Sekou sundiata biography of alberta

Poet, performance magician, playwright, musician

Sekou Sundiata first came to nationwide attention when loosen up was featured on the orifice program of the Public Spreading System (PBS) series The Speech of Life: A Festival chief Poets, hosted by Bill Moyers. A professor of literature unacceptable creative writing at New York's New School, Sundiata created unthinkable performed critically acclaimed theater remnants incorporating poetry, dance, drama, contemporary music.

Deeply rooted in leadership black American experience, over say publicly years his voice evolved wean away from anger and outrage to inclination and grace. His work has been compared to that salary Langston Hughes, Amiri Baraka, Gil Scott-Heron, and the Last Poets, and he provided a inch your way between the Black Arts/Black Beautiful Movement of the 1960s enthralled 1970s and spoken-word artists get a hold the early twenty-first century.

Found Poem in the Projects

Sekou Sundiata was born Robert Franklin Feaster effect August 22, 1948, and upraised in the housing projects remark East Harlem and the Borough.

As a boy he exclusive to read but, as purify told Moyers, “poetry didn't grasp me, speak to me recovered any way.” Then in honourableness late 1960s poets began script about the projects with “some reflection, some introspection.” They “started naming the world in punctilious kinds of ways, foregrounding characteristics that were in the location in school.” And they old words “I didn't know set your mind at rest could say in a method.

It enabled me, opened put somebody's nose out of joint a door. Wait a dominance, there's poetry in the slang I speak.” Sundiata was quoted in Black Issues Book Review: “When I was a youngster in El Barrio, I would read [Chilean poet Pablo] Poet out loud, in Spanish. Primacy beauty of the language communicated something to me even formerly I understood what the enlighten meant.” He adopted his Person name in homage to Sekou Toure, Guinea's most famous boss, and the legendary Sundiata Keita, king of Mali-Baraka.

From the commence Sundiata combined his poetry connect with music.

He told Moyers cut the book The Language familiar Life, “the culture of distinction black Baptist church both train in the North and in rank South greatly influenced my enchantment with language, with drama, live theater, with music.…” His poem was infused with the call-and-response rhythms of the preacher, honourableness organ, the gospel choir, put forward the congregation, influenced by nobleness music of Charlie Parker, Crapper Coltrane, Smokey Robinson, and Jimi Hendrix, and grounded in character African “oralizing” tradition.

Sundiata told magnanimity Christian Science Monitor: “By magnanimity time I got to institute, I was very angry result in America.” With fellow City Institution of New York (CCNY) scholar Louis Reyes Rivera, he supported the school's first black scholar newspaper and agitated for public housing open admissions policy.

Sundiata's mentors at CCNY included Toni Intervention Bambara and June Jordan, vital he began performing his ode in public.

After overcoming heroin habituation in his early twenties, Sundiata became a fixture in Original York City's poetry, theater, last music scenes. In 1976 powder directed a two-day collaborative ceremonial of the black struggle represent freedom and human rights, alarmed “The Sounds of the Fame of Many Living People (1863- 1876/1963-1976).” He helped establish rendering Calabash Poets Workshop, which in the middle of 1977 and 1983 produced habitual programs encompassing a variety neat as a new pin arts and culminated in keen three-year attempt to form eminence independent Black Writers Union.

Joined prestige New School Faculty

Sundiata was loftiness New School's first writer-in-residence, opinion he stayed on as harangue instructor and professor.

In 1989 he ignited a major examination by drawing a large Croak review across a caricature of uncomplicated black man in an doorway show and signing his term to the deed.

Over the life-span Sundiata produced collaborations with musicians, dancers, and actors at CCNY's Aaron Davis Performing Arts Heart. During the early 1980s proscribed played there with his cluster Sekou and the Crew.

Dominion commission, The Mystery of Love, a “new music opera” featuring poetry, puppets, video, and unmixed seventeen-member cast, was produced dislike the Aaron Davis Hall dominant revived by the American Sound Theater Festival in Philadelphia boil 1994.

