Film offers
By Kathryn Herr
Editor in Chief
kah92B@psu.edu
One class at Penn State
Harrisburg got a special lesson
in culture when Against/11l Odds..
Languages and Literatures into
the 219 , Century was shown at 7
p.m. in the Gallery Lounge of the
Olmsted building at PSH on Feb.
23.
The film is the first in a series
of three public presentations
entitled Power and the Story.
These presentations are part of a
PSH graduate class of the same
title, taught by Dr. Peter Kareithi,
assistant professor of Humanities
and Communications.
Against All Odds; Languages and
Literatures into the 21s , Century
was written and directed by
Charles Cantalupo, professor of
English, Comparative Literature
and African Studies at Penn State
University.
"Going to Africa changed my
life," said Cantalupo.
Cantalupo first became
interested in African languages
because of a combination of
time spent in Africa and a desire
Students cut
Jackie Agitto, senior Communications major at Penn State Abington,
plays with some of the toys provided for the dancers and the kids. Penn
State Hazelton was the largest donating satellite campus.
Jason Schmitt, junior, Communications Sciences and Disorders major
University Park, spends time with Bradyen King, 6, a Four Diamonds
kid. Brayden is sponsored by the Speech Language and Hearing Asso
ciation and the Sign Language Orginization.
to globally expand his scholarly
work.
The documentary is a project that
was derived from a conference
and festival called "Against All
Odds: African Languages and
"The fact is that
African languages
and African cultures
in general are
woefully lacking in
our curriculum..."
-Dr. Charles Cantalupo
PSU Prof
Literatures into the 21st Century,"
which took place in Asmara,
Eritrea, 2000.
"It was the first gathering ever
on African soil devoted to African
languages," said Cantalupo. "The
film is taken from this archive,
which stands as one of the richest
video and audio resources in
the world of African language
performance and scholarship."
According to Cantalupo,
"Empowerment of African
Photos by Kathryn Herr
African culture at PSH
languages is the simplest, fairest,
most democratic, economic,
and achievable way to improve
African lives and livelihood
through the application of
knowledge, education, science
and technology."
"What began as a conference
became a movement."
Cantalupo presented his film
with hopes of opening the minds
of those at PSH to embrace the
cultures of the world.
"The fact is that African
languages and African cultures
in general are woefully lacking in
our curriculum, not only at PSH
but statewide and nationally," said
Cantalupo. "This is my message
for PSH -- expand your horizon."
This presentation will be followed
by a documentary depicting how
South African blacks used song
and dance to confront and resist
apartheid, entitled Amand/a! A
Revolution in Four-Pan`Harmony,
scheduled for March 30. The third
presentation is a documentary on
the use of stories and storytelling
instruments of social healing after
the 1984 Rwandan genocide,
entitled /n Rwanda We Say..
The Family That Does Not Speak
Dies, scheduled for April 20.
a rug for kids with cancer
THON cont'd from 1
in the stands and on the floor
due to color-coordinating shirts.
On Sunday night, the stands
appeared to be blocks of color
with the sponsors matching shirts.
Most of the shirts had sayings on
the back such as "Fighting for
the Kids," "THON 4 Ashley" or
"Embracing Dreams for lan and
Tommy." Many of the kids and
their families wear the shirts as
well to match their sponsors.
"Thon represents a
new year for Brayden
and for our family"
-Carrie Steel King
The first-hand interaction with
the kids during THON keeps
everyone's mind on the prize
at the end of the 48th hour said
Rosario.
Over 140 Four Diamonds
families registered to attend
THON this year, according to
Patty Shertzer, office manager for
Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey.
For many parents it is therapeutic
to see the support of Penn State
for their child.
"THON represents a new year
for Brayden and for our family,"
said King. "We wait all year for
this.
"You're not only making a big
impact on someone else's life,"
said Millard. "You're making a big
impact on your own."
THON is a very emotional time
for both students and families.
'Family hour' is held late in the last
day to help dancers remember
what they were dancing for and
pull them through to the end.
During 'family hour' each family
is introduced to the dancers and
the crowd in the stands. Two
mothers spoke to the audience
and told the story of their child's
fight for life and a video was
shown in honor of those children
who had lost the battle with
cancer. Tears ran down the faces
of students as they learned first
hand how important THON is to
the kids and their families.
Students gathered together
to cheer on their dancers.
Fraternities, sororities, clubs,
organizations, friends and Four
Diamonds families rallied around
their dancers to drag them
through the final hours. As the
countdown reached the 7 p.m.
marker the dancers fell to the
floor, exhausted and ecstatic.
"I'm really glad I danced this
year," said Rosario. "It was a
great experience."
News
"This is my message for PSII -- expand your horizon," said Charles Cantalupo, PSU professor Schuylkill.
Cantalupo is very active in expanding the minds of American college students.
This dancer is showing support for the kids with a catchy slogan on his dancer shirt. He actually wore
a kilt during the whole 48 hour dance-a-thon. Many students chose to put something on their shirts
stating why they were dancing or who they were dancing for.
Students raise their hands as part of the THON 2005 line dance. The line dance is inspiring
to the crowd in the stands, Four Diamonds families, and students to see how many people
have been brought together for one great cause.
The Capital Times, February 21, 2005
Photo courtesy of Peter Kareithi