Education

The Mobile International Festival plays a key role in education with their focus on world culture and racial tolerance. See how they do it through cultural exhibits and Hands-On Art programs.

Student Days are Thursday, November 18, 2009 for middle and elementary school , and Friday, November 19, 2009 for high school.

Please contact Bobbie Bayne or Betty Willett at (251) 470-7730 or via email at either: bobbiemif@yahoo.com or mif.education@cityofmobile.org for additional information.

Click here for 2010 Teachers Field Trip Planner

CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES -Clowns, balloons, dancing, and travelling with their passports. See the smiles on their faces as they enjoy and learn!

Thursday, November 18th Middle Schools (6, 7, 8 grades only) 8:00am - 10:45 am Elementary Schools (3,4,5 grades only) 11:15am - 2pm Friday, November 19th Mobile County High Schools (only) 8:00am - 10:45 am All other high schools 11:15am - 2pm

I have enjoyed working with all of you for the past seven years. This will be my last festival as Education Coordinator. I will be assuming the position of Executive Director in January 2011 when Estela Dorn retires. I would like to introduce you to our new Education Coordinator, Betty Willett. Betty has been a volunteer with the festival for many years and is very excited about working on “the other side of the fence” now. The new email address for the Education Coordinator is mif.education@cityofmobile.org . The bobbiemif@yahoo.com address will continue to work through this year but you should plan to use the new one after this year.

Thank you for your support of the festival and the work you put into organizing these trips for your students.

Bobbie Bayne
MIF Education Coordinator

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Museum of Mobile Goes African
By: Estela I. Dorn, Executive Director Mobile International Festival

What happens when friends get together to discuss a common educational goal? That is exactly what happened when I approached Sheila Flanagan, assistant director of Museum of Mobile, to discuss collaboration between the museum and Mobile International Festival featuring the Yoruba culture from West Africa and its impact on the Mobile area. Sheila liked the idea since their institution is Mobile’s history museum. She said, “A Yoruba Festival will provide an opportunity for the museum to educate Title 1 schools about the rich culture of the descendants of Africans who make up Mobile’s African-American community. It is collaboration between the International Festival, Museum of Mobile and Alabama State Council on the Arts that is funding the program and it is our plan to make this an annual event.” This collaboration coincides with the 25th anniversary celebration of the festival.

MIF and MOM have worked together for several years now. MOM represents United States of America in the festival with a cultural exhibits booth that features specific American history depending on the current theme of the festival. So, what is the interest in Yoruba culture? It is an important culture from West Africa brought to the New World through the slave route that stretched from the continents of Africa to South America, North America and Europe. And Mobile’s strong connection to the last slave ship, Clotilde, and AfricaTown, where the slaves settled.

Jennifer Fondren, Curator of Education, talks about the project that will take place on October17th at the Museum of Mobile in downtown Mobile. She said, “The Yoruba Cultural Festival is an opportunity for children who attend Title 1 schools in Mobile County to get to come to the museum free of charge. These are the schools that don’t always get to go on field trips. For many students, this may be their first time in the museum. While they are here, they will learn about a significant West African cultural group, the Yoruba. Many of the children in Mobile are of West African descent and some are certainly descended from Yoruba ancestors. It is our hope that all of the children who come to this event, will learn that Africa, as a place, is home to many advanced cultures that have rich musical, religious and artistic heritages.”

The Yoruba Cultural Festival will have a storyteller and musicians. Mr. Akbar Imhotep, a renowned storyteller from Atlanta, Georgia, and a regular at Mobile International Festival, will talk about tales on Yoruba culture. He will play the drum to accompany his storytelling. He is also a puppeteer. The musicians call themselves “Lots o’ Drums” consisting of four young men who traveled to South Africa to learn more about African drumming.

