Sugar skull for the Day of the Dead

MEDIA RELEASE
10 October 2008

Welcome
Celebrate Wellington Access Radio programmes and their communities

An altar, a kitchen and a caravan are all part of the Welcome exhibition at the Museum of Wellington which celebrates the vibrant contribution Wellington Access Radio makes to local communities.

Welcome embraces the role this radio station plays in allowing these diverse communities to have a strong voice. Welcome features a different radio programme each month with displays, events and festivities and throughout the exhibition 783 Access AM will broadcast from a caravan located within the Museum.

Commencing on 1 November, Oye Latino! will provide visitors with the opportunity to experience an important part of Latin American culture with the celebration of the Day of the Dead or All Saints Day – where life is celebrated by honouring the dead. One of the first Oye Latino! events will be a workshop on Sunday 2 November from 2pm – 6pm where visitors will be able to honour a friend or loved one by contributing to a community altar. This altar will be decorated with sugar skulls and marigold flowers in association with the belief that spirits briefly return to earth in order to maintain a connection with the living and re-experience the sensory world.

Chicano artist Willie Franco says the skulls are not intended to be ghoulish or scary. “Death is not regarded as being separate from life and these symbols are linked to the cycle of life and death which is what we are celebrating”. At 7pm those interested can partake in a Day of the Dead procession which will gather at the Museum and proceed to Flying Burrito Brothers and Happy.

Throughout November, the Museum will host events from different Latin American communities. On Saturday 8 November a workshop on Clo Mudrik Capoeira , Samba and percussion from 1.30pm – 4.30pm gives an introduction into this playful combination of Brazilian martial arts, music and dance. This is followed by a Cuban Tango dance demonstration and Trova singer performance on Sunday 9 November by Trio Tango and Roberto Rodriguez beginning at 1.30pm. Other events include music and dance form Chile, Columbia, Peru and Argentina with poetry and short films from Mexico, Uruguay and Bolivia.

Visitors to Welcome will experience sights and sounds unique to each of the three communities. Its second instalment, the ZCO Tonga radio programme, runs from 8 December to 4 January 2009 and highlights the role of the church in this Tongan community. Welcome concludes with a vibrant display from the Indian Community Programme which focuses on food and hospitality in the kitchen and home environment, 12 January to 8 February 2009.

Wellington Access Radio has become an important way for many community groups to unite, celebrate their cultures and discuss their issues and Welcome offers viewers an insight into the dynamic people and audiences behind each programme.

Welcome – celebrate Wellington Access Radio programmes and their communities
1 November – 8 February
Museum of Wellington
Queens Wharf
Phone 04 472 8904
www.musemofwellington.co.nz
Open Daily, 10am – 5pm
FREE ENTRY

ENDS

The Museum of Wellington City & Sea is a Wellington Museums Trust institution and receives major funding from the Wellington City Council.

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