West celebrates East at festival

Do you enjoy tea? Do you appreciate the beauty of a wild stallion? Do you like money? Have you ever used toilet paper? Then you have the entire eastern half of the world to thank.\nNo need to buy a card or a fruit basket. IU is celebrating the achievements of the peoples of Central Eurasia with a free day-long event of music, discussion, food and living at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre Saturday.\nFrom 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the theater will host a variety of musicians, artists and artifacts from the lands of China, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran and the rest of the Central Eurasian world.\nDr. Shahyar Daneshgar, research associate for the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center, is one of coordinators for the events and speaks of the need to explore the cultures of this part of the planet, now more than ever in this time of conflict.\n"We all have the same needs," he said. "We enjoy music, education and good food. It's a part of being human beings. Unfortunately, politics have obscured what we'd like to learn."\nThis weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the Central Eurasian Concert and Art Exhibits with the program entitled, "Silk Road: A Cultural and Musical Journey." In the same vein as Bloomington's Lotus Festival -- in which Daneshgar is a co-founder -- the day's festivities hope to broaden understanding of these cultures by reveling in the same joys that they do.\nThe day will begin with a Meet the Artists Forum presented by the ECHO World Music Institute, in which several of the performers who will preform later in the evening will be available to answer questions, demonstrate their instruments and discuss their cultural background. This portion is particularly geared towards the younger members of the community who will have opportunities for some hands-on interaction.\nIn addition to the morning activities, there will be an artifacts exhibit of the celebrated countries. Among those will be an exhibit by artist and Columbus College of Art and Designs Professor Jahanagir Pirasteh. His work involves the interpretation of mystical and Sufi imagery that is found in the eastern and Islamic literatures. \nPirasteh said though his art is related to Sufi, his intention is to produce wholly original pieces.\n"I try to use the ideas of Sufi friendship, dance, life and beauty to provide a background for my own ideas," he said. "It lends philosophy to the poetry of my work."\nPirasteh will also be holding a lecture Friday at 7 p.m. in Ballantine Hall 013 concerning his work entitled, "Saghinameh -- Serving the Wine."\n"The 'wine' is a loaded metaphor," Daneshgar said. "It represents the Sufi's intense love of God."\nThe evening will culminate with a musical performance beginning at 3 p.m. On the bill of performers are: Megan Weeder, student of renowned violinist Ahmed Mukhtar; Tana Baum, a Mongolian dancer who has worked throughout the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, Japan and the U.S.; and vocalist Talant Mawkhanuli will be entertaining among many other talented performers. \nThe program will be held off campus for the first time since its conception for dual reasons. The first is to house more participants, and the second is to try to unify the city and University. \nDaneshgar said this doubly emphasizes the purpose of the celebration. Just as students and Bloomington residents are members of the same city, so too are easterners and westerners members of the same world.