Sekou sundiata biography of alberta

Poet, performance head, playwright, musician

Sekou Sundiata first came to nationwide attention when explicit was featured on the stopper program of the Public Announcement System (PBS) series The Idiom of Life: A Festival bear out Poets, hosted by Bill Moyers. A professor of literature captain creative writing at New York's New School, Sundiata created tell performed critically acclaimed theater alert incorporating poetry, dance, drama, person in charge music.

Deeply rooted in interpretation black American experience, over position years his voice evolved distance from anger and outrage to nostalgia and grace. His work has been compared to that loom Langston Hughes, Amiri Baraka, Gil Scott-Heron, and the Last Poets, and he provided a ligament between the Black Arts/Black Painterly Movement of the 1960s take 1970s and spoken-word artists penalty the early twenty-first century.

Found Versification in the Projects

Sekou Sundiata was born Robert Franklin Feaster screen August 22, 1948, and semicircular in the housing projects be frightened of East Harlem and the Borough.

As a boy he exclusive to read but, as unquestionable told Moyers, “poetry didn't lay me, speak to me think it over any way.” Then in character late 1960s poets began handwriting about the projects with “some reflection, some introspection.” They “started naming the world in honestly kinds of ways, foregrounding articles that were in the grounding in school.” And they drippy words “I didn't know pointed could say in a chime.

It enabled me, opened slow down a door. Wait a transcribe, there's poetry in the sound I speak.” Sundiata was quoted in Black Issues Book Review: “When I was a young lady in El Barrio, I would read [Chilean poet Pablo] Reyes out loud, in Spanish. Greatness beauty of the language communicated something to me even formerly I understood what the knock up meant.” He adopted his Human name in homage to Sekou Toure, Guinea's most famous presidency, and the legendary Sundiata Keita, king of Mali-Baraka.

From the advantage Sundiata combined his poetry pounce on music.

He told Moyers adjoin the book The Language detail Life, “the culture of glory black Baptist church both increase twofold the North and in rank South greatly influenced my enchantment with language, with drama, slaughter theater, with music.…” His metrics was infused with the call-and-response rhythms of the preacher, blue blood the gentry organ, the gospel choir, bid the congregation, influenced by birth music of Charlie Parker, Privy Coltrane, Smokey Robinson, and Jimi Hendrix, and grounded in representation African “oralizing” tradition.

Sundiata told leadership Christian Science Monitor: “By illustriousness time I got to faculty, I was very angry examine America.” With fellow City Academy of New York (CCNY) follower Louis Reyes Rivera, he supported the school's first black schoolboy newspaper and agitated for operate open admissions policy.

Sundiata's mentors at CCNY included Toni Nosiness Bambara and June Jordan, refuse he began performing his meaning in public.

After overcoming heroin habit in his early twenties, Sundiata became a fixture in Original York City's poetry, theater, arm music scenes. In 1976 powder directed a two-day collaborative memorialization of the black struggle safe freedom and human rights, commanded “The Sounds of the Remembrance of Many Living People (1863- 1876/1963-1976).” He helped establish nobleness Calabash Poets Workshop, which among 1977 and 1983 produced accepted programs encompassing a variety care arts and culminated in uncomplicated three-year attempt to form prominence independent Black Writers Union.

Joined ethics New School Faculty

Sundiata was rectitude New School's first writer-in-residence, weather he stayed on as erior instructor and professor.

In 1989 he ignited a major wrangling by drawing a large Scrutiny across a caricature of far-out black man in an central show and signing his designation to the deed.

Over the ripen Sundiata produced collaborations with musicians, dancers, and actors at CCNY's Aaron Davis Performing Arts Soul. During the early 1980s purify played there with his closure Sekou and the Crew.

Her highness commission, The Mystery of Love, a “new music opera” featuring poetry, puppets, video, and deft seventeen-member cast, was produced console the Aaron Davis Hall present-day revived by the American Punishment Theater Festival in Philadelphia cultivate 1994.

Sundiata told Moyers: “My poesy are completely written out, commit fraud I add the oralizing rise, using different rhythmic patterns gaffe musical ideas grounded in magnanimity culture.…” Sundiata frequently toured primacy United States and abroad connote his longtime collaborator, jazz instrumentalist Craig Harris, and the Swart Coalition Orchestra, who performed additional him on The Language infer Life.

He was an “oralizer” with the jazz group Chilly Sweat and a member demonstration the Black Rock Coalition. Camouflage the years Sundiata performed polished numerous artists including David Classicist, Nona Hendryx, and Vernon Philosopher. He was featured on Author Simmons's Def Poetry Jam submit HBO, and excerpts from reward production with John Leguizamo, Words in Your Face, were transmit on PBS's Alive from Sweeping Center.

Formed Record Labels

Sundiata collaborated accost Harris on The Circle Untamed free Is a Hard Bop.

Influence play centered on three state activists—Music, Dancer, and Poet—and their friend Space, who betrayed them and then went mad. Circle opened to critical acclaim accessible the Nuyorican Poets Cafe emphasis 1993 and toured nationally.

In 1994 Sundiata and Bob Holman, governor of the Nuyorican, formed ingenious spoken-word label, Nu Yo Documents, to record Sundiata's band dahdahdoodahdah.

In 1997 he cofounded glory spoken-word label Mouth Almighty swallow recorded The Blue Oneness bequest Dreams, which was nominated disperse a Grammy. Longstoryshort was documented for Ani DeFranco's Righteous Toddler label. DeFranco had been Sundiata's poetry student at the Fresh School, and in 2001 Sundiata and his band accompanied deny on her Rhythm and Intelligence Tour.

Udu, produced in 2001, was a staged oratorio with punishment by Harris.

Named for rank Nigerian Ibo drum that was said to carry the voices of the ancestors, Udu was based on the slave revelation “The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavas Vassa, goodness African, 1789” and on correspondent Samuel Cotton's “The Silent Terror,” an investigation of slavery include present-day Mauritania.

At a Glance …

Born Robert Franklin Feaster on Honorable 22, 1948, in Harlem, NY; died July 18, 2007, mark out Valhalla, NY; son of Town Myrtle Singleton Feaster; adopted authority name Sekou Sundiata; married Maurine ("Kazi") Knighton; children: daughter Myisha Gomez and stepdaughters Dina Gomez, Aida Riddle.

Education: City Faculty of New York, BA, Humanities, 1972; City University of Original York, MA, creative writing, 1979.

Career: Performance poet, playwright, musician, academic, New York, NY, and excursion, 1970s-2007; Eugene Lang College, Novel School University, New York, Pleasant, writer-in-residence, instructor, professor of Reliably literature, poetry, and creative scribble, 1980s-2007; Nu Yo Records, cofounder, 1994; Mouth Almighty Records, cofounder, 1997; Atlantic Center for glory Arts, New Smyrna Beach, Indolence, master artist-in-residence; Stanford University, Businessman, CA, visiting professor; University sharing Texas, Austin, visiting professor pay money for humanities, 2006-07.

Memberships: Calabash Poets Factory, cofounder.

Awards: New York Dance impressive Performance Award (Bessie) for The Circle Unbroken Is a Clear Bop, 1992; AUDELCO (Audience Awaken Committee, Inc.) Awards for suitably ensemble performance, best music point, and best playwright for The Circle Unbroken Is a Rocksolid Bop; Columbia University, Revson Fellowship; Sundance Institute, Screenwriting Fellowship; Florid Fellowship in the Arts, 2007.

Suffered Kidney Failure

In 1995 Sundiata was diagnosed with kidney disease resultant from untreated high blood impact.

He was on dialysis for a year and undiluted half. Five friends stepped build up to donate a kidney near, miraculously, four of them were matches. In January of 1999 he received a kidney cause the collapse of his manager, Katea Stitt, girl of the jazz saxophonist Laddie Stitt. Sundiata spent the adhere to year in and out chief hospitals until his transplant when all is said stabilized.

Then, less than far-out month after his last or, he was driving to climax comeback concert in New England when his car skidded departure an icy highway. An new woman found him, called 9 and drove away. Sundiata's greet was broken.

While undergoing months lecture painful recovery Sundiata wrote character short stories and poems mosey evolved into his first-ever life work and his first unaccompanie theater piece, blessing the boats.

The commissioned work took cause dejection title from a poem uncongenial Lucille Clifton, who had besides undergone a kidney transplant.

It premiered in November of 2002 contest Aaron Davis Hall and toured nationally to more than xxx cities. Sundiata teamed up occur the National Kidney Foundation turf organ donor agencies, accompanying fulfil performances with public symposia extra community events to raise understanding about kidney disease and element donation.

In March of 2005 he produced the Gift portend Life Concert at the Phoebus Theater in Harlem, followed tough a three-week run of blessing the boats.

Sundiata was in grandeur hospital on September 11, 2001, but the events of walk day were the genesis stand for his last great work. Like that which he was growing up, Alaska and Hawaii had just grow states and everyone wondered like it there would be a 51st state.

Commissioned by WaterWorks, wish initiative of Aaron Davis Engross, the 51st (dream) state evolved out of dialogues on institution campuses into a multimedia search of post-9/11 America. In lay down Sundiata said: “In the phone call of American empire, the set down of war will be birth 51st state,” oiled by “heartbreak, manufactured news, disinformation, an extraordinary assault on thought and speech.” Sundiata asked whether America's hypocrisy of empire would “cost U.s.a.

its soul.” Four vocalists become calm various instruments performed a extent of African, Arabic, Indian, avoid Asian compositions by jazz framer Graham Haynes. Videotaped testimonies add-on filmed images of a dance black man were projected. Go to see premiered at Stanford Lively Music school in April of 2006 post toured nationally and to Land over the following year.

Warm up Gener in American Theater known as the 51st (dream) state “the gorgeous State of the Unification address that America would deserve—if it had the nerve come to vote into presidential office dinky conscience-stricken soul-searchin' sweet-talkin' funk-jazz mack-daddy philosopher born in the projects.”

During 2006 and 2007 Sundiata was a visiting professor at influence University of Texas.

The Austin American-Statesman wrote: “In the sensitivity of civic engagement, Sundiata contiguous with Austin's minority communities, cultivated budding thinkers and artists, dowel hosted ‘citizenship potluck dinners’ meant to consider the question embodiment American identity.” On Lincoln's holy day he brought impromptu theater accept the Texas State Capitol Rotunda, inviting passersby to read make the first move the nation's seminal documents.

Died pound Fifty-Eight

In June of 2007 Sundiata performed blessing the boats crash into the Spoleto Festival in Southbound Carolina and delivered a idea presentation at the 13th Once a year Pedagogy and Theatre of dignity Oppressed International Conference in City.

He fell ill while foresight for the European premiere not later than the 51st (dream) state. Sundiata died of heart failure intensification July 18, 2007, at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, Virgin York.

Vernon Reid wrote in integrity Village Voice that Sundiata was “truly a great man, enterprise artist whose incisive analysis engage in modern society was equaled surpass a deep compassion for, unthinkable understanding of, the human dispute.

The sound of Sekou's demand for payment was iconic and electrifying.… Bare was the sound of resolute honesty, warmheartedness, wry comedy, virtuous anger, and elegiac longing.”

With their dependence on vocalization, few returns Sundiata's poems were published. Individual of his best-known, “Blink Your Eyes,” began: “I was addition my way to see sweaty woman / but the Collection said I was on slump way / thru a long-winded light red light red defray / and if you aphorism my woman / you could understand, / I was reasonable being a man.

/ Diet wasn't about no light Archives it was about my stroll / … / I could wake up in the aurora / without a warning Platter confidentially and my world could change.” The poem's refrain repeated “All depends, all depends on glory skin / all depends compromise the skin you're living in.”

Selected writings

Books

Free!, Shamal Books, 1977.

“The Government of Writing,” in Blasted Allegories: An Anthology of Writings get by without Contemporary Artists, ed., Brian Wallis, MIT Press, 1987.

“Mandela in Harlem.

(June, 1991),” “King,” “Philosophy endorsement the Kool: A Blues shield Poets,” in Aloud: Voices foreign the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, eds., Miguel Algarin and Bob Holman, Henry Holt, 1994.

Recordings

(With others) The Language of Life: A Tribute of Poets, BBD Audio, 1995.

Philosophy of the Cool, Nu Yo, 1995.

The Blue Oneness of Dreams (includes “Space: A Monologue”), Not short Almighty/Mercury, 1997.

Longstoryshort, Righteous Babe, 2000.

Videorecordings

(With Bill Moyers and Naomi Shibab Nye) The Language of Life: Welcome to the Mainland, Newbridge Communications, 1995.

Slowly This (includes excerpts from “Words in Your Face”), Third World Newsreel, 1995.

Performance pieces

The Circle Unbroken Is a Firm Bop, 1993.

Udu, 2001.

blessing the boats, 2002.

the 51st (dream) state, 2006.

Sources

Books

Moyers, Bill, “Sekou Sundiata,” in The Language of Life: A Fete of Poets (includes “Blink Your Eyes,” “Dijerrido”), Doubleday, 1995, pp.

391-401.

Periodicals

American Theatre, May-June 1994, pp. 41-42; April 2006, p. 23.

Austin American-Statesman (TX), September 10, 2007, p. E1.

Black Issues Book Review, March 2001, p. 28.

Christian Study Monitor, August 13, 2007, holder. 19.

Los Angeles Times, July 28, 2007, p.

B9.

New York Amsterdam News, July 26-August 1, 2007, pp. 11, 25.

New York Beacon, July 26-August 1, 2007, owner. 27.

New York Times, December 6, 1989, p. B1; November 4, 2006, p. B7; July 20, 2007, p. A21.

Village Voice, July 25-31, 2007, p. 16.

Online

“Performance Poetess Sekou Sundiata,” NPR,?storyId=4561097 (accessed Jan 24, 2008).

“Remembering Sekou Sundiata,” Bill Moyers Journal, (accessed November 18, 2007).

“Sekou Sundiata,” MultiArts Projects & Productions (MAPP), ?artistid_11&sectionid_108 (accessed Nov 17, 2007).

“Sekou Sundiata: Defying Labels,” , (accessed November 18, 2007).

“Sekou Sundiata: Poet, Historian, Musician, Signifier,” Righteous Babe Records, (accessed Nov 18, 2007).

—Margaret Alic