TheWordyPhoenix :: Interview on Culture and Performance Arts with TAMCC and NSCC

I had the pleasure of being amongst a select few to be interviewed by a delegation of Canadian students doing a documentary styled project in unison with our local collage over the past two Fridays.

The team had some very interesting questions and were very professional about the whole process. They were even kind enough to leave me with a parting gift and an invitation to a showing of the material they have gathered so far while here.

I was happy to be a part of this interview series because I am very passionate about culture, it's documentation and the performing arts.

These are some of the behind the scenes shots of the process. Don't I look so coordinated trying to attach my microphone in my heels-ditched-for-flip-lops-cause-it's-the-end-of-the-day self? I apologise for the blurry photos, it was pretty spur of the moment!

On the Friday after the interview the students were kind enough to invite me to the presentation of multiple business ideas that they conjured up as a result of their in depth interviews. The room where we sat to listen to the presentations was potent with passion and experience. It was moving to be in a room full of locals who care about the future of my country's arts and culture, people equally passionate about preserving it. These business ideas were superb and I couldn't believe that the students came up with such feasible proposals in such a short time as two weeks!

My only reservation is that those proposals should have been presented to members of government and members of the business community. We are the manpower but the resources are not within our hands...they are in the hands of those we voted into a place of power.

Lastly, I ended up somehow at the beach at the end of the day with these great set of students and organisers. I got a chance to share more casual conversation with these driven people as we sat around enjoying the ocean, it's breezes and the sound of goat skin drums under the weight of our voices chorusing in local song. The lady in the last picture is Allison, lovely lady, beautiful soul.

I truly believe that the most effective way to kill a civilisation is to take away the voice of it's people. A societies voice manifests it self most strongly through it's arts and culture. Document your voice and it will live forever.

Thanks for having me!