January 9 18, 2009 the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) put on FOB II: Art Speaks and I was on the expansive list of artists... and damn proud of it. There was controversy over a certain diptych art piece which ended with extremists in the Vietnamese community labeling VAALA (a non-profit arts organization) as "Communist."
http://bolsavik.com/2009/01/fobii-closed-early/
I have been on the board of VAALA for a few years now and it is orgs like VAALA & Club O' Noodles that has inspired me to be a community leader, to reach out to older generation - bridge the gap - to heal our community through art and dialogue.
So when I sat on the table at the Press Conference where we announced the early closing of the exhibit with Tram Le, Lan Duong, Ysa Le, and Thu-Huong Nguyen-Vo, I felt my heart breaking as angry protesters shouted "Đả đảo VAALA!" "Đả đảo Ysa Lê!" "Đả đaỏ Vũ Quí Hạo Nhiên"... and at one point "đả đảo" Ysa's late father, founder of VAALA. That was SO not cool. At the same time I felt proud to be part of such strong women and artists.
Why put so much power to these symbols? The Communist flag, Ho Chi Minh's figure... it's all about the context. I know there were MANY atrocities during the war. Hell, I'm 2nd generation -- my parents and grandparents lived through it all. The pysches are forever affected and we deal with it with each passing year.
How can we heal and love again when the extremists just want us to turn our heads and never talk about such things. By "talking" I mean really discussing and understanding. NOT yelling and screaming about how much we hate the Communists.
We closed early and Taylur Thu Hien Ngo, AnhDao Le Do and I (Mai Piece) never got a chance to host our open mic, "One Mic". But we postponed it. And we held an intimate One Mic a couple weeks later on Feb. 7, 2009.
I hope you enjoy my performance. I put all my heart into it. And I hope you will talk to your parents and support VAALA. http://www.vaala.org
----
words by jenni trang le
music mixy mix by thuan nguyen aka DJ 2-1
special thanks to Tram, Lan, Ysa, Thu-Huong, Ann
In the night I overheard them talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road
They lost their souls to a war so heartless.
Refugees of Art
We knew before we started the challenges of reason
Bringing vision to grey seasons of change
In a community ironically bound by oppression and scare tactics
That have left wounds traumatized and reactive
We chose to open our eyes and speak
Wax dialogue and move beyond the surface of symbols
That wield too much power in this hour of Hope.
[ START MUSIC MIX #1 HEARTLESS ]
How could you be so heartless?
At the gallery, i told a woman, its not black and white
And she said, yes it is.
And it silenced me
Made me feel 8 years old again
When my mother said because I said so
And I had no defense.
When I asked what the Viet Nam war was
And my family said, Đừng có lo... cứ học giỏi mẹ thương...
Just focus on the future success of material wealth
The American Dream.
Turn your head, instead.
The community extremists eyes blaze
In a furious haze
Their tunneled rage
Incites mob mentalities
Leaving no insight into healing
Or dealing.
Lets mix it up, shall we?
Several vulgarities were left on the voicemail machines of co-curators Lan & Tram
[ START & SCRATCH VULGAR VOICEMAIL MESSAGES ]
Đả Đảo Cục Cức
Down With the Shit
You can call us names
Seek fame from exploiting slander-made drama.
But I will not cower into submissive, dutiful, gendered, abiding citizenship.
Down with that shit.
We will extend our hands
If youre willing to unclench your fists,
Start healing this communal heartbreak
Because like it or not, we come from the same bloodied history,
Despite birthright, motherland, father tongue
And Im standing here wanting to understand you but
Until you understand me
We cannot stand in peace.
I will fight you with the strongest weapon in my lyrical arsenal:
Love. Tình Cảm.
Acceptance. Chấp Nhận.
Knowledge. Kiến Thức.
Empathy. Thông Cảm.
[ START MUSIC MIX #2 HEAL THE WORLD ]
Tụi em sẻ thương, ủng hộ cộng đòng tới cái lúc mà tang nác tất cả...
SING ALONG!
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a better day, so lets start giving
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42:21
Talk Vietnam - Vietnamese - American Literature Bridgeby tienganhcaptoc15,196 views
con ngua- do di
con cho cai khong biet xau
cut me may xuong di
may lam tao xau ho cho may
ve du thang bo may di roi quay lai day noi nua
con suc vat!!!
umakemyday2003 1 week ago
This is B.S
bobistykristy 2 years ago
Thank you for this.
sinceritysf 2 years ago
GREAT JOB Jenni!
anhoi123 2 years ago