by Gilles
l A large and enthusiastic audience par-

ticipated and was “sweet” (joined in the
i activity) at KWANZAA!’s celebration of
V Black History Month, at Burlington’s City
‘, Hall on February 24th. “Diaspora” means
| the dispersal of a people into other coun-

tries. And so the nine very talented artists
i sang, drummed, danced, chanted, and re-
1 cited poetry from several African peoples
(with origins in Sudanese Ghana, Da-
homey, Senegal, and Egypt). They then
‘ proceeded to Greece, Palestine, Brazil,
l Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, and the U.S.A.

The above list, however impressive,
cannot adequately describe the wealth of
thoughts and emotions, the abundance of
T instrumentation, the great diversity and
. depth of creativity, the evocation of deep
feelings experienced by the African
peoples everywhere, which the KWAN-
( ZAA! Percussion Ensemble brought to us
I

in a moving, organic series of representa-
tive and welhexplained vignettes.

One could rhapsodize and rave and go

‘ into much well-deserved detail. But you,

dear reader, simply owe it to yourself to see,

Kwanzaa! and the Dias

pora

hear, and join in for yourself--the very next
time you find out about a KWANZAA!
loving, lovely event.

 

non-white, non-male, non-conformist
people?

Until she died and a friend shared a
brief article about her from an obscure
music publication, I had never heard of
Billy Tipton. All Iknow of her is a page and
a half of journalism and the beaming face of
a bright young band leader juxtaposed to
the sad, contemplative face of an aging
musician. I really know nothing about her
but my imagination is drawn to reach out
and fill in the blanks. I feel a kinship and an
empathy. I feel her pain and her desperate
wish to be accepted and loved as beautiful
by the world just as she truly was. That is all
any of us want. When will we know what

I1laLf$‘&1$ like?

Networkfrom page 1

that works and pitfalls to avoid.

During the coming issues of OITM, I
will share some of the “how-to’s” I have
gathered from my research participants:
How to Prepare Yourself for Coming Out
to Her; How to Tell Her You Are Gay; How
to Help Each Other Through the Transition;
How, When, and What to Tell the Children;
What Your Children Say; and Where to
Find Help.

K .K Wilder is a Vermont freelance
writer, currently working on a book tenta-
tively titled, Ngt SQ (fay; Womn Who Love
Gay Men. To participate in her research,
write to her at] 7N Champlain #3 ,Burling-
ton, VT05401 or call 802-658-0448.

 

l
t
l

20 Elliot Street
Brattleboro, Vermont

A

Dflnstairs in the old church

 

COL RS

April 6 & 7- Peeper's Court

April 13 & 14- Dr. Ruth Wristenheinie
April 20 & 21- The Goodnight Show

April 27 & 28- Miami Dykes

(302) 254-8646

Don't Stay Home &
Watch T.V. in April-
See Your Favorite
Shows Live at
Colors!

2 Shows a Week!
Thursdays at 9 pm
Fridays at 10pm

April 1989