Dear Readers,
Welcome to the newest edition of the San Diego Participant Observer newsletter. We have a new recipe, and new book and music suggestions to ring in the new year! Our recipe of the Month comes from the lovely country of Indonesia! More than 30 years ago, when my wife, daughter, and I lived in Indonesia, we stayed in the village of Kamang Hilir in West Sumatra. One of the most popular dishes there is a curry known as Gulai Ayam Padang. Recently, I asked one of the people we knew well to send me a recipe for the dish. His wife cooked up a wok-full and sent us the recipe and photos! Try it out! Our Music CD of the Month is a blend of Indonesian traditional music and more modern styles, as featured on the eponymous-titled album Nusantara Beat. The six-piece band hails from Amsterdam. "Nusantara" is an Old Javanese compound word that refers to the entire Indonesian and Malay expanse outside of Java (home to the present capital). It is also the name of the new Indonesian capital, which is being built on the island of Kalimantan. The present capital is slowly sinking due to groundwater depletion, rising sea levels, and overpopulation (Last year, a UN census report stated that Jakarta has a population of 42 million, making it the most populous city in the world). To put this in perspective, California has a population just shy of 40 million! Wow!
Our Book of the Month Selection is the 2025 Booker Prize-winning collection of short stories Heart Lamp by Indian author Banu Mushtaq. The stories illuminate the struggles and joys of the everyday lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India. On to the local events! The Pechanga Pow Wow gets underway tonight and continues throughout the weekend. If you've never been to a Pow Wow, now's your chance! Music and dance options include the launch of the Villa-Lobos Festival Concert series at the Coronado Library, a Filipino Kulintang music workshop in National City on Sunday. Next Wednesday, the Drumtastic music show will come to the Belly Up. On Thursday, the multi-day Salsa & Bachata Festival will begin at the Marriott in Mission Valley. Next Friday, Cotton at The Baker-Baum Concert Hall, employs music, spoken and visual art to explore "an African American narrative of past and present, from rural
Southern fields where enslaved people were forced to labor on the land,
to the concrete canyons of New York City." Also next Friday, the Global Stage 2026 Passport Concert Series launches at the La Jolla Community Center with Mbira Bhururu: Songs of the Shona People of People of Zimbabwe. Should be a wonderful show, I'll be mixing sound for the show, so stop by and say hello! Film buffs will be happy to know that there will be a special preview at the JCC on Sunday for the annual Jewish Film Festival, and the Borrego Springs Film Festival will get underway next Wednesday. Individual special screening films include next Wednesday's showing of U Are the Universe at the UltraStar Mission Valley, and next Friday you can watch the French Film L'Attachement at the French-American School. Also next Friday and Sunday the German Currents Kino series at the Digital Gym will screen Christian F. Other notable and worthy events happening around town include a book talk with Jorge Xolalpa at the Coronado Library tonight, a hands-on Miso Workshop at the Japanese Friendship Garden on Saturday, next Thursday's talk at UCSD on How Exams Have Shaped Chinese Society & Politics, next Friday and Saturday's comedic performances by Bobby Lee at Balboa Theater, and, starting next Friday and continuing through the weekend, a theatrical production at the Innovations Academy based on The Diary of Anne Frank. Lastly, the Worldview Project, which produces this newsletter every week (and does lots of other stuff too!), is a non-profit organization. Supporting cross-cultural awareness, understanding, and engagement has never been more critical than it is now. As you may have noticed, we don't annoy you with advertisements or constant fundraising appeals. But we need your support to continue to do what we do. In particular, we are seeking our readers' help in funding the further development of our Cultures in the Classroom™
curriculum project to inspire children to connect with and appreciate
the wonder of cultures around the world. You can show your support by
clicking on the "Donate to the WVP" button above and making a
tax-deductible donation to the WVP. No donation is too small— even a dollar would be appreciated!
Cross-Cultural Events in the Next Two Weeks:
Festivals, celebrations, and community events: Pechanga Pow-Wow • 44th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade • Martin Luther King Day Celebration. Music and/or dance performances: Villa-Lobos Festival Concert • Kulintang Workshop • Drumtastic • Salsa & Bachata Festival • Cotton • Mbira Bhururu • Persian Music Recital • Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán • Wild Wild East • Trade Roots Reggae 40th Anniversary Show • Luis Angel 'El Flaco' y Julio Preciado. Interesting talks around town: How Exams Have Shaped Chinese Society & Politics • Tyrus Wong. Film festivals and special movie screenings: Jewish Film Festival Preview • The 13th Annual Borrego Springs Film Festival • U Are the Universe • L'Attachement • Christiane F. Books and literature lovers are sure to enjoy: Book Talk: Jorge Xolalpa. Food and Drink events: Hands-on Miso Workshop • Food Tour: Flavors and Stories. Local theatrical productions: The Diary of Anne Frank • Pancho Rabbit & the Coyote • This Is Not an Immigrant Story • Open Reading: Macbeth (Part 1). Comedy performances: Bobby Lee • Nimish Patel.
Everyone here at the
San Diego Participant Observer and the
Worldview Project wish you fulfilling, illuminating, and culturally-rich experiences in the days ahead. See you next week!
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