Aesthetic Legacy
Ritual
Material selected for this room reflects the use on stage of rituals of African origins, taking place during Orishas, Pocomania and other religious ceremonies or recreational events related to the agricultural cycle or in conjunction with funerals, weddings and other social gatherings. Some productions make reference to Yoruba ritual dramas that defy mimetic representations of reality to become an arena of spiritual transformation. A number of performances by visiting artists and companies from Africa, the Caribbean and USA have been included to highlight the interest that such imports had for British audiences and their impact on Black British dance and theatre.
Religion
A number of black theatre and dance performances have been selected in this room for their references to religious practices, the role they play in black communities and their aesthetic representations on stage. These include references to Christianity, such as gospel and other forms of music, as well as Rastafarianism, which in its rejection of European standards of beauty and call for a re-evaluation of African values, had a crucial cultural impact in Britain.
Music
The use of music and various musical instruments such as drums and fifes in black theatre and dance is ancient. Many practitioners in the UK may have been initiated into these cultural expressions by fore parents and ancestral knowledge stretching backwards to Africa and the Atlantic crossing. Musicals, as well as plays which utilise various music genres as a way of exploring the journey that these art forms took within the African diaspora, have been included in this section.
Dance
A number of dance forms traveled with the enslaved Africans from Africa to South America, Caribbean, USA and UK. Many were performed in musicals, dance drama, choreographic dramas and choreo-poetry, tracing the trajectories of the African diaspora. In opposition to the triangular shape of the African Slave Trade, these art movements should be seen as circular ones, underlining the fact that many art forms that came out of Africa, returned there a century later as artists continued to look at each others’ work for new inspirations, methods and to exchange ideas.
Speech Patterns
The polydialectical culture of the Caribbean has been variously articulated on the British stage through the use of speech patterns or other distinguishable forms of language often identified with the expression ‘Creole continuum’ – reflecting the continuum between pre-colonial Africa, the Caribbean Islands, South America and Europe. Drawing on indigenous forms of literature and performance, writers have developed strategies of vernacular transcriptions and the use of different codes within Standard English, to articulate their criticism and resistance to colonial rule. Such practise has been remarkably wide in its range, representing one of the most successful forms of black cultural resistance and identity.
Popular Theatre
‘Popular drama’ or ‘roots theatre’ as it is known in Jamaica, is one of the most popular genres in the Caribbean and Africa. Generally performed in community centers, schools and church halls, this genre is characterised by simple sets and lighting, coupled with basic props and broad vernacular language. Whilst professional Jamaican pantomime might not reflect the above definition, productions staged in Britain inspired by this genre have been included in this section for their references to popular drama, the Anansi stories and use of elements from African folklore, also represented on the British stage by touring African companies.
Masquerade / Carnival
Carnival events, such as the Notting Hill experience in London, represent an important example of the intermingling dimensions of art, politics and culture in the form of communal entertainment. Masquerade and Carnival have also been represented on stage as part of what is known as ‘total theatre’. Folk celebrations, brought from various motherlands, take place in this theatre context, which developed in African and Caribbean cultures and often features masquerade, music, dance, and drumming. Interestingly, masquerade has also been used by European artists such as Genet to represent the subversion of power intrinsic in this artistic practice.
