Dance Africa: A Legacy in Motion

Vibrant. Exciting.  Energy filled.  Tradition centered. Future driven.  The Dance Africa festival in New York city was "ALL OF THAT!"  Rooted in the political struggles of the 60's and 70's, for the progression, recognition and development of African dance, this year was the 32nd festival.  

From the moment I arrived at the festival on Friday afternoon, I was deeply engaged and realized I was witnessing the continuum of a cultural legacy.  The festival began with a procession led by Chuck Davis, founder and director, who was affectionately referred to as Baba Chuck.  

A Brooklyn block full of lively drummers and dancers, children through elders, dressed in white traditional garb, layered themselves onto the stairs of the Brooklyn Academy of Music.  Chuck Davis began to enlighten the audience with African-centered values such as a call and response phrase from Ghana. "A-Go", he'd call out, and the crowd was to answer "aMay".  He explained that he was asking for our attention and in responding we were agreeing to give it.  This phrase became key in all the activities that were led.

Baba Chuck then explained that the traditional dance, Lamban would be done to begin the festival.  As the drummers and dancers formed a circle, he specified that an elder should be the first to enter it and do the dance.  At first, no one entered.  Then like a swan coasting the ocean, an elder woman glided into the circle doing movements where she extended her arms and spun around as if she were whipping wind.  It was beautiful.  For her to be an elder, she was really moving too!

The elders play a significant role in Dance Africa.  At the dance performance, a group of elders called the 'Council of Elders' proceeded in first and were acknowledged several times.  Baba Chuck also included audience members above the age of 55 in his acknowledgments, asked them to stand, and led the audience in giving them all an applause.  I found this to be a particularly interesting ritual because typically in the US, our culture often overlooks elders.  

The dance performance featured the superb dance companies Farafina Kan, Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble (youth), Evidence, and SeeWe.  Each of the dance groups had a signature presence and they were all FANTASTIC!  Farafina Kan's traditional dance style, was infused with creative musical accents and movements that ranged from low down on the ground to jumping up on their drums.  Restoration's youth group put West African and contemporary dance movements into an urban setting where a classroom/club became a healing place.  Evidence's piece which appeared to be about transitions, made room for all of the dancers to pour life, like liquid, onto the stage with their crisp, grounded, precise movements.  SeeWe ended the show with an explosion of rhythms, song, colors,  and powerful movements that left me in complete awe and inspired me to do a little dance as I left the theater.  

The weekend brought in people from all over the country and featured a number of dance and music performances, an African Film portion, a slew of vendors and great food, including the best vegetarian food on the face of the planet from Nyota's Ting.  

Not only has Dance Africa accomplished it's mission to unite African dance companies and celebrate culture through dance, music, and art; Dance Africa has created rituals and elements that are so specific to the celebration that they in themselves will become the foundations and resources to transmit this culture to future generations.  

Dance Africa is a legacy - in motion!

 

Making Music: Baba Ed Stokes and the Diddley Bow

Every time I run into Baba Ed Stokes over at the Point of Destination, he's got a story to tell - through music. Whether it's percussion, string instrument, bells or something else, Baba Ed will tell you how it's made, where it comes from and will play it until it oozes into the veins of your soul.

Today's instrument is the Diddley Bow, a guitar like instrument with a crisp stringy sound that redirected my attention from my afternoon meeting and made me want to get up and cry the blues.

According to Baba Ed, the Diddley Bow is an instrument that originated in West Africa (various parts). It's a one string instrument, of which there are many different versions.

The diddley bow was played in Mississippi, Delta. A lot of blues players, like Muddy Waters and Jessie Mae Hemphill started out playing it and later graduated to playing a guitar, which has more strings. The diddley bow has a slide (that slides up and down the string to create).

Check this out.

