Traditions: Ohio Heritage Fellows; 301; Talise Campbell interview, part 6 of 6

RESTART

That's right. You have to look at generational ignorance. If your great-great grandparents didn't know, who's being taught? You're being taught whatever is happening in your household. If you're great-great grandparents didn't know, you know, their children didn't know and it goes on and on, generational ignorance. And, it's nobody's fault if you're not being exposed to it that's why it's so important, um, all the things that, that Mama Fasi is doing in our communities is very, very important, it changes lives. It saved my life. If it wasn't for my exposure to African dance and African culture and spirituality I would not be sitting here today with you filming me today, I wouldn't be here. It's changed my life. I've been to Africa over 18 times studying this craft, doing research, I taught for 18 years at the Cleveland School of the Arts. This would not have happened if it wasn't for my exposure to this and that's why since the torch has been passed to me, now I have an obligation to make sure that programming is in the schools, that we have culturalized programming in our community. Mama Fasi has a... her own business now on Larchmere (SP?) where people can walk down the street and be exposed to culture in a positive way cause she'll pull you off the street in a minute and say, come in here and drum, come in here and dance, come in here an experience culture or come and get a hug. That's her, it's always been her.

Q:

TALISE: I knew Mama Fasi where we had performances every weekend, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We were young kids, we were 12 and 13 years old, travelling to Dayton, Ohio, travelling to Cincinnati, Ohio and this is when she probably was in her 50's. Today, it hasn't stopped. It hasn't stopped. She's in various schools, she's teaching classes, she's still travelling all over the United States teaching her craft. And, it's her life and her endless energy. She won't stop. She won't and she shouldn't. It doesn't matter about age, you can always shine a light and be a light to anybody you encounter and that's her, she'll continue to be that light.

Q:

TALISE: Well, I think Mama Fasi is really trying to target a specific demographic which is women to allow women to, to know that they are powerful and to take this instrument, um, as the catapult to say, hey, you are wonderful and you are powerful beyond measure. And, she's targeting females and as I said before, young women, mothers grandmother, great-grandmothers to keep them in the circle, to keep the engulfed in music and allowing themselves to know that you are loved and you are powerful beyond measure.

Q:

TALISE: A woman like Mama Fasi is needed in our communities because without her there would be no exposure, there wouldn't be woman like me who are sitting right here. There wouldn't... and I can name countless people that she has exposed to culture, countless, hundreds, thousands of people who've caught... gone through her camp who she has taught them artistically. She's brought people into her home and said, hey there's a bed right there, sleep, its okay, I got you. Women like her are needed. And, they're here for a purpose, it's all by design. This is not by accident, she is here for a reason and she's lived up to it, she's lived up to it. Everything that was divine for her she's walked that path and she continues to walk it.

Q:

TALISE: Her legacy is her children. She's, she's mother earth, she's shaye-man-ja (SP?). So, all the children that she has fed, all of those children that she's fed that's her legacy. I'm her legacy. I will forever speak her name. She was the first person that told me to dance. The first person. And, so now when I see young girls I say, get up and dance. Don’t sit there taking care of no babies, you get up and you dance. And, one day, you know, my legacy will continue which mirrors hers is being able to give selfishly... selflessly, being able to give from your heart without wanting anything in return and the legacy is you being able to see all of those people that you touched still touching others.

Q:

TALISE: Well, children have two reactions, one is they're first experience of love for some of them. Most often especially when she's teaching in the inner city often those children are missing that one component and that's love. Some of them are numb to their household experiences, their communal experiences. So, when she gets in and you can truly feel somebody truly loves you and they truly want to give you something, that's one. The other experience is fear. Oh, my goodness, oh my goodness because she requires something of you. To be focused, to be a listener and to be disciplined. All of those things and those are wonderful requirements out of your students and she hits that one day one. She has no discipline problems, no. She gives love and she wants to receive it. It's that reciprocal respect that she gives to students and they love her, they love her, they respect her and they want to reach her standards, they want to jump to reach whatever it is that she asks for and that's an awesome thing.

Q:

TALISE: I like you, you like me and I like you, you like me and I like you, you like me and I like you, you like me and I like you, you like me. Yes. With drumming if you can say it, you can play it. So, all of these different rhythms, these 6-8 rhythms, these 4-4 rhythms she teaches students with positive affirmations, positive things. I like you, you like me. That's something that's positive. So, it's just really awesome, um, and it's that artistic teaching, you know, when you're able to use mnemonic devices to teach children, you know. I like you, you like me and I like you, you like me. It's just awesome. It's a really awesome thing, that's how I learned and that's how I teach.

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