CULTURE SHOCK NEWS SHOW

                         MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF THE 21^st CENTURY

 A)  Overview/Structure/Content:

 CULTURE SHOCK NEWS SHOW is about the shock of cultures coming together in our world today! Culture Shock represents the change that is thrust on someone before they’ve had time to fully absorb it and adjust. Culture Shock is about confrontation by someone or something that challenges our assumptions about who we think we are! As Alvin Toffler reflected in his book Future Shock, in 1970, “The culture shock phenomenon accounts for much of the bewilderment, frustration, and disorientation that plagues Americans in their dealings with other societies. It causes a breakdown in communication, a misreading of reality, [and] an inability to cope.”

The CULTURE SHOCK NEWS SHOW format is a one hour, 13 week series, which will focus on a particular cultural idea and explore aspects of that idea with interviews, commentaries, cin(E)poems, cultural news stories, discussions and mini-documentaries, in order to stimulate positive dialog between and within cultural groups.

The CULTURE SHOCK NEWS SHOW  target audience is the 20 -55yr age group, college educated, multicultural, women and men. We will emphasize the nature of the American society primarily in our programming and engage other nationals and indigenous peoples in a dialog about the changing nature of cultural identity and its significance.

The goal of CULTURE SHOCK NEWS SHOW is to establish an intelligent and practical format for discussions about culture. It is our intent to feature discussions, which are provocative rather than controversial, thoughtful rather than abusive, positive rather than negative. It is our belief that here in America it is particularly important that we understand the different cultures at work in our society today because the future of living on this planet requires that we all learn to understand each other’s traditions and cultures.

 B)    Background Information

 The CULTURE SHOCK NEWS SHOW (CSN) through its production company, Quilombo Enterprises ICM, has been continuously broadcasting in the Bay Area, since 1992 at Peralta Community TV (PCTV) Laney College, Oakland, California. 

CSN  has evolved over the past 10 years, from a studio-based talk/interview show; to a poetry performance, documentary, social commentary, dance and music performance-based news magazine.

CSN has featured prominent local artists like, John Santos, Opal Palmer Adisa, and Piri Thomas.

CSN recorded and broadcast a lecture by Dr. Cornel West called “The Souls of Black Folks; the video “La Promisa” about the annual celebration of St. Lazarus in Cuba; and the historical documentary “HMS Windrush”, the story of the first Jamaican immigrants to Great Britain in 1948. In the last few years in collaboration with the National Poetry Association, Inc. and its video archives promoted through Literary Television (LTV),

CSN  has emphasized performance poetry. Because of this association with the NPA/LTV and access to their video archive of over 500 cin(e)poems, prominent local Slam poets have been broadcast on my show, as have international video poet performances. 

CSN’s mantra is “Changing the World through Poetry” because we believe poetry is the last refuge of the individual in our society today.

 C)        Mission Statement & Vision:

 ·         To provide a forum where the people of the world can express their thoughts and feelings about their vision for the 21^st century.

·         To facilitate the integration of diverse cultures into the host country of their choice.

·         To provide a forum where conflicts resolution between and within cultures can take place.

·         To entertain and enlighten through poetry performance and individual creative expression.

·         To change the world through poetry.