Chong s editing of the speakers testimonies yields a text that is part poem and part multi-cultural civics class with both aspects made resonant by being offered in the voices of the immigrants themselves. The six speakers open the show with brief introductions in their native languages. Two women are from the Philippines, one is from Tonga, one is an ethnic Lebanese who was born in Venezuela, one man is Japanese and one is Ugandan. The first part of the piece is a quickie lesson on colonialism, as the speakers recount the purchase, appropriation, or victimization of their countries by outsiders. In turn, Japan occupied the Philippines and forced children to sing the Japanese national anthem, while Uganda expelled all Asians on ninety days notice in 1972.
Imperialism can be an equal opportunity game.
The personal stories are uplifting, sad, funny, life affirming, quirky, and banal. After moving to Utah, however, her children were teased for speaking less than perfectly in either their native or their new language. Turning to the church for help, the mother realized that official Mormondom scorned both her color and her gender. Daughter Vaimoana s escape to an undergraduate major in art in New York promises greater acceptance, yet this acceptance is peppered with such advice as emulate Guillermo Gomez-Pena. Make whites feel stupid.