Sept. 1, 2007

Virginia Croskery, assistant professor of music, spent part of her summer working in Rwanda with The Art of Conservation: Creating a Healthful Connection Between Mountain Gorillas and People, a non-profit organization that is associated with the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project .

AoC focuses on teaching Rwandans about topics such as health and conservation through art and music. Croskery said the organization also helps the citizens of Rwanda continue to heal from the 1994 genocide by providing an uplifting outlet for creative expression.

The Rwandan genocide took the lives of an estimated 800,000 Rwandans in the span of 100 days.

Croskery, who is the only American guest artist to participate in the project so far, taught students English music, staged plays and operas and recorded Rwandan music.

Croskery called the classes a “cultural exchange.”

“What surprised me was when these people are encouraged to be creative, they express so much joy,” she said. “It’s amazing.”

To see Croskery in action — she’s even sporting a Simpson T-shirt — and to read more about the project, visit MGVP veterinarian Judy Spelman’s blog: http://discovery.blogs.com/quest/. Croskery is mentioned in the Sept. 6 entry.