The Passage Project

The Literature of Family History: Cane River, The Girl from Foreign &The Washingtons of Wessington Plantation

Cover from Sadia Shepard's The Girl From Foreign.

I've been reading a great deal about those tracing their roots because I am working on a project doing the same. I've been inspired by some wonderful writers and thought I would share:

Cane River by Lalita Tademy
Set in rural Louisiana, the story explores the lineage of an African-American family headed by strong-willed women. This wonderful novel traces the authors family history beginning in the Antebellum era to decades after the Civil War.

The Girl from Foreign: A Search for Shipwrecked Ancestors, Forgotten Histories, and a Sense of Home
by Sadia Shepard
In her memoir, Shepard traces her grandmother's footsteps beginning at her birthplace in India where she was born and raised Jewish, to her last days in the United States where she died as a Muslim. Ancestral homelands and faith are central to her story. 

Next on my list:

John F. Baker's The Washingtons of Wessington Plantation: Stories of My Family's Journey to Freedom

Notes From the Diaspora, 1/30: Urwintore's The Investigation; Tibet House Benefit Concert; Boston African Film Festival

This regular section of The Passage Project is the spot to find abbreviated notes on news and events throughout the African Diaspora and beyond.

 

Image courtesy of Urwintore's website.

Theater
Montclair, NJ

It's been a long time coming. The Rwandan theater company Urwintore has brought their production of The Investigation by Peter Weiss to the United States and I've been waiting for the chance to see this production for myself for sometime now.  Originally produced in 1965, the play is based on transcripts from Frankfurt's war crimes trials of German citizens who worked at Auschwitz during WWII. Urwintore's production has been adapted by Jean Beaudrillard, conceived and directed by Dorcy Rugamba and Isabelle Gyselinx.

 

Image of Darcy  Rugamba courtesy of Thisislondon.co.uk.

Urwindtore's production was first performed in Rwanda in 2005 and later performed in London in 2007.
After wrapping up performances in Chicago last week, Urwintore brings their production to the Alexander Kasser Theater in Montclair, New Jersey February 5 - 9. The production will be performed in Kinyarwanda with English super titles.

Music
New York City

Image of musician Angelique Kidjo courtesy of Afropop.com.

Carnegie Hall will play host to the 19th Annual Tibet House Benefit Concert Tuesday, February 3rd at 7:30pm. Performers include Philip Glass, Antibalas, Steve Earle, Keb' Mo', Angelique Kidjo and Monks from India's Drepung Gomang Monastery.  The concert as been held at Carnegie Hall since 1993. Other guests are expected to be announced soon.

Film
Boston
The Boston African FIlm Festival will be taking place February 6 - 15 at The Museum of Fine Arts. This year's screenings include Cheik Doukoure's Paris Selon Moussa (Guinea/France, 2003, 96 min.) and Ngozi Onwurah's Shoot the Messenger (Nigeria/UK, 2006, 100 min.).

Passover in Uganda

The Jewish holiday of Passover begins today at sunset and ends Saturday, April 26th. This morning NPR ran a story about celebrating Passover in the Jewish community of eastern Uganda. Judaism was first practiced in Uganda in the early 20th century and was small in number but solid in terms of faith. Unfortunately, the Jewish population began to dwindle in the 1970s when Idia Amin came to power. To listen to the story and see photos, go here.