Do you remember what I look like?

m just shooting off a couple pics in case my family and friends don't remember me. It's been a while. With birthdays and holidays passing by, weddings, births, and other major events, I feel excited to get ready to get back to the states (7 months to go!), but still have a lot of work yet to do.

The concert series with a few songs I have written in Niger is going amazing and there was over 150 people at the show last Saturday. We were on National TV and National Radio a few times and we were requested to play again next month. Very exciting! Most of this is possible because of a connection with a French man named Phillipe Colucci who is talented in the producing arena and is intent on helping to take Nigeriens' music to the next level in the World Music genre. Really exciting times in a country where widescale promotion of professionalism and training in music is not done. I feel like we are on the cutting edge of a musical revolution here. Because every show opens with a traditional band with gourd guitars with one or two strings called "Gourmey," as well as a talking drum....this all has western influence added to it to get it in the World Music style. But then when I enter and am singing in English there are those same instruments in the background. So the first half of the show is Nigerien music with a tad of Western influence, and the second half is Western Folk/ jazzy stuff with Nigerien influence. It's cool and lots of different people are in the audience together. Pretty beautiful when tables of Japanese, AMericans, Nigeriens, French, Canadien, and other West African nations are all smooshed into a music venue together--Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Atheist, Pagans, Animist---

This month I will be working at an American Idol type event for the whole country, which sounds big but Niger has no music classes in school like the US does, and there is somewhat of a stigma against music here so there are a lot of people who will enter the contest, but it is by no means as flooded with entries like the US' American Idol. More background on Niger music: their tribal history is rich in music of many languages and styles, but since the country is 99% Muslim, there are conflicting ideas about the dangers and benefits of music. Mostly people are really respectful of my friends and I playing music and promoting professional music, but I do get some interesting comments from very religious people. We all try to respect each other and do what moves us through the world.

Anyways that will be fun. So I will be helping to train the contestants in voice basics (breathing, posture, excersizes) and then seeing them through to the competition. Also gearing up for all the projects that I listed in the last blog. Whew!

I have some interesting snippets and scraps of gingersnaps that I have been writing and observing but haven't posted. They're not really updates but little vignettes of my everydays around these parts. Have met some incredible people and now that the group of volunteers who came in right before us are leaving, we are almost like the "seniors" of our class here. It has really been a ride. Will miss those guys, good luck.

almost 8 months left

Well here it is folks, gearing up for some of my last projects in Birni N'Gaoure as well as the capital in Niamey. But first, here is some amazing news from Pangea the music and dance exchange that we held last May in Niger:

I just wanted to share how overjoyed I am with the progress of this program which started out as Pangea. With Pangea II coming in May of this year, it will surely be an even bigger event. New Peace Corps volunteers are involved in the planning process this year, so we hope that this will remain an annual event for years to come. In addition to the songwriting class with the young girls and professional music exchange, we will plan on adding a new theatre and hip hop/rap element. Wow! so exciting. Thanks to all for support and hard work.
Ginger

Here are the results of Pangea's partnership with Manhattan Theatre Source in New York Cityand Voices of Africa:

Pangea of last May created by Ginger O'Neill, Michele Stoner, and Sheena Washington had a songwriting class component for young girls that gave the girls an opportuntity to write and sing about topics including: positive role models, challenges in school, HIV/AIDS, and other life situations.

Their songs were then translated by Ginger and Suomo in Birni and sent to a Theatre Company in New York City called Manhattan Theatre Source, which in turn held a well-received fund-raising performance for the Young Girls Scholarship Program. Fiona Jones, Lanie Zipoy, and Attonia Pettiford made the vison become a reality States' side.

A finalist in American Idol was in the performance and the New York girls performed their stories of racism, love, weight issues, crime and dreams alongside the Nigerien songs (performed as monologues). The New York Times, among other news sources in NY, highlighted the story.

Manhattan Theatre Source raised a significant amount of school supplies which they will be sending to Niger. The performance also raised $2,000, directly benefitting the The Young Girls' Scholarship Program which include the Nigerien participants' peers and fellow struggling students. In this way, their words are helping their own country's young women to challenge themselves to a higher level of education. The money will go toward scholarships that help buy school supplies, uniforms, and living money for food, soap, and sometimes rent.


We will definitely continue this partnership in May 2008, and will expand on the original idea.
We can't wait for the next go!



Other upcoming events:

FEBRUARY

*Starting work on a successful women's book that highlights women in Niger who have become successful and sharing these stories with young women in Middle and Highschool

MARCH

*HIV/AIDS day in my village with theatre, film, and sensibilization aspects for my community

APRIL

*Month long English festival

MAY

*Pangea II in Niamey--Our American/Nigerien music and dance exchange comes again! one full week of exchange including traditional/folk music on Monday, Jazz/Blues on Tuesday, Rap/HipHop/Reggae on Wednesday, and theatre on Thursday. The young girls will come on the weekend this time and spend all day Saturday and Sunday taking dance, music, theatre, and life skills classes.

JULY

*Pangea in Birni N Gaoure
-working with local musicians and bringing in professionals from the capital as well as working with the radio station to increase awareness of music as a profession and what goes into it.
-youth classes in dance, singing, acting, drawing, small business training, and Zarma literacy

*Series of concerts throughout the next few months with Niger and international musicians in Niamey, the capital as well as other region.

*Series of ongoing radio interviews with music professionals to be used in radio emmisions

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Here is the lowdown:This experience is seriously flying by and I am really sad to see some of the people who came here before I did in the Peace Corps community leave before I do. But I have been having such a good time and despite a slightly dramatic fall off of a low bridge into sand I am doing great and loving life. Just because I haven't written in a while doesn't mean I don't miss you guys. As much as I love it here, can't wait to come back and see all y'all again.

Lots of Love,
Ginger