Hot Tamale Louis, 2019

Hot Tamale Louis, 2019

Events; Audience; Interiors; Food

John Rapson, was inspired by New Yorker article, "Citizen Khan" by Kathryn Schulz. The story tells of Zarif Khan, who as a teenager left his home near the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan and eventually settled in the Wyoming town of Sheldon in 1907. Khan earned citizenship only to have it stripped because of his ethnicity. Rapson recognized a story of immigration that echoes today's political conversation about what it means to be an American and who can stay in the country. Rapson, along with others, created a thirteen-section musical suite evoking different aspects of Khan's life. Rapson showed video clips from the 2016 performance of Hot Tamale Louie to explore how music can give unique expression to the narratives that most compel and captivate us. John Rapson is a professor of music at the University of Iowa since 1993, a composer and recording artist. The program was sponsored by Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Tamales, from Tamale's Industry, were served.

2019-02-16