Song and dance from West Africa

The Djoliba Ensemble of Mali performs Oct. 3, at 8 p.m. in Bailey Hall. The group brings the music and dance culture of the Mandinka people using traditional instruments, song and dance to portray daily life in West Africa. The ensemble, formed in 1970 with the support of the Mali government, has gained fame in Africa and around the world its fusion of traditional folklore, song and dance with contemporary themes. See: http://cornellconcertseries.com.

A life in science celebrated

The Ray J. Wu Memorial Symposium will be held Oct. 3 and 4 in G-10 Biotechnology Building, beginning at 9 a.m. both days. Wu, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell, died Feb. 10, 2008. He was widely recognized as one of the fathers of genetic engineering who sought to feed the hungry of the world with a higher yielding insect- and drought-resistant rice. Colleagues from Cornell and other universities will present papers, posters and reminiscences of Wu and his work. Free and open to the public. Schedule: http://mbg.cornell.edu. More information, Jun Kelly Liu: jl53@cornell.edu, 607-254-8942.

Culture and violence

"Animality and the Inhumanization/Immunization of Sovereignty: A Visual Culture of Bared Life" is the topic of a University Lecture by Allen Feldman, associate professor of culture and communication at New York University, Oct. 3 at 4:30 p.m. in Hollis Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall. Feldman, a political and medical anthropologist who has conducted ethnographic field research in Northern Ireland, South Africa and with the homeless in New York City, is the author of "Formations of Violence: the Narrative of the Body and Political Terror in Northern Ireland."

Green houses

Take a free, self-guided tour of 27 eco-friendly houses and businesses, Oct. 4-5, starting at 10 a.m. Highlights of the tour include Cornell's 2007 Solar Decathlon Team entry, now a private home; and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified Park Business School at Ithaca College. Tour sites will showcase strategies to create functional, comfortable homes and workplaces promoting environmental sustainability and human health. Green building features include solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, geothermal heating, timber framing, straw bale construction and local or natural materials. For information or to register for a guided van, bicycle or motorcycle tour, call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County at 607-272-2292. For a guidebook and map of the tour, see: http://ccetompkins.org.

'The Namesake'

A faculty panel will discuss "The Namesake," director Mira Nair's acclaimed adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, following a free Cornell Cinema screening of the film, Oct. 3 at 6:45 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre. The event is part of the Family Life Development Center conference "The Immigrant Child: Past, Present and Future," Oct. 4 in Statler Auditorium. For more information, visit http://www.human.cornell.edu/che/fldc/immigrantchild.cfm.

Ancient wisdom

"The Grandmothers Speak," a public event with the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, comes to Bailey Hall, Oct. 5, 2-5 p.m. The group is holding a seven-day gathering in Groton. At Bailey Hall they will speak about the environment, nonviolence, peacemaking and healing. Voices Multicultural Chorus will also perform. See: http://baileytickets.com or http://womensgathering.com/the_grandmothers.

Justice for all

Charles Ogletree delivers the 2008 Konvitz Memorial Lecture in American Ideals Oct. 7 at 4:30 p.m. in 305 Ives Hall. His topic: "The Combustible Mixture of Race, Gender, Religion, and Politics: Lessons Learned from the 2008 Political Campaign." The free lecture will be followed by a reception and broadcast online: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/alumni/events/. Ogletree is the Jesse Climenko Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and founding executive director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice.