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Afrofuturism beams in at Carnegie Hall

Autophysiopsychic Millennium took part in the recent Afrofuturism events at Carnegie Hall. (Herb Boyd photo)

By HERB BOYD

Special to the AmNews

Take a dollop of Sun Ra, a slice of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, a vibrant touch of George Clinton’s ParliamentFunkadelic, a little Burnt Sugar, a grain of Griot Galaxy, and a good portion of Yusef Lateef, let it simmer on a laser beam, and you have an approximation of the recent Afrofuturism concert at Carnegie Hall. It’s an intriguing intergalactic evening when you combine the musical/cultural mix of Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble with Angel Bat Dawid’s Autophysiopsychic Millennium, which is just part of a series of events highlighting Afrofuturism.

For the uninitiated—and most of those in attendance at the concert seem to be up on the trend—Afrofuturism was to some extent explained in the program by two members of the Concert Hall’s Afrofuturism Curatorial Council: Ytasha L. Womack and Sheree Renee Thomas. The concept, Thomas writes, “reimagines old gods and journeys beyond colonial borders, space and time. They choreograph new movements and reexamine traditional narratives, excavating the past to observe the rhythms of the present. And they help make our world anew.”

Womack, often deemed a leading authority on Afrofuturism, has an extensive interrogation of the concept in her book on the subject, defining it as “an intersection of imagination, technology, the future and liberation.” In effect, it is the philosophy of sci-fi, creative nonfiction, and history that is a cross-pollination uninhibited by boundaries or narrow definitions.

What cannot be said in words evolved on the stage with Mitchell’s flute in exchange with punctuations from Christopher Williams’ trumpet and the alto saxophone of Darius Jones as they established the tone and structure of “Xenogenesis Suite,” a composition Mitchell said was inspired by the author Octavia Butler, who is often cited as a progenitor of Afrofuturism through her determination to expand the genre devoid of ethnicity. This gave way to the scintillating, Cecil Taylor-like flights of pianist Angelic Sanchez. Most engrossing were the duets between cellist Tomeka Reid and bassist Joshua Abrams.

A brief intermission allowed the audience to catch its breath only to have it heaved into another sphere of rapture with Dawid and her crew that even while setting up an elaborate stage as they sprinkled some sort of particles on the floor and several bowls, slowly began chanting “Autophysiopsychic” and the reference became even more evident that it was Lateef’s unique definition of the music often called jazz when his image on the back wall loomed over the performance. Meanwhile, dancer and ritual-space holder, Sojourner Zenobia, weaved gracefully around the musicians, much in the manner June Tyson did for Sun Ra and his Arkestra. After the chant, the opening song sounded like Lateef’s “Love Theme from Spartacus” and Dr. Adam Zanolini demonstrated his versatility on flute, bass, and conga drums.

When Dawid, arrayed in finery that resonated like Yemaya, the Santeria orisha, summoned the group on her bass clarinet, the response from the guitars of Tazeen and Lufuki was warm and peaceful in contrast to the blast from the saxophones, including the vibrant tone of Mike Monford. Toward the finale, the three horns were a powerful blend, a tapestry of sound that reminded of the cluster of notes from Mitchell, Jones and Williams during the first set.

Taken together, the two sets are exemplary of Afrofuturism’s potential, a potential that suggests that past is prologue and like the Sankofa bird, faces forward but looks back. In this context the ensembles captured the essence of the musical griots now on the ancestral plane and those here among us aspiring to take that continuum into the next boundless, cosmic place, and helping to make “our world anew.”

Hate is designed, learned by a bombardment of images and actions to make others feel less than the oppressor. To understand the impact of institutionally designed discrimination and the impact on young minds, psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark designed and conducted a series of experiments known colloquially as “The Dolls Test” in the 1940s, to study the psychological effects of segregation on African-American children.

Using four identical dolls, one being Black, and the other being white, the test’s goal was to gauge the children’s racial perceptions. The children were between the ages of three and seven and asked which color doll they preferred. Most of the children preferred the white doll assigning positive characteristics to it, and negative characteristics to the Black dolls. This is an issue of self-esteem which is a vital building block for the healthy development of all human beings.

In an interview on the PBS documenta-

ry that focused on the Civil Rights movement—“Eyes on the Prize”—Dr. Kenneth Clark recalled: “The Dolls Test was an attempt on the part of my wife and me to study the development of the sense of self-esteem in children. We worked with Negro children—I’ll call Black children— to see the extent to which their color, their sense of their own race and status, influenced their judgment about themselves, self-esteem. We’ve now—this research, by the way, was done long before we had any notion that the NAACP or that the public officials would be concerned with our results. In fact, we did the study 14 years before Brown and the lawyers of the NAACP learned about it and came and asked us if we thought it was relevant to what they were planning to do in terms of the Brown decision cases. And we told them it was up to them to make that decision and we did not do it for litigation. We did it to communicate to our colleagues in psychology the influence of race and color and status on the self esteem of children.”

