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Asian Cultural Events in New Orleans & Louisiana

May is Asian Heritage Month!!!

In New Orleans, the Asian/Pacific American Society (APAS) has lined up many activities recognizing May 2008 as Asian Heritage month.

Please join in the following activities:

Storytelling to Nurture Language and Culture
Thursday, May 8, 2008, 6-8 pm
Goldring Woldenberg Hall I, Room 151, Tulane University, New Orleans
(near corner of MacAllister Place and Freret Street)
Please RSVP with APAS at apasnola@gmail.com

APAS is honored to bring Ajaan (professor) Wajuppa Tossa, who is professor at the Mahasarakham University in Northeast Thailand. Ajaan Wajuppa Tossa will be putting on a workshop to provide information about the Mahasarakham University Storytelling Project, its objectives, methods, achievements, and present and future plans. It will include a PowerPoint presentation, samples of Thai and Lao storytelling and story-theater used in the project, and sharing of the participants. The workshop promises enjoyment in listening to and telling stories, and everyone sharing their own experiences of using folktales and storytelling for cultural preservation in their own contexts.

Storytelling for Early Childhood Audiences
Saturday, May 10, 2008, 1-3 pm
Cabildo, Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans
(left side when facing St Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square)
Please RSVP with APAS at apasnola@gmail.com

This workshop introduces a variety of short and simple stories appropriate for children. The audience will enjoy listening to and participating in lively and fun stories, mostly from Thailand and Lao.

Ajaan Wajuppa is a well-known storyteller and the author of several books, including Phadaeng Nang Ai: A Translation of a Thai/Isan Folk Epic in Verse; Phya Khankhaak: A Translation of an Isan Fertility Myth into English Verse, and Lao Folktales. This will be a fun afternoon for kids of all age and cultural background. There will also be art activities and balloon making for children.

Screening of movie Journey From The Fall
Friday, May 16, 2008, 6 pm
Cabildo, Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans
(left side when facing St Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square)
Please RSVP with APAS at apasnola@gmail.com to accommodate for space.
Director Ham Lam and community members will be available for a discussion session.

From refugees to evacuees – the struggle of Southeast Asians on the Gulf Coast from 1975-2005. Was escape from the war different from escape from Katrina?

Inspired by true stories of Vietnamese refugees who fled their land after the fall of Saigon – and those who were forced to stay behind – Journey From The Fall follows one family's struggle for freedom. This movie powerfully illustrates the refugee/immigrant experience of leaving a war-torn country and starting a new life in a foreign land.

Religions Practiced by Asians in New Orleans
Saturday, May 24, 2008, 1-4 pm
Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp Street at Julia Street
Please RSVP with APAS at apasnola@gmail.com to accommodate for space.

Learn about religions practiced by Asian communities in the New Orleans area. Leaders from multiple facets of religious leaders will talk about their religion and experiences of maintaining their practices in a post-Katrina environment.

See pictures of the 2008 Asian Heritage Festival
On Saturday, April 19th, Silk Road Collection and 500 other vendors, volunteers, and community leaders made the Asian Heritage Festival possible.
Click here to view Anh Nguyen's pictures of the Asian Heritage Festival.