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Mpingo's FruitHarvesting the music tree: the people, the places, the processMpingo wood, also known as African Blackwood and Grenadilla, is a primary wood used in the making of musical instruments. Oboes, clarinets, bagpipes, flute headjoints, wooden piccolos, Scottish and Irish flutes, and fingerboards on many stringed instruments including guitars are made of Mpingo. Sometimes referred to as "the music tree", Mpingo grows primarily in Tanzania and Mozambique. The Makonde people carve Mpingo into sculptures that are prized worldwide, and throughout the world, individuals and organizations express commitment to Mpingo's conservation and preservation. Brenda Schuman-Post discusses the historic and current status of African Blackwood, and presents social and environmental issues surrounding this vulnerable and valuable tree. She provides up to the minute information about the tree, the people and regions in which it grows, the harvesting process and the sawmills. This interdisciplinary lecture-performance is relevant to those interested in music, visual art, sculpture, African studies, ethno-botany, forestry, agriculture, conservation, environmental, social studies and more. Mpingo's Fruit features over 100 slides and video, and includes a hands on display of sections of trees, seeds, samples of the wood, alternative materials, museum quality authentic hand carved Makonde sculptures, and American turned wood sculptures. Downloadable Flyer |