Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

SHORT TAKES: African film festival shatters attendance record

Photos and story by James Hill

The 16th Cascade Festival of African Films attracted more than 1,200 viewers to its opening weekend, which is more than 800 for the Friday night shows at the Kennedy School and nearly 400 on Saturday for the two films at Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus. The numbers are a new attendance record for an opening weekend for the film festival. PCC President Preston Pulliams was on hand to welcome the audience to the first program on Friday evening, and Cascade President Algie Gatewood was there for the next show on Saturday. Both talked to the guests and linked the goals of the festival with the overall mission of Portland Community College to serve and inform the community.The Saturday films were followed by discussions led by individuals from the region. After showing, "Darwin’s Nightmare," the discussion featured Vincent Chiriwami of Congo, who lived for several years in the Lake Victoria region depicted in that film."And he helped us to understand the disruptive forces that are driving individuals to move from traditional farming to the booming export fishing industry on the lake," said film festival organizer Michael Dembrow.The discussion of the Nigerian film, "Heritage," was led by two men from that country, the artist Mufu Ahmed and a former-Olympian (and current accountant for New Seasons) named Adeh."They were able to comment quite cogently on the irrevocable cultural loss that ensues when traditional artifacts are removed from their country and acquired by Western museums (which is the central source of conflict in the film)," Dembrow said.For more information on the upcoming schedule, please visit the official Web site: African Film FestivalTubman Choir visits Cascade CampusOn Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. speaker Wilbert Hardy and the Tubman Middle School Choir will perform at the Cascade Campus dining hall. The event will feature inspiring words and music as well as soul food.Auto Tech looking for a few good carsThe Automotive Technology Department is looking for cars again. They are currently making a list of autos that need brake and clutch work. If you have a car that needs that kind of work, the program can save you a lot of money. The program does not charge labor for the jobs, just parts. The one draw back is that you have to leave your car for several days so the student can do the repairs. To sign up, please have your name, year of car, make and model, type of repair and a phone number ready. To get started, call Brent Fuller, instructional support technician for the program, at 503-614-4901.Laundry basket drive a successThanks to staff and faculty who supported the Sylvania Women’s Resource Center’s Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance Laundry Basket Project. Donations totaled more than $1,500 in cash and products. As a result, students were able to create fifty laundry baskets of household products and personal hygiene items for women and children who are survivors of domestic violence. The baskets were donated to El Programa Hispano, a culturally specific resource for the Latino community. Congrats to all!Rock Creek hosts open forums with new presidentPlease plan to attend the monthly faculty and staff open forums. The hour-long forums give staff and faculty the opportunity to share ideas and hear suggestions as well as concerns with new Campus President Katherine Persson. The schedule is flexible to allow all Rock Creek staff to have an opportunity to attend at least one.The forums are 3 to 4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 16 in Room 114, Building 3; 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 8 in the Forum of Building 3; 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 12 in the Forum of Building 3; and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., Thursday, May 11 in the Forum of Building 3. New Rock Creek childcare director hiredSonya Lynn Stevens has been selected to be the next director of childcare and head teacher at the Rock Creek Campus. Stevens had been at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., where for the last five years she has been a faculty member in the college’s Family Life Department, helping to support and educate parents enrolled in their Child and Family Studies Program. She has vast experiences in learning labs for Early Childhood Education and has the needed management skills to operate a Child Care Center. Congrats to Sonya!