gwinyai testifies to the importance o f women in main taining the c u ltu ra l v ita lity o f a society besieged, and they under score the role o f women in the liberation struggles currently being waged. One o f the members o f Gwinyai has just given birth to a son, so the duration and spacing o f the concert will be accommodated to his needs, in keeping w ith the Zimbabwean concept that life and music are part o f the same process. Also in accor dance with that notion, no childcare is necessary during this performance (although it w ill be provided fo r those who desire it), as children are encouraged to attend. G w in y a i’ s concert is not limited to conference participants, although the one event provides a context for the other. ($2 is requested for non-conference par ticipants.) Gwinyai is one o f a kind— and not to be missed! The N orthw est Conference on Southern Africa will take place this weekend, O ctober 26-28, W est minister Presbyterian Church, 1817 N .Í . 17th, Friday night with 7:30 and 9 o'clock showings o f a new film entitled "T he Nuclear F ile," which documents the role o f the United States in the development o f nuclear energy in South A fric a . "The White Laager" will also be o f fered at 9:00 in a separate room. This film vividly depicts South A frican apartheid by focusing on Afrikaner thought and history. Saturday will begin with an update on Southern Africa (Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) presented by John Banda ol Malawi and will be followed by workshops, dinner and the evening program. W orkshop topics include: U.S. coporate role in South Africa; South A fric a and energy; L ib e ra tio n movements; racism; and Zimbabwe. David C am m eron in "A in't M is b e h a v in '". The show plays at the Civic A u d ito riu m on O ctober 24 through 27. ja z ^ de op us PRESENTS EDDIE HARRIS SUNDAY, N O V . 4 th 5:00 P.M. =« $6.00 9:00 P.M. -=■ $6.50 Advance Tickers now being sold or: JAZZ DE OPUS n w 2nd eve FREDEPJCK 6 NELSON'S ticketpia « c ( r V Muhammad Mi made hivtorv on September 15, 19" 8 when he became the fir st man io win the world heavyweight boxing championship three times. Less than a month later. A lt made history again as he began production o f “ I reedom Road." his first starring role in a made-for-television motion pic ture, which N B l TA will telecast Monday. October 29 and Tuesday. October 3 0 (9-11 p nt NYT). "Freedom Road," based on the bestselling novel by Howard Fast, tells the story of a black man's rise from slavery to a seat in the L ntted States Senate during the post-Civil U ar Reconstruction. The «.hump, as the cast and crew called him, found it impossible to keep in tiptop physical shape during producticwi. The daily filming schedule often called for him to arrive on the set at dawn and usually ended long after night- tall But whenever he could, he jogged. I iving in a large and spacious house liianed him by a physician in Natchez. Mississippi, Ah jogged through the neighborhosvd and talked. "Y o u see." he said, " I do get some breaks during the work day, maybe an hour or so. But I can't do any strenous exercise because I’d ruin the makeup, the wardrobe and ms hair. Thev put all these extra gray hairs on my head. Now mind you, I don't have any gray o f my own. I don't want people out there to think the champ is getting old.” Rounding a corner, Alt continued, "Vke work six days a week and often on weekends. I make personal appearances, like I dtd some campaigning for Charles Evers (Fvers is a Mtsstssipp black man who last fall battled unsuc cessfully for a I ,S. Senate seat) and on another weekend (the city of) Jackson had 'M uham m ad Ali D ay.' There's always something to keep me from training." He continued: "What I have to keep telling myself is that the kind o f physical training I do is preparation for boxing and there's other kinds o f training for actors. That's what I have to d o ." La r r r r r r r y r r t r a » »g r r r r r r r r m m r r r t n m ;» i y r e ~m ~n 1111 i h p a s c t 1 t < : NEED NO TEETH TO EAT MY BEEF M u h a m m a d Ali-Kris Kristofferson SPORTS HOUR FOUR FACES OF M U H A M M A D ALI As Gideon Jackson. M uham m ad Ali plays a man w ho rises from slavery to distinguished congressm an in Freedom Road on KGW TV Monday, October 29 and Tuesday. October 30. c J O E ’S PLACE 1801 N.E. Alberta ILL 9 D R A F T YOU FOR ONLY 15C Days: Sat., Sun. & Mon. For M ore In fo rm a tio n Call 288 8786 m o m SATURDAYS 11am-2pm UNCLE H O M E R ’S JAZZHO LEl COVER Portland's longest-running jazz pro-| gram. W ith Homer Clark. 2pm -6pm JA ZZ RAP Cookin' jazz, blues| and popular black music. With George Page. 6pm -8pm KIDNEY STEW The blues. W ith| John Head, George Page and Tom Wendt. 8pm 12 m id n ig h t ESSENCE OF SO U Ll PART I The only show of its kind in tow n.| W ith the Groover, J.W . Friday. 12 m id n ig h t 3am S A T U R D A Y N IG H T l JA ZZ SHOW Swing, bop and progressive, jazz, latin music, funk and blues w ith Rick j Mitchell. — ’Freedom Rood" • ’ a u g h ’ his o t-e p ip ’ n f.ghr A n d ’ought h,s BBQ Ribs or H o t Links Dinners Beef or Pork We also have Orders To-Go s LOWELL'S LOUNGE L B Ray i B a .-B Q Pit nc ’ O N ^ l J d w Q rd H «*r' r" ° " " Fred C o v in g to n John M cL.om 3 ^ 0 ' ? . ° , H o ~ 0 rd Orunner 0,11 M ackey Sonny ),m G om es ‘ R O M H O W A R D FAST 5 BEST SELLER' W O R LD PREMIERE' v, MONDAY. TUESDAY! CLARK PAGE MITCHELL FRIDAY N0C PROUD AS A PEACOCK "The Baddest B lock on R adio” I 5!44 NE Union Ave Open Mon Sun 12 Noon UnW 288 7852 i.i-ì-tjt-i.t.i-M -à -i.J JLÁ-i 9:00P M i .i í ^ 7 jcá JI ji 1 1 1 8 8 8 1 8 i t I t i s i ( « » • I
