Great World Texts 2 Welcome Event
September 22, 2009

Over 160 Students from Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, in the Bronx, High School for Dual Language and New Design High School, both in downtown Manhattan, came together for the second annual GWT Welcome Event. Gallatin Professor Vasu Varadahn gave a stirring presentation, introducing Kamala Markandaya's Nectar in a Sieve, discussing preconceptions of India and how it's imagined by the West, and commenting on clips from the influential 1957 film, Mother India. Afterward, the high school students, teachers and mentors discussed some of the themes raised by the lecture and in Markandaya’s novel.

At left: Following the presentation and the lunch, students ask questions raised in their group discussions. Photos: Aaron Berman

Patricia Echessa-Kariuki visits Gallatin
December 17, 2008

Students from Fannie Lou Hamer High School in the Bronx had been exchanging messages with students at the Rusinga School in Nairobi using BreadNet. The Great World Texts mentors, teachers, and faculty welcomed Rusinga School teacher Patricia Echessa-Kariuki for one week in New York City, where she visited with the Bronx students and exchanged with the GWT team.

At left, Meredith Bawden, teacher at Fannie Lou Hamer, with Patricia Echessa-Kariuki.

Presentation of Final Projects and Celebration
November 21, 2008

The students from Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School and Henry Street School for International Studies returned to NYU to share the projects they had been working on this semester: They performed group poems, read invented epilogues, and shared artist statements for their photographs and paintings. All the work was inspired by their reading of Weep Not, Child, the novel's characters and themes.

At left, Gallatin undergraduate mentors and high school students prepare for their presentations. Photos: Dina Gold

Great World Texts Welcome Event
September 18, 2008

Over 120 students from Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the Bronx and Henry Street School for International Studies in downtown Manhattan came together for our inaugural event. The day featured a magnetic performance by spoken word artist Bryonn Bain. Afterward, the high school students, teachers and mentors discussed some of the themes raised by the performance and in Ngugi's novel, such as the ills of racism, the complications of identity, the many forms of colonialism, and the ways in which we can creatively and effectively mend the world.

At left, Bryonn Bain performs at the 2008 welcome event. Photo: Dina Gold