What is Tamejavi?
The meaning behind the word Tamejavi
TAj laj Tshav Puam... (Hmong)
MErcado... (Spanish)
nunJAVI... (Mixteco)
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The Pan Valley Institute is located on West Shaw Avenue, near the northwest corner of Shaw and Fruit.
- 3649 W Beechwood Ave, Suite 102
Fresno, CA 93711 - (559) 222-7678
- (559) 222-7682
- infopvi@afsc.org
Articles
Tamejavi Grand Finale
Date: May 11, 2013
The public is invited to Fresno’s Tower Theatre on Saturday, May 18 to experience No Longer Strangers, the culmination of the first Tamejavi Fellowship Cultural Organizing Program (TCOFP), presented by the American Friends Service Committee Pan Valley Institute and the Tamejavi fellows. As the grand finale of the Tamejavi Culture and Art Series, this event showcases the journey of ten grassroots leaders and their immigrant communities (including Indigenous Mexican –P’urhepecha, Zapotecos, Mixtecos, Otomi –, Punjabi, Persian, Hmong, and Khmer), as they seek to restore their cultural heritage and tell their stories as Valley immigrants.
Over the past 15 months, these leaders and their communities have engaged in cross-cultural and cross-generational community building and embraced diverse worldviews, cultural practices, and artistic expression. Since February, they have produced nine presentations — featuring heritage-based visual arts, theater, dance, song, storytelling, and poetry — in four cities throughout the San Joaquin Valley as part of the Tamejavi Culture and Art Series.
No Longer Strangers is a unique opportunity to enjoy all of these rich and diverse cultures at one time. There will be:
- Traditional music and dance, including performances by dancers Maria Bauman and Marjani Forte of Urban Bush Women, a New York modern dance group founded in 1984 by choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (www.urbanbushwomen.org).
- Cultural stories told through theater skits, such as The Fandango presented by the Zapoteco youth from Madera.
- Traditional Persian music such as the santur played by local master musician Mr. Faez.
- Traditional Khmer music play by local master muscian Chamroeun Buth
- Collaboration between Pov Xion and spoken word artist Adam Bowser (www.facebook.com/shadokatpoet) that connects the threads of the No Longer Strangers story.
- A short film depicting No Longers Strangers images captured during the Tamejavi series, edited by documentary filmmaker Maureen Gosling (www.maureengosling.com).
- All performances will be staged in a Tamejavi cultural exchange market. Following the performances, there will be a reception in the theater lobby.
For more information call 559-222-7678