Dmae profiles guitarist and singer Parfait Bassale who is about to debut his new EP of original songs. Originally from West Africa, Bassale weaves joyous guitar melodies with his intricate vocals. He often sings about his experiences and introspections of immigrant dreams and daily life. Bassale performs live and debuts some of his new songs on the EP. He also tells about the Columbe Project, his peace education program for youth.
And in the latter part of the show, we're hear a story and poetry with Dilip Sunar, a Bhutanese refugee. Both Bassale and Sunar are featured in the Migrations Arts Fair on Jan. 31st at 2:30-4pm.
(Airs 11am Tues 1/27/15 on KBOO 90.7FM and podcast later the same afternoon at StagenStudio.com.- Enjoy this preview now!)
More about Parfait Bassale:
Parfait Bassale was born in Benin in April 1981. Because his father worked for an overseas company, Parfait Bassale had migrated throughout West Africa by age 13. Among his experiences were the ostracism of being labelled a “foreigner” and the challenges of language barriers, cultural differences, and integration. As a teenager, he began using rhymes and rap music to express his frustration with society. Music became his tool for protest. Since then, his music continued to evolve. At 24, after moving to the U.S.A., he picked up a guitar and began writing songs to process and document his experience.
Parfait Bassale will be playing at the Migrations Arts Fair event. You can hear samples of his music and read more about him at http://parfaitonline.com
More about Dilip Sunar:
Dilip Sunar is a Bhutanese refugee from Nepal. Sunar along with his wife and eight children were one of a hundred thousand Bhutanese who were forced to leave Bhutan because they had a different language and culture. The Nepali-Bhutanese had been there for generations but had to take refuge in Nepal, losing their lands and property… Sunar and his family lived in little shacks without running water or much medical care until 2009. He still has difficulty walking from a broken hip that hasn’t healed right. Sunar will be reading his poetry with interpreter Suprina Koirala.
More about the Bhutanese community:
About 2,500 Bhutanese refugees currently live in Oregon. The king of Bhutan imposed the Citizenship Act of 1985, which enforced a single national culture. It required Bhutanese who were culturally Nepalese to change their clothing and cultural traditions. The government also tightened its citizenship laws. As a result, Bhutanese people of Nepalese ethnicity — many of whom had lived there for several generations — were declared illegal immigrants. Nearly one-sixth of the population, or about 100,000 people, were expelled and ended up in refugee camps
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Migrations Arts Fair event!
230- Welcome & Parfait Bassale performs
2:45 – Tongan Sewing Class
3pm- Bhutanese poet Dilip Sunar & interpreter Suprina Koirala.
3:10 - Karen Dancers
3:15- Mohammed Bader
3:30 - Linda Dalal Sawaya
3:40--Parfait Bassale Performs
4pm- Goodbye and Thanks!
Find out more at: https://www.facebook.com/MigrationsArts
- KBOO
- KBOO