Aisha Goss Tells Her Story: Trial By Fire

Today I had a conversation with playwright/producer/filmmaker, Aisha Goss about her newest project, a documentary titled "Trial By Fire: Blessings Out of the Ashes". The film is Aisha's proactive way of recovering from a massive fire that destroyed the home of her family.

Daughter of noted storyteller Linda Goss and accomplished playwright Clay Goss, Aisha will tell the story, frame by frame, of the family as they campaign for Barack Obama believing in his vision for "Hope and Change", and the fire that took place 5 days after his election destroying everything dear to them. She will show the 'hopes and changes' the Goss Family goes through during and after the fire. The film will answer the question, "WHAT REALLY MATTERS"?

Equipped with documentary film making skills through course work at Scribe Video Center in Philadelphia, Aisha is currently in pre-production for the project. She plans to go into production this summer. Aisha is interviewing technical crew, production assistants, and volunteers for the project. She is also accepting donations and sponsorships from community members who are interested and able to support her in telling her story.

Check out AGossFilms for more information.

Who Benefits from NEWS stories?

When I was a kid, the NEWS was the TRUTH. We woke up to the news, fell asleep to the news and watched it mid day, after school and work. Now a days, I don't really watch the NEWS. I find it very depressing. At first I attributed the bitter feelings I was left with after watching news programs with the ills of our world. However, in giving this more thought, I realize that this is a storytelling issue.

Philadelphia's top stories, today focus on a NY City bomb plot, marital distress between a couple with eight children, the killing of a dog during a drug bust, a landlord killing a tenant, and to uplift viewers/readers there are tons of American Idol highlights. All of this information is run in loops for hours on end until the scheduled NEWS time is over. NO WONDER IT'S DEPRESSING!

Growing up, I was taught that NEWS was an acronym for North-East-West-South, which made me feel it was an absolute truth about every corner of the world. According to the Center for Media Literacy, NEWS has always been centered in the people knowing what's new. In the days before literacy was the norm, news was all about oral storytelling. The stories that circulated were generally about the local neighborhood and community. Even in this short history, apparently sex and violence have always been a priority for people in the US.

Who does this storytelling benefit though? Not us and not our society. We are hysterical! We are loading our psyche with images of robbers, bombers, murderers, terrorist, and cheating husbands. And when the news decides to focus on the economy, we are really in trouble. Some haven't even been affected by the country's financial trouble but FEAR, has folks going to work in a state of paranoia. You know?

I learned a wonderful lesson about the NEWS around two years ago. The neighborhood I grew up in has been the target of urban renewal that many would call gentrification. Major construction in the neighborhood includes a shopping center with a brand new 7 theater movie complex. The evening of the theater's opening, the news reported that there had been a major brawl and a shooting. It just so happened that earlier that day, I spoke with some of my family members from the neighborhood who told me they would be going to see a movie at the new theater. So, when I heard this report on the news saying that a number of people were shot and hurt in a massive brawl, I became paranoid. I frantically called my family member to make sure that she and the children were okay.

"Hello?", she answered.
"Did you all go to the movies!!!!!??????", I panted.
"Yes, Baby"!
"Well, well, is everyone ok??? I'm watching the news and someone got shot!!!"
"Oh baby, everyone's fine. A couple kids got into an argument"
"Yeah. And there was a major brawl and a shooting right"
"Oh Baby. They just made a big deal for nothing. They sent a bunch of cop cars but there was nothing for them to resolve"...

And so on...

I hung up the phone relieved and annoyed. The NEWS had taken this opportunity to degrade the neighborhood and really blow this situation out of proportion. I was better off getting the STORY from the source.

Who benefits from NEWS stories? How can we make better NEWS?

Better NEWS


Good Morning America! You are AMAZING. You can do anything you focus on today. Are you ready to feel FANTASTIC? I sure hope so because we have some exciting headlines today.

Top Story: There are 6 new charter schools opening in Philadelphia this fall. It takes a lot of planning, collaboration and a huge vision to open a school. Visions are being realized America! Isn't that exciting?

