Did you know there are about 1,300 Nikkei currently living in Cuba? Although their numbers are small, Nikkei can be found in every province of Cuba with the largest concentration in Havana.

Join three Nikkei groups from Northern and Southern California—Tsukimikai, Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR), and Choodee without Borders—as they share stories about their visits to the Nikkei communities in Cuba.

FREE with Museum admission. Light reception follows with special cultural performances. RSVP required to 213.625.0414 ext. 2222, or rsvp@janm.org (subject: Nikkei in Cuba).

For more information, please visit DiscoverNikkei.org/forum/node/2715.

This program is co-sponsored by Discover Nikkei, Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress, Tsukimi Kai, and Choodee without Borders. DiscoverNikkei.org, a project of the Japanese American National Museum, is made possible through the generous support of The Nippon Foundation.

Tour our ongoing exhibition Common Ground: Heart of a Community with our experienced and knowledgeable docents.

Living Flowers: Ikebana and Contemporary Art closes.

Screening of 'Discovering Dominga'

When Denese Becker, an Iowa housewife who was adopted, looks into her birthplace in Guatemala, finds that she is the last survivor of her family after a massacre of Mayan peasants. Denese's journey home is both a voyage of self-discovery that permanently alters her relationship to her American family and a political awakening that sheds light on an act of genocide. Guests for the night are speaker Azalea Ryckman, radio producer of Mujeres Abriendo Caminos (Women Opening Paths), and activist on the issues affecting Guatemala and the Guatemalan community in LA, and special guest poet Daniel Morales Leon!

Bringing the Circle Together: A Native American Film Series

Sponsored in Association with the Japanese American National Museum, National Center for Preservation of Democracy, the Southern California Indian Center, Inc., and Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center

Bringing the Circle Together: A Native American Film Series is a FREE monthly film series located in downtown Los Angeles at the National Center for Preservation of Democracy. No reservations are needed and all screenings are open to the public. The film series was established to provide quality documentaries and films by and about Native Americans, and bring together a central gathering place where discussion and news can be shared with the community and its supporters.

The film series is held at the National Center for Preservation of Democracy located at 111 North Central Avenue, between 1st Street and Central Avenue, in downtown Los Angeles. The NCPD can be reached via train, bus, or parking in the area (pdf for directions). Films will begin at 7pm, and it is advisable to arrive at least 15-20 minutes prior for seating. Each film will include a raffle at the end of the screening, and may include guest speakers and performances when available. More information will be given, as it is determined.

The film series is hosted by Lorin Morgan-Richards and is sponsored by the following organizations:

The Japanese American National Museum

The National Center for Preservation of Democracy

The Southern California Indian Center, Inc.

Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center

For more information about the film series please visit www.myspace.com/nafilmseries
or by email at nafilmseries@aol.com

FREE ALL DAY

Enjoy a day of family fun that explores shared traditions within the Asian American community. September's theme is folks tales.

Generously sponsored by Target, these special Saturdays are filled with fun activities giving families unique ways to learn, play, and grow together.

Schedule

All day craft activities: Make your own Kamishibai*, sock puppet, and an origami.

*Kamishibai, literally "paper drama", is a form of storytelling that originated in Japanese Buddhist temples in the 12th century.

11:00 – Doors open

1:00 – 2:00: East West Players Presents: Drop in Family Improv Workshop

2:00: We Tell Stories performs “A Feast From The East” -- Folktales from Asia and the Middle East.

3:00 – 4:00: East West Players Presents: Drop in Family Improv Workshop

About our Friends:

East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation’s first Asian American theatre organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American experience.
For more information go to: www.eastwestplayers.org


We Tell Stories is a multi-ethnic group of artists that seeks to educate, nurture, and strengthen communities by reconnecting young audiences with the ancient powers of storytelling and theatre.

For more information go to: www.wetellstories.org

2008 Target Free Family Saturday schedule

November 8 – Brilliant Beats

December 13 – Artfully Yours

Internationally acclaimed Greek vocalist, Savina Yannatou, is a force of nature. This extraordinary evening of traditional and original sacred music from throughout the Mediterranean is presented as part of the 2008 World Festival of Sacred Music—Los Angeles. For festival details, visit www.festivalofsacredmusic.org.

