Refugee Archives

Music on The Move

May 8, 2023/in CWM News/by Monica Emery

Music on the Move is a special FREE event series that explores the role of music, dance, and other performative arts in San Diego’s vibrant and diverse refugee, asylee, and migrant communities.* Our events showcase the inspiring stories of individuals and groups who have left their homelands due to political and religious persecution, war, climate change, human rights violations, hunger, financial hardship, and other challenges.

Musical Journey (RSVP Required)
Saturday, June 3, 2023, @ 2 PM at Mingei International Museum

Border Stories
Saturday, June 10, 2023, @ 2 PM at the Front Arte Cultura Gallery in San Ysidro

Strength in Community
Saturday, June 17, 2023, @ 2 PM at the City Heights Performing Annex

Drawing on the research methods of ethnomusicology, we focus on the experiences of diaspora communities as they navigate their new home and strive to preserve their cultural values. Our events provide a platform for cultural communities to share their stories through music, dance, and other forms of artistic expression.

Since June 2022, Pablo Dodero and Monica Emery have reached into San Diego’s diverse communities to identify and have conversations with musicians and dancers. Through countless interviews, they explored the vital role of the performing arts in recreating a sense of home and belonging.

By providing a space for communities to speak about their experiences and ways of honoring their heritage, we aim to honor their desire to cultivate new narratives around their identities. After identifying cross-cutting themes and similarities among certain groups, we have planned an event series that amplifies the voices of these individuals and communities and strengthens the ties among them.

We are excited to present a series of three events on June 3, 10, and 17 in recognition of World Refugee Day (June 20) and World Music Day (June 21). Join us for an unforgettable experience featuring live music and dance performances, testimonials, and thought-provoking discussion panels with community members and artists.

Come and be part of the celebration as we honor the rich cultural diversity of San Diego’s refugee, asylee, and migrant communities through the power of music and the performing arts.

Project Coordinator: Pablo Dodero

This program was made possible by the City of San Diego, the Commission for Arts and Culture, the Peacemakers Fund, U.S. Congress Member Juan Vargas, Julie and Matt Harelson, Larry Cohen, and Tim Paradise.

*Amnesty International defines refugee, asylum seeker, and migrant as terms used to “describe people who are on the move, who have left their countries and have crossed borders.” For more information, please visit www.amnesty.org.

Music on the Move: Strength in Community

June 17, 2023/in CWM Events, SDCAC-Supported Event/by Monica Emery

Featuring Community Artists Representing

Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Burma (Myanmar), and Mariana Islands (Guam, Saipan, Tinian & Rota)

Cost: Free

The final event of Music on the Move presents performers from five communities based in San Diego that use music and dance to preserve their cultural heritage. The program includes a musical ensemble directed by Prof. Supeena Adler representing the Thai-Lao and Cambodian communities of San Diego and featuring traditional instruments and dance. The Karen Organization of San Diego will present the traditional dance of the Karen people of Burma (Myanmar). And the Chamorro community, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, will be represented by community members and live performances by the Island Mist and Imahen Taotao Tano Dancers.

Thailand, Laos, & Cambodia

Community Coordinator Supeena Insee Adler is a trained ethnomusicologist and an accomplished Thai musician. Raised in Northeast Thailand, near the Laos and Cambodian borders, she is fluent in Lao and Thai. She is currently an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Ethnomusicology at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where–in addition to directing the Music of Thailand Ensemble–she serves as their world music instrument curator. Professor Adler has curated Thai music and dance events in Southern California with artists from North America and Thailand and performed in venues across the U.S.

She holds a Ph.D. in music (ethnomusicology) and an M.A. in Southeast Asian studies from UC Riverside. She earned her B.F.A. in Thai classical music from Mahasarakham University, Thailand. For nearly two decades, she has volunteered to teach traditional Thai music at the Thai Buddhist Temple of San Diego, where she performs regularly.

Burma (Myanmar)

Karen Organization of San Diego (KOSD) is committed to the educational and social enhancement of various ethnic minority groups from Burma who reside in San Diego, California.