Ok. So, I need to collect more positive stories that are actually news. Stay tuned. But hopefully, you see where I'm going with this!

Take a little time to tell a story today!

African American Storytelling Retreat with Baba Jamal Koram

This past weekend, I attended the African American Storytelling Retreat in Whittakers, North Carolina with Baba Jamal Koram. The retreat focused on four aspects of African American culture: Storytelling, Dance, Music and Visual Arts. What a refreshing experience!

I must admit, I went through a mental and emotional detox the first day. When I got to the retreat at 5 pm on Thursday, there was nothing scheduled. People were just hanging out, talking, casually cleaning gourds and enjoying the sunshine. Usually, when I arrive at conferences and festivals, I drop off my bags, throw some water on my face, re do my eyebrows and run straight to the activity I'm always running just a little late for.

I figured I'd check in my hotel-like room and watch a little tv but there were no stations. I didn't bring my computer, had accidentally left my ipod home and had no cell phone connection. What was I to do? Find something to eat... With none of my convenient vegetarian city eateries anywhere around, I was subjected to a lettuce sandwich on honey oat bread from Subway. Yuck. At that moment, I had come into the realization that my weekend would be long and interesting.

At about 8 that evening, the group gathered for a discussion centered around the work of a storyteller. Why did we tell stories? What was our role in our community? Per Baba Jamal, "If the children in your neighborhood don't know you're a storyteller... something ain't right" (I'm paraphrasing). Well that got me to thinking. Wow. I work with a number of community and youth groups but I don't think one person on my block knows that I'm a storyteller. I was challenged in thinking about whether I really want my potentially newsy, fairly new neighbors to know what I do. There's something about the peace of saying "Good morning! Isn't it a beautiful day?" and keeping it moving.

Some stories about the Franklington Center at Bricks retreat location were also told. It was a place where former slaves (i.e. Africans affected by the institution of slavery), were sent to be broken and/or disciplined to my understanding. Baba Jamal shared of an experience that took place at a retreat years ago, where it was revealed that one of the trees on the land had been a lynching post. The story was spirit filled and eery. It left me in a state of mourning for the injustices that had taken place. Yet, it inspired me to include details that suggest reconciliation for these types of injustices in the stories I tell.

The remainder of the weekend was full of stories. Bre'r Rabbit, Anansi the Spider, and Dylan the OG Cat all had their shine! It was amazing to hear the different references each teller used to the histories and experiences of the African Diaspora. There's a saying "let those who have ears hear". I find that I hear these references more and more clearly. For example, Denise Valentine shared a story of Anansi and his Good Day. However, in her sharing of the story, she talked about the story travelling through Ghana to the Carribean, told her story with a beautifully colored carribean accent, and included types of foods one might find in the carribean and references to they types of agriculture and activities that might take place. This is where stories become journeys - the teller being the tour guide!

One of the most prominent moments of the retreat was the discussion about funding, planning and organizing for the purchase and development of an African American Cultural and Storytelling institute. Baba Jamal Koram has a vision and it's big! Can you imagine, 38 acres of land dedicated to preservation and training in African cultural arts? Well it's in progress. If you'd like to make a donation or organize a fundraiser to help with the vision, please contact Baba Jamal Koram ASAP!

In closing, as a storyteller who is engaging in mixed media projects including digital media, documentary and live productions, the retreat forced me to sit with myself and think about my purpose, my mission and the intentions for the work I do. The lack of coffee, television, cell phone, ipod, facebook, etc forced me to sit with me and further cultivate my vision for my work. I think every artist needs that and I am thankful for the experience!

Take a little time to tell a story today.

Joslyn Ladson

GRIOTWORKS New Mission

GRIOTWORKS brings communities together through the production and distribution of mixed media projects that weave storytelling and folklore into the fabric of modern day society. Mixed media projects include documentary, live performance, internet video, audio recording and published written works.