Included in the cultural festival are mask-making and a tour of the museum. Some of the artifacts in the exhibition are from the personal collection of Mayor Sam Jones and Merceria Ludgood. Also on view is the fully-beaded Yoruba masquerade costume set (a cape, headpiece and scepter) belonging to MIF that was purchased on a grant from Mobile Arts Council. This is on permanent display at the Mobile Museum of Art and is on temporary loan to MOM during the cultural festival.

The City of Mobile is made richer by awareness of the different cultures we have. Education is a continuing process and we believe that awareness leads to pride!

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Students Learn About West Africa - An Arts Education Program
By Estela I. Dorn, Executive Director Mobile International Festival

History takes us back to events of the past. Culture is the way of life for people influenced by geography, religion, art and every day life. Education helps people learn about history and culture from different countries. Mobile International Festival brings Yoruba culture from West Africa, now on its fourth year, on a history and culture trip to schools. Yoruba is an important culture from West Africa brought to the New World through the slave route that stretched from the continents of Africa to South America, North America and Europe. And Mobile’s strong connection to the last slave ship, Clotilde, and AfricaTown, where the slaves settled.

The yearly program that is co-sponsored by University of South Alabama and Mobile International Festival precludes the field trip to Students Days of the annual event, also known as International Food Fest, in November. Malvina Holloway conducts teach-ins on the Yoruba culture brought into the New World by slaves from West Africa. The schools included this year are Belsaw/Mt. Vernon Elementary, Calcedeaver Elementary, Maryvale Elementary, Little Flower Catholic School, St. Dominic Catholic School, E. R. Dickson Elementary School, Silverhill Elementary, Stapleton Elementary and McIntosh High School.

A hands-on-art project differs yearly. In the past, students worked on art projects that included beads into bracelets or anklets, gluing beads on fabrics with animal designs and batik-designing on cloths. This year, it teaches children how to germinate a pea seed to grow a plant. Art projects are integral parts of the teach-in program. Art education is important to the development of a child’s mind that extends to other disciplines of learning.

Mrs. Holloway is a retired middle and high school teacher from Mobile County Public School System and artist. Her knowledge of the Yoruba culture has become very extensive since she started doing this teach-in program. She is very interactive with the students with her stories that are based on facts. This year, she is adding the Garifuna people from Honduras and Guatemala (West Caribbean side) to her repertoire of Yoruba culture. To this day, these people are still strong on their Yoruba culture. Her presentation is enhanced by a slide presentation of the Yoruba costumes. These slides were given to MIF by the Fowler Museum of University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).

The other half of the joint project is a free field trip given to one school on Thursday, November 20, 2008, at the Mobile Civic Center and Expo Hall. This year’s recipient is Maryvale Elementary School. The principal, Mrs. Katryna L. Ellis, is very excited of the field trip for her 200 students. She is equally happy to have the teach-in since her arts program has been cut for the 2008-2009 school year.

Did you know that there are West African words in the American English? Some of them are:

• Yam – from the Fulani word “nyami” meaning to eat
• Gumbo – from the word for okra in Wolof, Mandingo and Bambara
• Benne or bene – from the Umbundu and Tshiluba words for sesame
• Banana – which comes from Africa by way of Portugal
• Tote – comes from a West African word “tota” meaning to carry
• Hip – from “hipi” meaning aware
• Guy – from “goy” meaning a young man
• Jukebox – from Senegalese “juke” meaning to have a wild time
• OK – from “yaw kay” of the same meaning

To quote Mrs. Holloway, “This is a gift to the school children. We want them to understand a culture rich in history and art. Awareness leads to pride. There is a lesson to be learned that should not be forgotten. Circumstances have forced many West Africans to leave their countries unwillingly. After many generations, they now have made their lives in their new countries. Some of the children are not aware of their ancestry. They have negative thoughts of people in Africa. By bringing history and art into these classrooms, we are able to open their eyes to social awareness. As adults, it is our role to lead children and teach them positively.”

2008 Arts Education photos:

Little Flower Catholic School