Some call it the gateway to Africa. Others say it is endowed with rich culture. Several others say it is the safest and the most secured place to live. Some people describe its inhabitants as friendly and hospitable. Others commend the non-violent nature of the people.
For these reasons, many African-American students and European students alike continue to spend their summer holidays in the country for exchange educational programmes which afford them the opportunity to learn more about the rich culture and African politics.
Renford R Reese, a Political Science Director at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, USA and author of three books say there two places in Africa that African-Americans want to visit. He mentioned Ghana and South Africa and later added Egypt and Kenya for historic and tourism reasons.
According to the Political Science Professor, Ghana is a “beautiful country with a unique culture and beautiful people.”
Prof Reese told The Statesman that Ghanaians have contributed greatly to the world’s culture with regards to their smiles, dance, music and cultural cerebrations which have distinguished them from other Africans.
He is currently in the country as head of group of students from the California State Polytechnic University for an exchange programme with the University of Ghana, Legon. The programme was organised by the AYA Centre for Intercultural Awareness and Development, a single-purpose, multi-service organisation designed to enhance the learning experience and cultural awareness of persons traveling to Ghana.
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Paul Hammond grew up in the Southern California city of Downey, sometimes referred to as the home of the Apollo program, the country’s lunar landing effort.
His father, Milton, an engineer, worked on the Apollo program and on occasion would take the family to the airport to watch airplanes take off and land.
Paul’s two brothers went into aircraft-related careers. Not surprisingly, when young Paul started developing his own interests, he also gravitated toward a career focused on transportation.
But Hammond went retro. He became enamored with trains, not planes.
His father, 78, was not surprised that his son Paul discovered rail.
“Paul was always interested in trains,” said the elder Hammond. “He could get his hands on trains. His interest was not just on the history of railroads but he also actually straightened out some track (at a railway museum). The main line was in danger of derailing trains. He did hands-on work.”
And this month, Hammond, 43, was appointed to serve as the new director of the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento, where a half-million visitors stop in each year to learn about the history of railroading.
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Community participates in `Big Read’
POMONA – Across the city, people are gearing up for an effort that attempts to bring everyone together through the written word.
It’s all part of the Big Read, a program put on by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services along with Arts Midwest.
The goal of the Big Read is to have the community come together around a particular book. For Pomona, that will be Rudolfo Anaya’s “Bless Me, Ultima” – the story of a boy coming of age in New Mexico.
“Beyond getting people reading, it’s (about) getting people talking,” said Jonnie Owens, community outreach coordinator for Cal Poly’s College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences and one of those leading the campaign. “This is a great opportunity to build community.”
The Cal Poly Pomona Foundation received a $15,000 grant to coordinate this year’s endeavor, Owens said.
The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library also received a grant to participate in this fall’s Big Read, according to the NEA. That city plans to use “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee as the focus of its activities.
Owens said they selected Anaya’s book for Pomona from a list of 12 literary works because of its themes. The issues of faith, identity and death – to which people of all backgrounds can relate – are woven through the story.”This will be a great book for us to read together,” Owens said.
Through these topics and others – such as family and heritage – people will be able to make connections, said Pat Lambert, senior librarian in the Pomona Public Library’s adult reference services and the library’s coordinator for the Big Read.
“We hope we can bring people together through a common thread,” she said.
As a pilot project, a handful of organizations around the country took part in the Big Read in 2005, Lambert said. In 2006 more than 70 organizations participated and this year, during the fall Big Read, 117 will take part.
Pomona’s Big Read activities will kick off Oct. 13 and continue until Dec. 1, and organizations have already begun planning activities tied to the effort.
Among those participating will be the Pomona Public Library, which has plans to offer reading groups for adults, young adults and Spanish speakers in addition to other activities, Lambert said.
Article by By Monica Rodriguez Staff Writer – m_rodriguez@dailybulletin.com
Originally San Gabriel Valley Tribune
