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May/June 2011

In This Issue

International Groups of the Triangle

Language and Culture in the News

Resources

Upcoming International Events

Vote for the Festival!

About International Focus

"We ought to think that we are one of the leaves of a tree, and the tree is all humanity. We cannot live without the others, without the tree."

~ Pablo Casals ~

Greetings!

Planning for the 2011 International Festival has begun; make sure to mark your calendar for September 30 and October 1 and 2! If you are interested in putting your mark on the 26^th Festival, please email us for information on the various areas for participation - we'd love to have your creativity and expertise on board!

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the news and resources in this edition of International Focus News, and look forward to seeing you at some of the great international events in the Triangle over the next two months!

Very best wishes to you and yours,

Clodagh Bastian
Executive Director

International Groups of theTriangle

iranian kids

The Iranian Cultural Society is a nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Persian language, literature, history, music, dance, art, food, and cultural celebrations for the benefit of Iranians as well as the greater community in North Carolina.

Read the full interview about the group's work and its members.

Celebrate with the Iranian Cultural Society at the very first Persian Festival this weekend at the Sate Fairgrounds!

Language and Culture in the News

A study reported in Nature suggests that features shared across language families evolved independently in each lineage, and that cultural evolution, not the brain, drives language development.

Rats Being Used To Sniff Out Landmines

They are almost universally despised as disease-carrying vermin and are attacked wherever they are found. But in an experimental scheme in Africa the special talents of the rat are being harnessed to help save lives.

Stigma against overweight people is becoming a cultural norm around the world, even in places where larger bodies have traditionally been valued. That's according to a cross-cultural study of attitudes toward obesity to be published in the April issue of Current Anthropology.

Resources

Don't Give Up offers language schools, teachers and students a complete set of motivational Best Practices for every level of adult language learning.

What's in a Surname? A new view of the United States based on the distribution of common last names shows centuries of history and echoes some of America's great immigration sagas.

Tripit lets you forward travel confirmation emails from more than 3,000 sites to one place and create a master itinerary that can be accessed from your smartphone.

Freerice offers language learning, math, geography, chemistry and art games that help feed the hungry. For each correct answer 10 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations Food Program.

Support Two Great Organizations and Have Fun at the Same Time!

Come out to Rex Hospital's 2011 benefit golf tournament, the 2011 Rex Open, on June 9 - 12 and enjoy activities for the whole family.

Purchase your tickets through the International Festival office, and support both Rex and the Festival at the same time!

To make sure your contribution goes to both organizations, please send an email with "Rex Tickets" in the subject line to the Festival office. Tickets are $10 each.

Thanks for your support!

Upcoming International Events

Learn more about the international events being held in the Triangle in the next two months:

Special Events/Festivals/Celebrations

Lumbee Spring Powwow - May 6-8 - Farmers Market, Lumberton

First Annual NC Persian Festival - May 7 - State Fairgrounds, Raleigh

Kal Aaj Aur Kal: A Tribute to the Kapoor Khandan - May 7 - Hindu Society of NC, Morrisville

Ganbare! Nippon & Triangle One Heart Japan Disaster Relief & Triangle Tornado Relief - May 8 - Page Auditorium, Durham

42nd Annual Bimbe Cultural Arts Festival - May 14 - Durham

Friends of Scandinavia: Syttende Mai Celebration - May 14 - Apex Community Park

Asociacion de Puertorriquenos Unidos de Carolina del Norte:Mother's Day Celebration - May 28 - Carmen's Cuban Café and Lounge, Morrisville

SAVE THE DATE! 26th International Festival of Raleigh - September 30, October 1,2 - Raleigh Convention Center

Exhibits

Jaume Plensa: Glueckauf? ongoing

Nasher Museum of Art, Durham

Art and Cultural Exchange Along the Silk Road

through June 5 - Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill

De-Natured: German Art From Joseph Beuys To Martin Kippenberger- through July 10 - Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill

Living Kibera: the exploration of work, play, home, dream and self in a slum of Nairobi - March 17 - July 15

Fedex Global Education Center, Chapel Hill

30 Americans - March 19 to September 4 - NC Museum of Art, Raleigh

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Film

Malayalam Movie Night - May 28th - Galaxy Cinema, Cary

Theater

Pornography by Simon Stephens -May 5 to 8 - Burning Coal Theatre Company, Raleigh

In Between Rain Drops: A Bengali Play by Shuvendu Sen - May 13 - Halle Cultural Arts Center, Apex

Monty Python's Spamalot - May 24 & 25 - Durham Performing Arts Center

Home by Samm-Art Williams - June 10 to 26 - The Justice Theater Project, Raleigh

Performances

Hindustani Vocal Concert by Monica Shah & Gautam Saha - May 7 - West Regional Library Hall, Cary

Frankie Yankovic Day Concert - May 6 - Page-Walker Arts & History Center Garden, Cary

Chapel Hill Community Chorus with Steve Dobrogosz - May 14, 2011 -Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill

Island of Friends: A Showcase of Irish Dance - May 22 - Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh

World Beat Music Fest: dub Addis - May 27 - Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

NC Symphony: Around the World in Eighty Minutes - June 4 - Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Cary

2011 American Dance Festival - June 9 to July 23 - Durham

Jonny - Music - June 14 - Cats Cradle, Carrboro

Conferences / Workshops / Participatory

Indian Cooking - May 3 to 17 - Century Center, Carrboro

The European Union & The Euro - Conference - May 12, 13

- FedEx Global Education Center, Chapel Hill

"Still Lives Within" Peace Rally - May 28 - Project Ricochet, Raleigh

Turkish Cooking Class - June 4- Turkish House, Chapel Hill

Adult African Drumming- June 7 to July 12 - The Arts Center, Carrboro

Flamenco Comes Alive! - June 12 - NC Museum of History, Raleigh

International Dance Summer Camps - June 13 to August 12 - World In Motion, Morrisville

Support the International Festival of Raleigh by voting it Best Cultural Event in the Metro Bravo Awards!

go to:

Metro Magazine >People and Places >Cultural Event

About International Focus

International Focus, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to promote awareness and appreciation of the diverse cultures in this area, and to make cultures accessible to each other through art, community and education. International Focus strives to be a resource for international and native North Carolinians through information, outreach, and its annual celebration of multiculturalism, the International Festival of Raleigh.

This newsletter and all content and information contained herein are the property of International Focus, Inc. and may not be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the publisher.