12:00-12:45 Shona Traditions of Zimbabwe: Mbira dzeMuninga members,  Tonderai Ndava and Peacheson Ngoshi, will present the deep understanding of Shona spirituality and customs.  They will cover everyday life from birth, to marriage, and to death, as well as what happens in traditional ceremonies.  These topics come to life with stories about families, children and life in Zimbabwe. (Next performance at the African Village at 2:45 pm, Amphitheater at 4:15 pm )

1:00-1:45 Mexican Indigenous Culture: Willan Cervantes MAIS is an active participant in the Aztec traditional community for the last 13 years and with Azteca circle, has been  part of the World Beat celebration for the past 4 years.  With an educational background in Philosophy and Anthropology,Willan’s presentation exposes Aztec cosmology and the construction of the Meso American world view and how it plays a role today. He will also explain the ritual significance behind the Aztec dance.

2:00-2:45 Japanese Koto: This unique instrument is a thirteen-string plucked zither with a movable bridge under each string. It was introduced to Japan from China through the Korean peninsula in the 16th or 17th century.

3:00-3:45 Introduction to Hula: Hawaiian born Kumu Leilani Beymer introduces us to the traditional Hula dances of Hawaii. Learn the difference between Kahiko and Auwana.  Learn to do basic hula steps, basic hand positions and a simple hula. Aloha!

4:00-4:45 Bhutanese Culture and Spirituality: Venerable Lama Karma Namgyel,   trained in the monastic tradition in the Drukpa Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism will share the traditions and spirituality of Bhutan, the “Last Shangrila” and “Home
of Gross National Happiness”

5:00-5:45 Cultural Photo Documentary: Phil Decker shares photographs from his recent documentary photography projects, and discusses how images are composed, edited, and used for diversity education. Phil is a local elementary school principal. He also studied at the International Center of Photography in NYC.

6:00-7:00 Improv around the World: Capitol City Theater at the Reed Opera House brings us Improv Comedy and proves that humor is an international language.  Founder ChipConrad is recently returned from a successful humanitarian trip to Berat, a 2,400 year old cityin Albania.

7:00-8:00 Misplaced Tropics: A Salem Ukulele Quartet presents a demonstration and performance with the “uke,” a small guitar-like instrument.  The ukulele originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian interpretation of a small guitar-like instrument brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants. It gained great popularity in the United States during the early 20th century, and from there spread internationally.

Sunday, June 26 

11:00-12:00 Gandhi Symposium: Mahatma Gandhi's "Wit and Humor" is the topic of the 26th Annual Gandhi symposium hosted by INDUS, (India-US) Friendship Association. Panelists will include Mark Babson and John Roy Wilson. The presentation will end with 5 minutes of, "Laughing Yoga" with audience participation.              

12:30-1:15 Indonesian Shadow Puppets: Wayang Kulit is the traditional shadow puppet theater of Indonesia. The puppets are intricately carved out of water buffalo hide and mounted on control rods made of buffalo horn. The characters and stories are taken from the ancient Hindu epic poems Ramayan' and Mahabharata. Performances are accompanied by gamelan, the traditional percussion orchestra of Indonesia.