December, 1976
THE COMPASS
Page 3
An African View Of Death
Art Dept. Activities Told
By Franklin Allsah
Death reveals its true
callous nature when it strikes
unexpectedly or takes a
person away prematurely or
kills one upon whom many
people depend. Women have
an inimitable way of crying
these sentiments out, such
as; “Death did not give me a
warning that I might set
ready for this. Mother will go,
for she has not returned; I
shall follov' her.” “There is
no branch above which I
could group”. “I shall in
flooded water. Who will
rescue me.” “Your children
and I will feed on the spider;
the mouse is too big an
animal.”
The ambivalent attitude of
people towards death can be
summed up in the conception
of death as a journey for a
better life, but with its im
plication of inevitable
physical separation between
people who do not want to be
parted, even when they know
that it’s better for them to be
parted, and that, in any case
they will sooner or later be
rejoined.
Phenomenon. The moment
of parting forcefully brings
home the meaing of the event
of death. But the bereaved
gets over it and comes to
accept it as part of ordinary
life. It is in this light that I
think a dirge verse like: “If
the departed could send gifts,
they would surely send
something to their children,”
should be seen against other
contradictory verses like:
“Send us something when
someone is coming this way”.
These expressions clearly
unravel the inconsistency
between a man’s socio
religious beliefs about death
and how in practice he looks
upon the same phenomenon.
The dead, because they are
dead, are in a better position
to help the living than they
use to be. All the same, now
that they are dead, how can
they help the living the way
they used to? Religiously,
man does not simply know
that death is unavoidable; he
believes that in the last
analysis, God, the final ex
planation of all .phenomena is
the author of death. A
proverb expresses this in a
much better way than I can.
“If the Supreme Being has
not killed you, but a human
being kills you, you do not
die.”
Nevertheless, this does not
make him accept death as a
good. In fact, sensing the
inconsistency in his belief in
God’s goodness and the
malice of death, he often
refuses to associate God with
death, except when he
believes that God has directly
sent death as a punishment
for a person’s misdeeds. And
in this latter case, death is
throught of as a social
blessing.
Natural Death. For the
rest, no death appears to be in
Christian theological ter
minology, “natural”, and our
people take pains to find out
the cause, which is usually
mystical. These causes are
the same as those for
diseases. A man’s own
misbehavior, conscious or at
times unwitting, may causes
his death or the death of his
beloved ones or compatriots.
This is thought to be the
case, especially when the
man has broken taboo
through fault or folly. Such
deaths are said to be brought
about by the spiritual agent
or being who is thought to
have been slighted most by
the misconduct. While the
gods punish those who, for
example, steal from their
temples or commit perjury
against them, the ancestors
are more likely to deal with
one whose duty is to organize
fitting funeral rites in honor
of the dead, but ignores it, or
one who sells an ancestral
property without due
protocol.
Epidemics. God shows his
might and justice, when, for
example, a defenseless in
nocent person is wronged. In
this case no one including the
best physician or surgeon
can prevent death, unless
and until the proper spirit
ual course of action is taken,
and taken in good time, to
avoid disaster.
Mass deaths through
epidemics, plagues hur
ricanes, and other oc
curences of nature, are the
best example of death caused
directly by God, or the gods of
the ancestors.
Suspicions. Death often
creates ill-feelings among
people; it may result in
suspicion—sometimes totally
unfounded—frequently cre
ating dread of people
whom society by its own
standards, adjudicates to be,
in one way or other the cause
of its appearance. Both self-
imposed fate and divinely
instituted destiny account for
what one might term inex-
plicabe or mysterious death,
that is, death, apparently
caused by no disease what
soever.
Death brought about
through any of the causes
mentioned is unfortunate
because it is usually
premature. When a person
has attained a reasonable age
and dies from what is con
sidered to be a normal
International
Week Observed
By Carol Phillis-Minor
Under the theme
“Education - Understanding -
Peace” the International club
celebrated International
Week by sponsoring several
activities. During the week of
November 15 -18 it sponsored
a movie, an assembly, lun
cheon and dinner. Two ac
tivities, a carnival and dance
were calcelled. The purpose
of the International Club is to
greet foreign visitors. It’s
colors are red and yellow. Dr.
Louis V. Nadeau, professor of
Philosophy and International
Curriculum Development
Program coordinator; is
advisor to the club.
Officers for the 1976-77
school year are as follows:
President - Bethsheva
Lightborne; Vice-Pres. -
Peggy Ford; Sec. - Lorraine
Anderson and Treas. - Shelia
Boone.
Highlighting the week’s
activities was guest speaker,
Madame N’Neye Marie Fall.
Madame Fall, scholar,
teacher and world traveler,
was from Senegal, Agrica.
Senagal is a small African
country about the size of
Nebraska. It is located on the
Western bulge of Africa.