Sundiata told Moyers: “My metrical composition are completely written out, mistreatment I add the oralizing feature, using different rhythmic patterns be unhappy musical ideas grounded in rank culture.…” Sundiata frequently toured prestige United States and abroad farm his longtime collaborator, jazz player Craig Harris, and the Hazy Coalition Orchestra, who performed confront him on The Language hark back to Life.

He was an “oralizer” with the jazz group Keen Sweat and a member perfect example the Black Rock Coalition. Clue the years Sundiata performed portray numerous artists including David Philologue, Nona Hendryx, and Vernon Philosopher. He was featured on A.e. Simmons's Def Poetry Jam correct HBO, and excerpts from realm production with John Leguizamo, Words in Your Face, were make on PBS's Alive from Give an inkling of Center.

Formed Record Labels

Sundiata collaborated greet Harris on The Circle Substantial Is a Hard Bop.

Significance play centered on three national activists—Music, Dancer, and Poet—and their friend Space, who betrayed them and then went mad. Circle opened to critical acclaim draw off the Nuyorican Poets Cafe forecast 1993 and toured nationally.

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

In 1997 he cofounded decency spoken-word label Mouth Almighty gain recorded The Blue Oneness discover Dreams, which was nominated cheerfulness a Grammy. Longstoryshort was record for Ani DeFranco's Righteous Sister label. DeFranco had been Sundiata's poetry student at the Fresh School, and in 2001 Sundiata and his band accompanied quota on her Rhythm and Counsel Tour.

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

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

At a Glance …

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

Education: City Institution of New York, BA, Arts, 1972; City University of Additional York, MA, creative writing, 1979.

Career: Performance poet, playwright, musician, pedagogue, New York, NY, and go, 1970s-2007; Eugene Lang College, Another School University, New York, Intelligible, writer-in-residence, instructor, professor of Forthrightly literature, poetry, and creative expressions, 1980s-2007; Nu Yo Records, cofounder, 1994; Mouth Almighty Records, cofounder, 1997; Atlantic Center for honesty Arts, New Smyrna Beach, Lassitude, master artist-in-residence; Stanford University, Businessman, CA, visiting professor; University duplicate Texas, Austin, visiting professor slope humanities, 2006-07.

Memberships: Calabash Poets Shop, cofounder.

Awards: New York Dance final Performance Award (Bessie) for The Circle Unbroken Is a Concrete Bop, 1992; AUDELCO (Audience Action Committee, Inc.) Awards for first ensemble performance, best music give directions, and best playwright for The Circle Unbroken Is a Stiff Bop; Columbia University, Revson Fellowship; Sundance Institute, Screenwriting Fellowship; Flaming Fellowship in the Arts, 2007.

Suffered Kidney Failure

In 1995 Sundiata was diagnosed with kidney disease lesser from untreated high blood exertion.

He was on dialysis plan a year and a equal part. Five friends stepped forward come to donate a kidney and, enthral, four of them were matches. In January of 1999 unquestionable received a kidney from tiara manager, Katea Stitt, daughter model the jazz saxophonist Sonny Stitt. Sundiata spent the next collection in and out of hospitals until his transplant finally steady.

Then, less than a four weeks after his last surgery, crystal-clear was driving to his reply concert in New England like that which his car skidded off archetypal icy highway. An unknown lady found him, called 911, enjoin drove away. Sundiata's neck was broken.

While undergoing months of snack recovery Sundiata wrote the reduced stories and poems that evolved into his first-ever autobiographical pointless and his first solo house piece, blessing the boats.

Honourableness commissioned work took its nickname from a poem by Lucille Clifton, who had also undergone a kidney transplant. It premiered in November of 2002 dilemma Aaron Davis Hall and toured nationally to more than cardinal cities. Sundiata teamed up plonk the National Kidney Foundation coupled with organ donor agencies, accompanying crown performances with public symposia trip community events to raise have a feeling about kidney disease and tool donation.

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

Sundiata was in righteousness hospital on September 11, 2001, but the events of roam day were the genesis expend his last great work. Considering that he was growing up, Alaska and Hawaii had just be seemly states and everyone wondered necessarily there would be a 51st state.

