Newspaper Page Text
P8 The Panther
April 10, 1995
Display ‘African Pain’: Don’t Fight It, Paint It
By Gigi Barnett
Staff Writer
Two Dominican artists recently displayed their
interpretation of “African Pain” at Clark Atlanta
University.
With their collections individually titled
“Sincretismo Numinoso,” and “Zonas de Libertad,”
painters Jovanny Cruz and Jose Alejandro Pena both
agreed that Afro-Carribean and black people have
much in common.
“My paintings show brotherhood with black art,
especially African,” Pena said. “In colors and the dis
figuration of forms, my art is pain and pain is beauty.”
Cruz and Pena have both been described as possess
ing an unusual style of art interpretation. In a critical
judgement by Dominican writer Antonio Acevedo,
Cruz’s art was cited as “a label of spirituality.”
Cruz, who paints with a figurative abstract style,
said he tried to explore the small part of Dominican
and Haitian folklore.
“We have a mixed culture,” Cruz stated. “My inter
ests lie in the myths and beliefs of the Dominican peo
ple. It’s my way of finding an identity.”
Pena, also a poet, paints in an expressionistic style.
(Photo by Christian Gooden)
The works of Jovanny Cruz, and Jose
Alejandro, are also on display as part of
the noted exhibit.
He is known for combining common people with
unusual, vivid colors.
“You look for yourself in art, once you’ve found it,
you automatically discover another aspect that you
didn’t see before. Every artist really wants to express
his hidden feelings and denounce some form of injus
tice,” Pena said.
The CAU Spanish Club invited students from the
AUC to attend the opening ceremony of the exhibit.
Dr. Mervin Capeles, advisor of the Spanish
Club and author of “...salidos del u’tero “ and
“Mejunje ,” said both painters, “have an obses
sion with art and the life rhythms. They want to
validate their experiences as African.”
Capeles discovered the painters on a trip to the
Dominican Republic last year and after viewing their
work, she asked them to come to CAU.
“I wanted students to see that there were other
African experiences and different ways of expressing
those experiences. I also wanted students to under
stand that it doesn’t make anyone more or less
African,” Capeles expressed.
Later this year, the Spanish Club will accompany
the artists to the Dominican Republic. Cruz and Pena
also donated a painting from each of their collections.
The remaining paintings are on sale in the Lacy Jones
Exhibition Hall in Woodruff Library.
“I think it’s nice of them to donate their time and
paintings to us and help us out. We have worked real
hard this semester,” said Artkina Morris, president of
the Spanish Club.
Freedom Fest
Continued From PI"
coming in creates a problem for public
safety. Therefore, we need to get peo
ple out of their cars to enjoy the city.”
However, in regards to the traffic
plans, Winslow said, “I don’t want to
get into that much
at this point.”
Instead, she
informed Long- ^
Banks that a third
briefing plan
meeting about
Freedom Fest traf
fic had taken place
and referred her to
an article pub
lished three weeks
ago by the Atlanta
Constitution,
regarding traffic
plans.
Hcmcwt, Council
member Michael
Bond of District 3
said his area is
currently con
structing a plan to
close parks, such
as Mosley Park and Washington Park,
to vehicular traffic during certain
hours due to the cruising that has
occurred in the past few weekends.
“I don’t think closing the paiks is going
to solve the issue,” said Council member
Pam Alexander. Alexander suggested that
the city work with the cruising that usually
occurs in order to implement traffic plans
for Freedom Fest
While debates persisted about traf
fic plans, the question of what activi
ties the city plans to have for
Freedom Fest-goers remained.
“Other than normal events that
happen every weekend, I’m not
aware of any events where the city
comes up with any
planned events for a
private function,” said
Debi Starnes, chair of
the Atlanta Human
Resources Committee.
Starnes said that
neither students nor
private promoters
have come through the
city office with
planned events and
therefore, the city
hasn’t planned any
events.
However.
Alexander thinks the
city needs to create a
relationship with the
students. “Unless the
city does get involved
with students, we will
come up with enormous bills,” she
said.
Starnes summed up the city's
goals by saying, “The main goal is
to keep traffic moving to maintain
access to our hospitals, which was
the main life-threatening event
last year.” She added, “And to
keep the city operating the best we
can while accommodating addi
tional crowds.”
Steel Drums
Continued From P6
Drum,” a two-day pan celebration festi
val on April 28-29, which will take
place in conjunction with the 1995
CAU Spring Arts Festival that will be
held in the Trevor Arnett Quadrangle.
The program will not only consist of
pan performers but pan panelists to dis
cuss the future of the instrument as an
economic force. The renowned
Date Rape
Continued P3
University’s Counseling Center said, “It
is hard for victims to come forward and
press charges because they ask them
selves was or wasn’t it date rape.”
Boone added that some victims blame
themselves and said they often think, “I
should have been more prepared.”
Duke said many victims lose trust in
people and themselves because they
knew their attacker. And, many times
they doubt themselves because they
made the decision to go out with the per
son who raped them. “Yes, date rape
does leave emotional scaring,” Duke stat
ed.
Other problems rape victims are con
fronted with are their chances of being
infected with sexual transmitted diseases
including, HIV or AIDS. Duke said,
“HIV and AIDS are less than one per
cent, but higher on college campuses and
STD’s are 16 percent.
There are many suggestions given to
Trinidadian pan tuner, Roland Harrigin,
is one of the featured guest pan teach
ers. Vendors will also have pans and
other available products for steel bands
and individual pan tuning.
For more information, contact
Nyomba at 880-6286 or CAU’s Office
of Special Events.
prevent people from being date raped.
CAU counselor Boone said, “Be really
careful about who you go out with and
try not to put yourself in a vulnerable sit
uation. Listen to yourself, be scared,
don’t argue with yourself, trust yourself
in these situations.”
She continued, “Until women start sup
porting each other, victims are going to
continue to be afraid to come forward
about their rape. Women tell the victims,
‘You shouldn’t have invited him to your
room,’ or ‘You shouldn't have worn that
tight dress’.”
Meanwhile, Chief Harris said rape can
be prevented if the victims are able to
recognize that what could happen to
them is rape. They will then have a better
chance of getting out before any act of
rape occurs.
Any person who has been a victim of
date rape is encouraged to contact their
campus security, rape crisis center or the
police “in order to prevent a suspect from
committing date rape on someone else,”
Harris added.
Unless the city
does get
involved with
students, we
will come
up with
enormous
bills. n
-Pam Alexander
City Council Member