COBU Will Return in 2012
NEA Makes Grant to Festival of Nations
The International Institute of St. Louis
was awarded a Challenge America Fast-Track Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for $10,000. Specifically, the award supports performances at 2012 Festival of Nations by COBU, headliners at the 2011 event.
COBU, an all-female taiko troupe from New York City, combines elements of traditional taiko drumming with rhythmic tap dancing. "Dance like drumming, drum like dancing" is their motto, inspired by the combined sounds of New York and traditional Japanese culture.
In 2000, COBU was created as a Live Rhythm Performing Arts Group. Yako Miyamoto, the founder of COBU, is a current member of the off-Broadway-hit, STOMP.
Similar to last year, COBU will appear daily on the Enterprise Main Stage at 2012 Festival of Nations. Each performance will be followed by a workshop at which festival visitors can test the drums and meet the artists. Watch for the FoN entertainment schedule which will be available after August 1 at www.festivalofnationsstl.org.
Now in its 12th year, Festival of Nations, produced by the International Institute, is the largest annual multicultural festival in our region. With more than 100 performance groups on four stages, 75 food and gift booths, and a whole host of crafts and other demonstrations, the festival has something to delight all visitors.
"70% of our visitors tell us they come for the food," said Anna Crosslin, festival director. "Bringing back COBU for a second year could change that."
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Gedlu Metaferia Receives Award
Founded and Directed AMAAM since 1983 
On Friday, May 11, the International Institute Award was bestowed on Gedlu Metaferia at the Institute's Annual Report to the Community. For nearly 30 years, Gedlu has served as Executive Director of the African Mutual Assistance Association of Missouri (AMAAM) and its several preceding entities.
Gedlu was sponsored for refugee resettlement by the Institute in 1982. In 1983, he initially founded an organization titled Ethiopian Refugee Mutual Assistance Association of Missouri (ERMAAM) to provide adjustment assistance to fellow Ethiopian refugees.
He had worked in health services in refugee camps before coming to the US. So he understood the hardships that many refugees had faced both before their flight from their home countries and later living in poor conditions in refugee camps.
In those days, most African refugees were arriving from Ethiopia or from neighboring Eritrea. But, a decade later, the composition of African refugees had changed, and his organization evolved into AMAAM.
Anna Crosslin, President of the International Institute, made the presentation. "Over the years, Gedlu and his staff have sought to ensure that services provided by former African refugees themselves were available for African refugees," she said. "Whether Africans were refugees, immigrants, or simply here in the community for a short time, they could depend on Gedlu and AMAAM to reach out and help if it was humanly possible." |
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Immigration & Innovation:
The new reality of a shared vision
Join us as Jack Strauss, Simon Chair of Economics at St. Louis University, introduces his new report "The Economic Impact of Immigration on St. Louis." His presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with civic, business, and non-profit leaders. Click here for event announcement.
Date/time: 8am-10am on June 19, 2012 at Danforth Plant Science Center.
Festival Volunteers Needed
Festival of Nations volunteer registration is now available online.
Contact Colleen Liebig for more details.
Int'l Farmers Market Opens Soon
The refugee farmers in our Global Farms project will be selling their locally grown produce at the Cherokee Street International Farmers Market at Texas and Cherokee streets starting June 15 from 4-7pm.
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Vol. 1, No. 5 June 2012 