Burma (known today as Myanmar) is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, including eight main ethnic groups and more than 130 distinctive subgroups. However, today about half a million refugees are forced to live in neighboring and nearby countries such as Thailand, Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia. Some have been in the refugee camps for more than 30 years.

The United States has resettled more than 12,000 refugees from Burma, including Karen, Karenni, Chin, Kachin, Shan, Mon, and Burmese peoples. The number of refugees from Burma has dramatically increased since 2007. In 2010, out of 73,000 total refugees admitted to the U.S., about 22% were refugees from Burma. Accordingly, the number of those who resettled in San Diego has also kept increasing; to date, more than 2,100 refugees from Burma have resettled in San Diego.

Mariana Islands (Guam, Saipan, Tinian & Rota)

Imåhen Taotao Tåno’, which means Images of the People of the Land, has a mission to preserve and perpetuate the CHamoru culture through various community services and events. It was established in 1999 by Tribal Council Member Rosemary Mantanoña, who the Guam Legislature recognizes as a Fafa’nå’gue or Certified CHamoru Cultural Practitioner.

In 2022, Imåhen Taotao Tåno’ became a guma’ (cultural home) under Pa’a Taotao Tåno’, an honor bestowed on 14 recognized Certified CHamoru Cultural Practitioners in the Marianas, Japan, and the United States by First Master of CHamoru Dance, Saina Frank Rabon. Guma’ Imåhen Taotao Tåno’ strives to be a nurturing home for its members to acquire lifelong skills while learning the CHamoru culture to carry on for future generations.

Imåhen Taotao Tåno’ members receive training in CHamoru singing, chanting, dancing, and weaving skills. They also gain knowledge of their history and language, an understanding of the values of inafa’maolek, and a sense of reciprocity and respect for the continuing legacy of the land’s indigenous people. By sharing a glimpse of their rich history and vibrant culture through songs, dance, and chants, audiences awaken to a time of their creation and continued existence.

Community Coordinator Roseann Janice (Waller) Bouffiou is of the Lujan (Bitoot) family and Flores (Katson) clans. Now residing in San Diego, she was born and raised in Guam. Her parents, Rosa Flores Lujan Waller and Albert W. Waller played a founding role in establishing the territory’s tourism industry. Janice’s grandfather, Mariano LG Lujan, was a Chamorro blacksmith who passed on the culturally important practice of blacksmithing to generations of his family. In 1974 Janice won the title of Miss Guam International. She considers herself a lifetime ambassador for the Chamorro culture.

Janice has had careers in the Navy, the airline industry, and real estate. At the same time, she dedicated her time to promoting Chamorro cultural awareness and goodwill through the House of Chamorros, the Chamorro Optimist Club of SD, the Chamorro Hands in Education Links Unity (CHELU), Pacific Islander Festival Association (PIFA), and Sons and Daughters of Guam Club. Janice is the lead singer and guitar player of two island-style acoustic bands, Island Mist (quartet) and a 10-member group called Island Mist & Friends, performing Chamorro, Hawaiian, traditional, nostalgic, and contemporary songs. Her lifelong dedication to her homeland shows her passion and love for her people, culture, and island.

Island Mist members accompanying Janice are Lilly McDonald, Benni Benavente Schwab, and Robert Cabrera.

Songs and Stories: Refugee Artists in San Diego

November 1, 2018/in CWM News/by Lance Nelson

The San Diego Troubadour, October 2018

J. T. Moring wrote a nice piece on our June 2018 Songs and Stories: Refugee Artists in San Diego concert series for The San Diego Troubadour. Here are some excerpts:

The roots of American folk music stretch deep and wide, and indisputably tap into a myriad of worldwide cultures: bluegrass’ roots in Irish dance tunes, gospel’s in African call-and-response, Tejaño’s in German polkas, and on and on. The Center for World Music (CWM) promotes performing arts from around the world, expanding intercultural awareness and offering insights into our home-grown musical traditions.