Madame Hall is a professor
at the Docone University and
the Institute of Technology.
Senior
Day
By Harold Renfrew
The annual High School
Senior Day was held Satur
day, November 13th. There
were many Seniors from
surrounding areas and some
from neighboring Virginia.
They were exposed to the
various degree programs in
the Arts and Sciences at
Elizabeth City State
University. Departmental
stations were set up in the
University Center, Williams
Hall and the New Gym
nasium, giving departmental
introductions and career
objectives. Seniors also
viewed the extra-curricular,
service learning and student
leadership programs. After
viewing the university, they
were invited to a football
game.
disease, the cause of his
departure from this world if
not sought outside the or
dinary course of events in
human life. Nevertheless, the
older one becomes the more
one risks being looked upon
as a witch, especially if one
is a woman.
To Be Continued..
By Sylvia Peele
The Elizabeth City State
University Department of Art
is proud of the fact that it
originated the Community
Art Exhibition program in
Northeastern North Carolina
in 1964. It has continued, on a
larger scale, to the present.
During the 1964-65 and 1966-
67 school year, the Depart
ment of Art presented sizable
art shows in twenty-five
public elementary and se
condary schools in North
eastern North Carolina. This
was during a period when Art
Education in schools was not
apparent. The Department of
Art presented large
exhibitions, not only on
campus, but also within
communities of the
Albemarle area.
When Elizabeth City
received its first shopping
center. The Southgate Mall,
the Department of Art
assisted in the opening, by
showing one of the largest
exhibitions of art ever seen in
Northeastern North Carolina.
The Department of Art has
also shown its exhibitions in
outdoor areas. For example,
the Pasquotank Court House.
At some of these latter
presentations students and
faculty members of the
Department have display
ed paintings, sculptures,
ceramic making and other
crafts.
The department of Art has
frequently participated in
large scale exhibitions in
county, city and state fairs
and it has also participated in
cultural presentations
sponsored by societies and
associations.
One of the requirements for
the graduation of Art Majors
is a Senior Art Exhibition. In
these exhibitions Senior Art
Majors seek to present the
culmination of their Artistic
efforts. In keeping with the
philosophy of the Department
that artistic development
should be appreciated by
everyone. Senior art
exhibitions have been
presented not only on the
ECSU campus, but in
libraries, schools, shopping
centers, cultural centers and
many other areas.
The 1976-77 Art Exhibition
program of ECSU is com
prised of sixteen Art Shows,
each presentation being
different, novel, innovative,
and creative. The exhibition
program is listed below:
Dec. 1—Dec. 16, 1976: Senior
Art Exhibition by Alfred
Holmes and Terry D. Mc
Carty, Foyer, G. R. Little
Library.
Jan. 5 — Jan. 24, 1977:
Exhibition of Recent Art by
O’Neal Pullie, Alumus Art
Major of Elizabeth City State
University; Class of 1975:
Viking Room, Ridley
University Center; Foyer, G.
R. Little Library.
Jan. 26—Feb. 16, 1977: In
novations in Art by ECSU Art
Majors and Non-Art Majors,
Foyer, G. R. Little Library.
Feb. 18—March 14, 1977:
Drawings and Works in other
Media by Terrence K.
Cooper, Foyer, G. R. Little
Library.
March 16—April 18, 1977:
Paintings and other
Arrangements in Art by
Larry D. Walston, Senior,
Camden High School,
Camden, North Carolina;
Foyer, G. R. Little Library;
Viking Room, Ridley
University.
April 4—April 18, 1977:
Exhibition of Recent Art by
the Faculty of the Depart
ment of Art of the Elizabeth
City State University; First
Union National Bank,
Ehringhaus Road, Elizabeth
City, North Carolina*
Glamour Contest Seeks Contestants
Any undergraduate woman enrolled in an accredited college
or university, is eligible to enter GLAMOUR’S Top Ten College
Women Contest. The contest is open to all interested students
and any number of applications are accepted. A panel of
GLAMOUR editors will select the women on the basis of their
solid records of achievement in academic studies and-or in
extra-curricular activities on campus or the community.
Careful consideration shall also be given to a 500 to 700 word
essay that each candidate will submit describing the most
meaningful and stimulating achievements of her college
career, as they relate to her post-graduate goals. A group of
semifinalists will also be selected. The dealine for all material
is February 15, 1977.
Contest prizes include national recognition, an all expense
paid trip to New York and a cash prize of $500.
Editor’s Note:
Feeling that there are women on the ECSU campus who are
explicitly “glamour” material, I am encouraging our females
to enter. Any person wishing to enter the contest may contact
the Compass which is located in the rear of the Ridley center. I
must remind you that although the deadline for applications is
February 15, 1977, it would be wise to start compiling the
necessary information now.