2008 1st & Central Summer Concerts schedule

September 25 - Chicha Libre and Etran Finatawa

While popular history has ascribed the fortune cookie's origins to California, it is actually originally from Japan. Jennifer 8. Lee, author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, and Derek Shimoda, director of “Killing the Chinese Cookie,” talk about their research in tracing the cookie trail back to Kyoto, where it is still being made in small family-run bakeries.

1st & Central 2008 closes with a global dance party featuring the West Coast debut of Brooklyn-based Chicha Libre and the desert sounds of Niger’s Etran Finatawa. Don’t leave home without your dancing shoes as Latin rhythms, surf music, and psychedelic pop inspired by Peruvian music from the Amazon share the stage with driving guitar riffs that will transport you deep into the heart of the Sahara.

A new festival dedicated to contemporary digital films that explore and celebrate identity crisis in our diverse Asian/Pacific Islander community.

OPENING NIGHT: The Los Angeles Premiere of Ra Choi. A narrative feature film about Vietnamese Australian streets kids. A light reception will follow program.

Free for Japanese American National Museum members; $5 for non-members for each program. We recommend purchasing tickets in advance by calling 213-625-0414 or visiting the visitor center at the National Museum. Please note, on the day of the program tickets can be purchased with cash only.

All screenings will be at the Democracy Forum in the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. The building is located at 111 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (directly across the National Museum’s courtyard).

Check the festival site at janm.org/events/2008/idfilmfest for more information and program schedule.

A new festival dedicated to contemporary digital films that explore and celebrate identity crisis in our diverse Asian/Pacific Islander community.

CONFLICTING PASSIONS: A series of short documentaries that present the conflicting identities within the pan Asian/Pacific Islander community.

Free for Japanese American National Museum members; $5 for non-members for each program. We recommend purchasing tickets in advance by calling 213-625-0414 or visiting the visitor center at the National Museum. Please note, on the day of the program tickets can be purchased with cash only.

All screenings will be at the Democracy Forum in the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. The building is located at 111 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (directly across the National Museum’s courtyard).

Check the festival site at janm.org/events/2008/idfilmfest for more information and program schedule.

Relive history and learn about present-day Little Tokyo with National Museum docents.

$8 Members; $13 non-members, includes Museum admission. Comfortable walking shoes and clothes recommended. Weather permitting.

Enjoy free general admission for you and a guest to hundreds of museums and cultural venues nationwide."

How?
Present the Museum Day admission card to receive free general admission at participating Museum Day locations. The admission card is available in the September 2008 issue of Smithsonian magazine or downloadable via this site.

The following Museum Day restrictions apply: One time use on September 27, 2008 unless otherwise specified. Card must be presented for free general admission. Admission Card will be collected upon entry. General admission only. Does not include entry to special exhibits or IMAX screenings. Admission Card is good for general admission for you plus one guest. One Admission Card per household. Not for use with any other offer. No rain checks. Some participating museums may already have a free admission policy year round and are participating in the "spirit" of the day.

Museums and cultural venues participate in Museum Day voluntarily. Smithsonian magazine encourages museum visitation, but is not responsible for individual museum content or participation. Visit www.smithsonian.com/museumday for more details.

A new festival dedicated to contemporary digital films that explore and celebrate identity crisis in our diverse Asian/Pacific Islander community.

GONE SHOPPING: The Los Angeles premiere of Gone Shopping -- a satirical Singaporean feature film about the unique world of Singaporean shopping malls.

Free for Japanese American National Museum members; $5 for non-members for each program. We recommend purchasing tickets in advance by calling 213-625-0414 or visiting the visitor center at the National Museum. Please note, on the day of the program tickets can be purchased with cash only.

All screenings will be at the Democracy Forum in the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. The building is located at 111 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (directly across the National Museum’s courtyard).

Check the festival site at janm.org/events/2008/idfilmfest for more information and program schedule.

A new festival dedicated to contemporary digital films that explore and celebrate identity crisis in our diverse Asian/Pacific Islander community.

NON/FICTION: Brings together four shorts that tread the boundary of fiction and non fiction.

Free for Japanese American National Museum members; $5 for non-members for each program. We recommend purchasing tickets in advance by calling 213-625-0414 or visiting the visitor center at the National Museum. Please note, on the day of the program tickets can be purchased with cash only.

All screenings will be at the Democracy Forum in the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. The building is located at 111 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (directly across the National Museum’s courtyard).

Check the festival site at janm.org/events/2008/idfilmfest for more information and program schedule.