The newest initiative at CWM is their Songs and Stories: Refugee Artists in San Diego concert series, whose inaugural season kicked off last June. Each of the three themed shows included multiple performers followed by a discussion. The first show highlighted African performers; the second featured Middle Eastern stringed instruments; the third focused on songs, stories, and drumming from Middle Eastern women. These shows gave the performers an opportunity to recreate and reconnect with the culture of the homelands they left behind. They offered local audiences a unique chance to experience unfamiliar music, created organically on the spot by regular folks. The interpersonal bonds forged through those shows have helped weave the immigrant community into the fabric of San Diego life.

These shows gave the performers an opportunity to recreate and reconnect with the culture of the homelands they left behind. They offered local audiences a unique chance to experience unfamiliar music, created organically on the spot by regular folks. The interpersonal bonds forged through those shows have helped weave the immigrant community into the fabric of San Diego life

To read more, take a look at the full article here.

For further information, see our Songs and Stories event listing, as well as this KPBS video report. Finally, there’s also a photo album for each performance.

Refugee Artists in San Diego, June 2018

August 6, 2018/in CWM News/by Lance Nelson

The Center for World Music celebrates the inaugural season of Songs and Stories: Refugee Artists in San Diego, a CWM project that bridges the distance between San Diego’s refugee population and the general the public through the performing arts.

San Diego County is known as a relocation hub for those fleeing persecution and violence. Over the past year, CWM project volunteers and staff worked with local refugee communities to identify performers and artistic leaders. We then facilitated opportunities for these artists to creatively interface with the public, allowing audiences to become immersed in the traditions, journeys, and voices of those finding refuge in San Diego. Through creative arts the CWM aimed to share refugee experiences and contributions, reduce the social distance between San Diego public and its refugee communities, and encourage support of refugee communities.

During the month of June 2018, 49 musicians performed in three locations across the City of San Diego. The events, which drew large and enthusiastic audiences, were hosted by the San Diego Public Library system.

The Songs and Stories series opened on June 6 with Voices of Hope from Africa at the San Diego Central Library The event featured Matrida Boazi, the Revelation Gospel Band, and Emmanuel Adamson, with the discussion led by Delores Fisher, musician and San Diego State University lecturer.

Here’s a short video of the Voices of Hope concert.

The next event was Musicians of the Middle East on June 16 at the Logan Heights Branch Library. Featured were Fouad Sawa and the Al-Salam Ensemble, along with Dlan Dary. The discussion was led by Dr. Alex Khalil, neurocomputational ethnomusicologist and project scientist at the University of California, San Diego.

Iragi Refugee Al Salam Ensemble with Natasha Kozaily

See more of Musicians of the Middle East in this short video.

Culminating the series was Transformations Through Rhythm & Word on June 21 at the City Heights/Weingart Library and Performance Annex. The program featured storyteller Ari Honarvar, poet/songwriter Shadi Amini, and Shiffa: Refugee Women’s Drum Circle, lead by Dilkwaz Ahmed, Ari Honarvar, and Christine Stevens. The discussion was led by Vikas Srivastava, musician, author, and advocate of non-violence and social equity.

Refugee Musicians Transformation Discussion

KPBS aired a nice video on Transformations Through Rhythm & Word.

This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of California Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This project was also made possible with matching funds from the Peacemakers Fund and through a partnership with the San Diego Public Library system.

Financial support was provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

The CWM expresses sincere thanks to the San Diego Refugee Forum, the International Rescue Committee, Musical Ambassadors of Peace, UpBeat Drum Circles, License to Freedom, and San Diego Newcomers Support & Development Programs.

Ari Honarvar Transformation Through Word and Rhythm

Refugee Communities Celebrate World Music Day

June 29, 2018/in CWM News/by Lance Nelson

Evening Edition, KPBS Public Television, June 29, 2018

Please take a look at this fine KPBS video report on the CWM’s June 21, World Music Day program Songs and Stories: Transformation Through Rhythm & Word.

Refugee communities from Iran and Irag participated in this event at the City Heights/Weingart Library and Performance Annex. The event was part of the CWM’s 2018 series Songs and Stories: Refugee Artists from San Diego.

The video report was produced by Mika Kanke and Brian Meyers at Media Arts Center San Diego, with help from Speak City Heights. Thanks to them as well as to the crew at our favorite television station, KPBS, along with our friends at the San Diego Public Library.