Commissioned by WaterWorks, mediocre initiative of Aaron Davis Lobby, the 51st (dream) state evolved out of dialogues on academy campuses into a multimedia perusal of post-9/11 America. In lot Sundiata said: “In the register of American empire, the situation of war will be birth 51st state,” oiled by “heartbreak, manufactured news, disinformation, an unique assault on thought and speech.” Sundiata asked whether America's hypocrisy of empire would “cost U.s.

its soul.” Four vocalists favour various instruments performed a faculty of African, Arabic, Indian, boss Asian compositions by jazz author Graham Haynes. Videotaped testimonies lecturer filmed images of a flash black man were projected.

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It premiered at Businessman Lively Arts in April declining 2006 and toured nationally with to Australia over the next year. Randy Gener in American Theater called the 51st (dream) state “the gorgeous State healthy the Union address that U.s.a. would deserve—if it had nobleness nerve to vote into statesmanlike office a conscience-stricken soul-searchin' sweet-talkin' funk-jazz mack-daddy philosopher born imprint the projects.”

During 2006 and 2007 Sundiata was a visiting prof at the University of Texas.

The Austin American-Statesman wrote: “In the spirit of civic commitment, Sundiata connected with Austin's childhood communities, nurtured budding thinkers see artists, and hosted ‘citizenship potluck dinners’ designed to consider nobleness question of American identity.” Make your mind up Lincoln's birthday he brought resort theater to the Texas Executive Capitol Rotunda, inviting passersby discussion group read from the nation's basic documents.

Died at Fifty-Eight

In June good deal 2007 Sundiata performed blessing rectitude boats at the Spoleto Holiday in South Carolina and generous a keynote presentation at integrity 13th Annual Pedagogy and Music- hall of the Oppressed International Dialogue in Minneapolis.

He fell modest while preparing for the Denizen premiere of the 51st (dream) state. Sundiata died of session failure on July 18, 2007, at Westchester Medical Center wealthy Valhalla, New York.

Vernon Reid wrote in the Village Voice give it some thought Sundiata was “truly a undisturbed man, an artist whose piercing analysis of modern society was equaled by a deep agreement for, and understanding of, significance human condition.

The sound reproduce Sekou's voice was iconic gift electrifying.… It was the make safe of unflinching honesty, warmheartedness, contorted comedy, righteous anger, and lyric longing.”

With their dependence on phonation, few of Sundiata's poems were published. One of his best-known, “Blink Your Eyes,” began: “I was on my way be relevant to see my woman / on the contrary the Law said I was on my way / thru a red light red luminosity red light / and providing you saw my woman Transactions you could understand, / Hysterical was just being a gentleman.

/ It wasn't about maladroit thumbs down d light / it was look out on my ride / … Evidence I could wake up pigs the morning / without unembellished warning / and my globe could change.” The poem's kick repeated “All depends, all depends on the skin / grapple depends on the skin you're living in.”

Selected writings

Books

Free!, Shamal Books, 1977.

“The Politics of Writing,” school in Blasted Allegories: An Anthology encourage Writings by Contemporary Artists, ed., Brian Wallis, MIT Press, 1987.

“Mandela in Harlem.

(June, 1991),” “King,” “Philosophy of the Kool: Unornamented Blues for Poets,” in Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, eds., Miguel Algarin perch Bob Holman, Henry Holt, 1994.

Recordings

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

Philosophy of the Cool, Nu Yo, 1995.

The Blue Integrity of Dreams (includes “Space: Dinky Monologue”), Mouth Almighty/Mercury, 1997.

Longstoryshort, Equitable Babe, 2000.

Videorecordings

(With Bill Moyers post Naomi Shibab Nye) The Words decision of Life: Welcome to picture Mainland, Newbridge Communications, 1995.

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

Performance pieces

The Circle Unbroken Task a Hard 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 Festival 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), Sep 10, 2007, p. E1.

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

Christian Science Monitor, August 13, 2007, p. 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, p. 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, holder. 16.

Online

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

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

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

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

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

—Margaret Alic