This
page features the works and offerings of many different people from
a variety of walks of life. We celebrate these people, their works,
their specialties, and we include their emails and urls where possible.
If you know anyone who you feel should be included in the Wambara
Newsletter, please contact us here. Hope you enjoy this offering.
Ms.
Jendayi Brandon was raised in San Francisco, Ca. and attended Lowell
High School, graduated CCSF with AS in Electrical Electronics Engineering,
USF with a BS in Information Systems Management, and UC Berkeley
Extension with a certificate in TESL (Teaching English as a 2nd
Language). She has operated her own independent Computer Operations
consulting company and is currently employed as a computer programmer
for the Bay Area Rapid Transit district.
Jendayi
began studying West African dance in 1987. She joined the Diamano
Coura West African Dance Company, directed by Dr. Zak Diouf and
Naomi Washington Gedo. She performed in numerous productions and
assisted in costume design and construction. She has studied with
other great Master instructors from Senegal, Guinea, and Liberia.
She has danced with Iya Ile West African Dance Troupe and is currently
a member of the Bantaba Dance Ensemble, directed by Mosheh Milon,
Sr.
Through
her experience as a dancer and student of West African culture,
Jendayi was drawn to travels on the African continent. She has traveled
to Tanzania,Kenya, and Guinea and numerous times to Senegal and
The Gambia. It was during her travels to Senegal that she was introduced
to artists and craftsmen in Dakar, NGor Island, and Bangul, The
Gambia. Jendayi was so moved by the art she saw there that her appreciation
enticed her to find a way to get exposure in the U.S. for these
artisans. She partnered with local exporters to bring the high energy
W.African art, hand made furniture, baskets, and home accessories
to California. She is curating the works of art and furniture at
the Linen Life Park Avenue Gallery, Emeryville, Ca.
In the two weeks
since I wrote about the increasing isolation of Ayaan Hirsi Ali,
the Somali-born Dutch parliamentarian, her isolation has markedly
increased. Dutch courts have already required her to vacate her
home as a result of her neighbors' petition to have her evicted,
and she was on the verge of resigning her seat in the Dutch parliament
and of requesting the right of residence in the United States. But
this was not enough to satisfy her critics. A leftist news team
in the Netherlands has broadcast an item about the way in which
she had initially entered the country, and now the immigration minister
has proposed stripping her of citizenship (and thus of her seat
in parliament) as a result of the irregularities involved.
To read about her, go here.
For more about her, go here.