Motherland Cultural Connections, curator of unique Afro-centric cultural experience, will perform at Hope College on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 4 p.m. in the Maas Center auditorium.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The “Motherland House Concert: Elimu Experience” has been organized by the college’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Pan-African Student Association (PASA). “Elimu” translates from Swahili as “education,” and the performance includes dance, singing or drumming lessons bringing together immigrant and refugee creatives and the audience.
After the presentation, the event will move across the street to the Kruizenga Art Museum for a short reception to celebrate the opening of the “Parallels: A Big Read Exhibition,” which was organized to complement the 2023 Hope College NEA Big Read Lakeshore program.
Motherland Cultural Connections provides a platform for immigrants of Afro-heritage, engaging their skills and talents, and services that are culturally competent and useful to their communities and its organizations. The organization aims to create a safe space for the members of the community to come together through music, food and education to learn about each other, thereby destroying negative stereotypes. More information about Motherland Cultural Connections can be found online at motherlandculturalconnections.com
This year’s NEA Big Read Lakeshore is featuring the book “Homegoing,” by Ghanaian-American Yaa Gyasi. The novel tells the stories of two related Black families, one in Africa and one in America, from the time of the slave trade to the present day.
Inspired by the structure of the book, the “Parallels” exhibition at the Kruizenga Art Museum juxtaposes six pairs of artworks by African and African American artists that reflect some important recurring themes from the text, including cultural pride, creativity, courage and resilience. Although the paired artworks in the exhibition are not historically related, they were selected for sharing intellectual and aesthetic resonances that amplify appreciation of both the artworks and the novel. All of the artworks in the exhibition belong to the Kruizenga Art Museum’s Permanent Collection. The exhibition will run through Saturday, Dec. 16. Admission is free.
The 10th annual NEA Big Read Lakeshore is running from Monday, Oct. 30, through Tuesday, Nov. 21, and is exploring topics such as identity and belonging, family and ancestry, racism and resilience, societal change and hope. Along with the Big Read selection, the program includes books for younger readers. The Little Read Lakeshore for children is featuring the picture book “Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem,” by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long. For middle readers, the program is featuring the graphic novel “New Kid,” by Jerry Craft and “The Door of No Return,” by Kwame Alexander. New this year, a Mini Read Lakeshore, for children birth-age 5 is featuring “The More We Get Together,” by Celeste Cortright. More information is available at bigreadlakeshore.com
The Nov. 7 event is being co-sponsored by the college’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the Pan-African Student Association, the Kruizenga Art Museum, The Big Read and the GROW Diversity Council.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar
The Maas Center is located at 264 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets.
The Kruizenga Art Museum is located at 271 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets. Public visiting hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the museum is always free. More information is available at hope.edu/kam