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Show Arts & Leisure SOUTHERN UTAH STATE COLLEGE, CEDAR CITY THE THUNDERBIRD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1990 PAGE 27 S.S, Moorty: witness to history BY TRACY MC NEIL There was tremendous jubilation" while S.S. Moorty taught at the University of Sanaa on his Fulbright Scholarship. South Yemen and North Yemen, two countries south of Saudi Arabia, united to form the Republic of Yemen, eradicating a Marxist form of government. Money for the Fulbright Scholarship program is in jeopardy, however, since the Middle East crisis and the dissolution of Kuwait. The country depended on Kuwait contracts, which paid teachers from abroad in U.S. dollars, and this option is in danger from the recent troubles in Kuwait. Moorty was the graduate studies adviser at the university in charge of the masters program for third- - and fourth-yea- r students, most of whom e were employees for the Army or Police of Yemen. Moorty said his students were generally very respectful, yet found their powers of comprehension to be quite limited. Because their exposure to education is so interwoven with rote memorization of the Koran, sacred book of Islam, students attempted to memorize his lessons in the same fashion. Moorty said their eagerness to regurgitate information rather than digesting it was frustrating for him. I was trying to make them critical, analytical thinkers, he said. Before the revolution they were only taught the Koran. Nothing else went into the system. Particularly bothering to Moorty was the almost constant indoctrination of the Koran over the loudspeakers. He said he woke every morning to the chantmgs. The Holy Month, called Ramadan, required that everyone fast no drinking, eating or smoking was permitted. Class schedules were adjusted to accommodate the five daily praying times. Anyone caught violating the sacred fast was apprehended and reported to authorities. On a picnic with the Indian Ambassador to Yemen, a Syrian professor and his son and a Lithuanian professor, the group searched for a spot away from the crowds for lunch. The voung full-tim- boy in their group was spotted drinking a soda by a man passing by, who proceeded to beat his own head in grief for the sin. Moorty was disturbed by the intolerance, especially among young children who threw rocks at Western women not properly veiled on the street. The Yemenese people are frequently told that the society is being spoiled by outsiders. Moorty said there were many Yemenese women in his classes, but that their educational goals were limited to teaching. Women in Yemen must cover their hair and usually their faces to avoid was enticing men. Moorty said the disconcerting when teaching a lesson he felt particularly passionate about. I wanted to see their reactions but couldnt, he said. g The classrooms at the university were very dirty, according to Moorty, and to emphasize the importance of cleanliness he introduced an analogy familiar to them. Do you keep your temples clean? The classroom is a temple of learning, he said, symbolically sweeping the floor. Moorty taught American literature, 19th century literature, introduction to literary criticism and research methodology, the latter of which was difficult due to the lack of materials in the university library. Although he had brought five cases of his own books for secondary materials, much of his classes had to focus on creative writing which needed few resources. His students, although extremely dedicated, did not have much knowledge of literature and spoke and wrote in broken English and Dick and Jane sentences. Moorty said that he had to recognize this and grade accordingly, not m accordance . with his own standards. The University of Sanaa, although following the traditional semester systems and course design, lacked the usual exhuberance of an institution of higher education. I didnt get the feel of the magnitude of a university, he said. He attributes this to the lack of resources, their unusual philosophy of education, and the religious influence affecting their intellectual, cultural, educational and social levels. S.S. Moony will appreciate SU custodians after a sear Braithwaite Gallerv season opens Oct The 4 season of the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery will open with a retrospective exhibit featuring works by Francis Zimbeaux Oct. 5 through 26. An opening exhibit reception will be held Oct. 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the gallery, with opening remarks by Zimbeaux at 7:30 p.m. A musical selection by the Cedar City String Quartet will be presented at 8 p.m. The Zimbeaux exhibit, according to Gallery Curator Valerie Kidrick, represents a unique opportunity for area residents to view work by n a Utah artist. Zimbeaux, son of late 19th century Utah artist Frank I.S. d Zimbeaux, paints handsome, figure and landscape poems. The poetic beauty of the works is surpassed only by the lyrical understanding of color and form relationships, said Kidrick. The works are oil paintings, ink washes and drawings, mostly, although there are some .v atercolors. Many of the works depict dancers in 1990-9- 1 well-know- value-initiate- 5 harmonious, poetic landscapes, she explained. Works such as 'Three Dancers and Dancing Nymphs are typical of Zimbeauxs evocative aesthetic nature The exhibit consists of 29 works by Zimbeaux with five additional works by his father. Organized by Retrospectives, Inc., the exhibit was produced u irh the cooperation and support of the Salt Lake Arts Center, Springville Museum of Art, the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, Ernest Muth, Mary Jane and Bill Weyher, Price Industries, Pella Intermountam, Phillips Gallery, Ray Kingston, Salt Lake Arts Council and the Utah Arts Council. The Braithwaite Gallery is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C., the Utah Arts Council, and contributions from members of the Friends of the Gallery and private donations. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from to 5 p.m. 1 in Yemen Music season offers diversity concert series will feature various musicians and groups including the Vienna Bovs Choir and the Las Vegas SUSCs fall Ballet. The first concert of the series will be a faculty recital on Oct. 15 8 p.m. in the Thorley Recital Hall. Various faculty members will perform. A student recital is scheduled for Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. in Thorley. Also Nov. 2, the Vienna Boys Choir will perform at 8 p.m. in the Cedar High School auditorium. Hal Campbell, music department head, called the choirs upcoming performance a event. The Orchestra of Southern Utah will perform Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. in Thorley. On Nov. 8 the Utah Symphony Orchestra will present a concert in the Centrum at 8 p.m. The SUSC Orchestra will perform a third concert on Nov. 12 in Thorley at 8 p.m. Campbell said, The symphonies are delightful and have wide appeal. Its neat to have students get acquainted and involved w'ith symphony music. The concerts and recitals are free to students with a valid SUSC I.D. Campbell said, however, Donations for the music program are accepted at all events. The Las Vegas Ballet Company will present The Nutcracker on Dec. 6 at the Cedar High School Auditorium. at |