Flamenco Dance in Abuja

SPANISH CULTURAL WEEK 2010  - the highlights

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2010 (6:30PM)
Awards ceremony of the visual arts competition: “Celebrating 50-5: Independence and Rapprochement Spain-Nigeria”, in Kaduna Mezzanine (1st floor), Transcorp-Hilton Hotel, Abuja. Featured were the works done by Nigerian artists. The winner of the competition,  STANLEY DUDU, will travel to Spain to attend the  ARCO art fair in Madrid.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010 (6:30PM)
Performance of the theatre play Life is a Dream, adapted by Jos Repertory Theatre, at Lagos Room, Transcorp-Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22 (7:00PM)
Flamenco dance performance, followed by a cocktail, at the Congress Hall, Transcorp-Hilton Hotel, Abuja. Four artists came from Spain to Abuja to perform this kind of dance which is typical from the South of Spain. Emotion and passion were truly expressed with the tapping of the shoes, the clapping of the hands, the voice and the guitar.

PHOTO GALLERY - EMBASSY OF SPAIN
Day 1 (4th Spanish Cultural Week) 
Day 3 (4th Spanish Cultural Week)
Painting Exhibition (4th Spanish Cultural Week)
Flamenco Dance (4th Spanish Cultural Week)

COMMENTS? Send email to insidetrackabuja@yahoo.com

5th Spanish Cultural Week - Day 3

THE PLAY: La Vida Es Sueno (Life is a Dream) was written in 1635, during the Spanish Golden Century.. The central argument is the dichotomy between free will and fate.

THE AUTHOR: Calderon de la Barca was one of the most excellent Spanish playwrights during the Spanish Golden Century. Educated at the Jesuit College in Madrid, he studied Law and was recognized as the foremost dramatist of the age.

THE JOS REPERTORY THEATRE was founded in November 1997 but commenced program implementation in 2000 as an independent theatre organization based in the ancient tin mining city of Jos, Plateau State. It has taken part in theatre-related activities in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Kenya, Italy, the USA, and the United Kingdom.

COMMENTS?  Send email to insidetrackabuja@yahoo.com
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Visual Arts Competition - 5th Spanish Cultural Week

At the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on October 18, 2010, the winners at the Visual Arts Competition received their prizes from the Embassy of Spain as part of the activities marking the 5th Edition of the Spanish Cultural Week. Top prize went to STANLEY DUDU whose painting celebrates Nigeria's 50th Independence Anniversary and the 5th year of the Spanish Cultural Week; "it's about conflict resolution in governance and other aspects of life."

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Abuja Play Readers



The PLAYREADING GROUP is for
theater lovers who get together monthly (or so) to read and enjoy plays together.
View more photos of the group on FACEBOOK.

 Reading lines from popular plays, members of the Abuja Playgroup meet at least once a month at a designated venue. On each meeting, there are members who read a role in a play that has been selected ahead of time, while others sit bak, relax, and listen. There are no lines to learn, no costumes, no special effects or on-stage kisses. Also, no acting experience is required. Admission is free but participants are usually requested to come along with food and drinks to share.

Below is a FIRST PERSON ACCOUNT of their activities by NEWMAN GONPIL, one of the group's coordinators:

"Whoooaaa, Last night was a big hit in any language! What a session we had. First, it was the crazy Director that would stop at nothing to make you wear her costumes, and it was fun all through. And just check out the ‘word play slam’ by El-jo titled ZEBRA. (It was interesting to know what part of that Animal we belonged, figuratively speaking, Keep it up Bro.)

"Who was the new singing bird in our hood? Nemi right? Well done. Lindsay, you gotta buckle up…..it’s a serious competition.

"We had quite a couple of first timers, well come to our family, we hope to see you again. A big shout out to Debby and El-jo for arranging the venue. We liked it.

"Believe me, our growing number is becoming a big concern for me. We took every available space at Mikes the last time and it was a child’s play compared to last night. We need to start thinking fast.

"RETURNEES
We had Funke and Boma who took a French leave for some time, but we are glad they are BECK!

"GLOBE TROTTERS
In the past few months, I am not where Ibiso belongs. She is always abroad! And Mike? He is always in some meeting in Washington DC. What about the craziest of them all, JOJO….( This girl leaves me speechless) she has probably toured the whole of Naija. What is important is, you all come with AGEGE BREAD! It’s an important tradition.

"FACEBOOK GROUP
Mike created a group page tagged ABUJA PLAYGROUP. Sign up and you’ll be added. It’s easier to maintain and it should be the beginning of phasing out the yahoo group mailing list. We’ll maintain both at the moment.

"I’ll keep us posted. Enjoy a great week end." - Newman

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Indonesian Independence Day Reception 2010

The Indonesian Community in Abuja, led by the Charge d' Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Henri Samosir, and his wife, marked the 65th Anniversary of their country's independence on August 19, 2010 at the Ambassador's Residence in Maitama, Abuja. The following photos were taken by Araceli Aipoh of Inside Track Magazine...CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.

Welcome to Shelbyville

CLICK ON THE ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE
From top to bottom: Kim A. Snyder; Victoria
Sloan; Kim A. Snyder and Bart Weiss,
Ambassador Robin Sanders; and
members of the audience

Ms Victoria Sloan, Public Officer of the Embassy of the United States of America, invited film lovers and members of the media to a RECEPTION in honor of American film experts Kim Snyder and Bart Weiss, who were in Nigeria for the American Documentary Showcase, on the 4th of August 2010, at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture. The reception was followed by a sneak preview of Welcome to Shelbyville, a new documentary by Kim Snyder.

Dr. Robin Renee Sanders, US Ambassador to Nigeria, graced the occassion.

ABOUT THE FILM
Welcome to Shelbyville "tells the story of a small rural American town as residents old and new struggle to come to terms with the region's growing diversity and one another. The film follows Somali and Latino newcomers who are making their homes in Shylbyville, a reporter who is documenting the new arrivals, a handful of citizens who are supporting immigrant integration, and both black and white long-term residents who have deep and complex racial roots in the region. The film captures the intimacy of lives intertwined against the backdrop of a crumbling economy and the hopeful campaign of Barack Obama. It demonstrates that America is an ever-changing place, contstantly evolving as new generations of immigrants arrive." (Culled from AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE, a publication by the Embassy of the United States of America.)

ABOUT KIM A. SNYDER
Kim A. Snyder is an award-winning documentary film maker. She most recently co-founded the BeCause Foundation to produce a series of documentaries designed to raise awareness about global issues and inspire philanthropy through the power of film.

Snyder directed and produced the award-winning I Remember Me, which won numerous festival awards, including Best Documentary at the Denver International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Sarasota Film Festival, and an Honorable Mention at the Hamptons International Film Festival. I Remember Me was distributed theatrically in the United States by Zeitgeist Films and has been distributed on DVD in more than 22 countries. She has also directed and produced numerous short documentaries for cable network Plum TV. (Culled from AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY, a publication by the Embassy of the United States.)