Annual Breakfast 8/15/07
The Arts and Business Council of Greater Phoenix will be having their 17th Annual Breakfast with the theme Art and Soul The event will be held at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix.
National Black Arts Festival * Atlanta 7/20 – 7/29, 2007
The National Black Arts Festival (NBAF), a non-profit cultural institution based in Atlanta, Georgia, celebrates the contributions of people of African descent and their impact on world cultures. Scheduled to appear are artists such as singer Roberta Flack, pictured above, actor and activist Danny Glover, and playwright Lori Parks.
The NBAF celebrates the arts in three ways – education, year-round programs, and their annual festival in July.
Africa Onstage * Thru August 26, 2007
“Africa Onstage: Let us tell you a story…” at the Stanford Summer Theater (SST), in Stanford, CA, will offer a look at the cultural and political impact of the West on Africa through theater, storytelling, dance, and music. Included are 4 stage productions and a Monday night film series. (now thru 8/26/07)
“Radio Golf” * Fun Play!
I got a chance to see “Radio Golf” while visiting NYC a few days ago. This is the final play of August Wilson’s 10 play cycle – taking us from 1910 to the mid-1990’s. His plays address events and issues of different parts of Black life across America, particularly, Pittsburgh, PA. Some of the same characters are scattered through out the 10 plays, following them from decade to decade.
I did expect Wilson’s sharp dialogue and wit, but, I didn’t expect to laugh as much as I did. More humor here than I’ve seen in his other plays, but, still taking a look at the importance of family, relationships and loyalty, all in the language of regular folks.
Since this play takes place in the “You too can be a millionaire” 90’s, the focus is on ambition: what is success? Is it really mine, or it is just dependent upon the largess of the powers that be? How proud & independent can I be as a business owner (or an artist for that matter) when I have a “benefactor”? Can I balance between pleasing a patron and acknowledging where I come from? Can I tear down my cousin’s old haunted house, where Aunt Esther lived until the ripe age of 237 (we meet her in “Gem of the Ocean”) to put up a shopping center? Big bucks, Starbucks!
Big questions! And, asked with a : )
Unfortunately, the play is scheduled to close on July 1. But, I have no doubt that the Wilson saga will be performed for years to come, whether one at a time, or all in a row. Catch them when you can, *always* worthwhile.
August Wilson ten-play cycle:
- 1900s – Gem of the Ocean (2003)
- 1910s – Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1984)
- 1920s – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1982)
- 1930s – The Piano Lesson (1986)
- 1940s – Seven Guitars (1995)
- 1950s – Fences (1985)
- 1960s – Two Trains Running (1990)
- 1970s – Jitney (1982)
- 1980s – King Hedley II (2001)
- 1990s – Radio Golf (2005)
Film in Africa – Ousman Sembene
African film makers highlighted in the July’07 “Africa issue” of Vanity Fair Magazine, pg 184, can be said to be the sons and daughters of the “Father of African Cinema” Mr. Ousman Sembene. The 84 year old recently passed away in his native city, Dakar,
These artists – writers, directors, producers – from Ghana, Nigeria,
“Black Girl” (1965), Sembene’s first, is commonly referred to as the first African film. He wanted to tell stories from his African point of view , which was a controversial position at the time, however, his work was appreciated over the years and he won prizes at the Venice Film Festival in 1968 (for “Mandabi”) and 1988 (for “Camp de Thiaroye”), and at Cannes in 2004 (for “Moolaadé”).
He was a founder, in 1969, of FESPACO, the biennial festival of film and television held in Ouagadougou,
His vision continues.
Solitude
Constant rush of noise, images and smells. Where do I start, where do I end. Fear is the realization of dependence. If I reach out to touch there would be more to comprehend. Where do I start, where will it end.
bmartin/07