DOWNEAST DIARY II

Lesley MacVane serves up a second helping of her Downeast Diary. This past summer Lesley took a two week boat trip from Portland and brought along her video camera to shoot a diary of her trip. Perhaps seeing the places she visited and people she met will inspire you to take a journey of your own.

NEW ORLEANS

Last spring Bill Gregory returned to New Orleans with a group of volunteers making their second trip to help rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Bill also brought along a video camera and captured not only the physical journey to Louisiana but also the personal journey of those who made the trip. While the volunteers learned about the people of New Orleans they also learned a great deal about themselves. Bill and his group plan to return to the city this spring and his story reminds us of how far the people there have come…and how far they still have to go.

OSCAR MOKEME

USA Today recently named Portland among its “10 great towns with international flair,” thanks, at least in part, to the Museum of African Culture on Brown Street

‘To find this rich mixture of African communities emerge in the Rockwell-esque images of Portland is to rediscover a city that is rediscovering itself’ Hear Senegalese drummers or watch Nigerian films at this museum. Last spring Lesley MacVane sat down with museum director Oscar Mokeme and talked about his journey from Nigeria to the streets of Portland and what he hopes to accomplish with his museum.