Fast forward to 2022 and the issues swirling around self-esteem amongst people of color, especially those blessed with a darker hue, is examined through handmade Black dolls in a new exhibit attempting through the lens of gender, race, and history.

Currently on exhibit at the New York Historical Society through June 5, 2022, “Black Dolls,” curated by Margi Hofer (vice president and museum director), and Dominique Jean-Louis (associate curator for history exhibitions), immerses visitors in the world of dolls, doll play, and doll making while examining the formation of racial stereotypes and confronting the persistence of racism in American history. The exhibition examines how these toys serve as expressions of resilience and creativity, perseverance and pride, and love and longing. They provide a unique view of the history of race in America, revealing difficult truths and inviting visitors to engage in the urgent national conversation about the legacy of slavery and racism.

“Black Dolls” feature more than 200 objects, including 110 handmade dolls from the private collection of Deborah

Neff, commercially produced 20th-century dolls, textiles, books, games, sewing tools, and ephemera from New York Historical and other collections. Period photographs from the Neff Collection provide important context. Starting with dolls that reflect the horrors of slavery, the exhibition moves through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Dolls with detailed finery, often made from ingeniously repurposed sewing basket scraps, push back against negative racial stereotypes, while photographs that show white children playing with Black dolls and Black children holding white dolls complicate the narrative. The exhibition also depicts the rise of factory-made dolls and the growing emphasis on positive representation they embodied, as the slogan of the National Negro Doll Company stated: “Negro Dolls for Negro Children.”

Objects from the Deborah Neff collection include seven topsy-turvy dolls, which consist of a Black and white doll conjoined at the waist; an elegant doll in mid-19th century dress featuring hair made from imitation fur; a schoolboy crafted from remnants of materials, such as a mattress cover; a doll made with high-quality materials that highlight the intricate fashion of the late 19th century; and a dapper and welldressed man in a three-piece suit.

From a private collection are three dolls made by Harriet Jacobs, who escaped from slavery and physical violence. Jacobs made these dolls between 18501860 for the white children of the Willis family of New York, where she worked after her escape. In Harriet Jacobs’ autobiography, published in 1861, she recounts her desperate flight from slavery and her years spent in hiding—where she used sewing to relieve her loneliness—until she could reunite with her children in the North. A copy of Jacobs’ “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” is on view and two of her books are available in the museums’ book store.

Three dolls from the 1930s on display were made by Leo Moss, a handyman in Macon, Georgia, who repurposed commercial dolls by remodeling their

hair, features, and facial expressions and tinting their skin with boot dye until they resembled himself, family members, or neighbors.

Here is what Dominique Jean-Louis, the associate curator for history exhibitions had to share about why the exhibit “Black Dolls” is important.

AMSTERDAM NEWS: Who made the handmade Black dolls that are viewed through the lens of race, gender, and history?

DOMINIQUE JEAN-LOUIS: Most of the dollmakers are unknown, but there are some dolls whose maker we do know about, including Deborah J. Neff, a toy collector in suburban Connecticut, who escaped from slavery and physical violence in the 1800s. Another set of dolls was made by Leo Moss in the 1930s, who repurposed commercial dolls to resemble himself, family members, or neighbors. AMN: How will the visitors of “Black Dolls” immerse themselves in the world of dolls, doll play, and doll making?

DJL: “Black Dolls” features more than 200 objects, including 110 handmade dolls from the private collection of Deborah Neff, commercially produced 20thcentury dolls, textiles, books, games, sewing tools, and ephemera from New York Historical and other collections. Period photographs from the Neff Collection provide important context. Touch interactives and videos will demonstrate the intricate process and diverse materials that go into dollmaking. A slideshow of contemporary doll makers and collectors underscores the continued meaning people find in Black dolls today. AMN: How is the examination of racial stereotypes presented using dolls as the leader in the larger conversation about the persistence of racism in American history then and now?

DJL: Starting with dolls that reflect the horrors of slavery, the exhibition will move through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The exhibition ends with a slideshow featuring photos of contemporary doll collectors, including one of artist Betye Saar with her collection. The exhibition also explores how Black women who worked in domestic service, many of whom made dolls like these, were subjected to racist stereotypes like the “Mammy.” A selection of toys and picture books provides a grounding in the racist depictions that were omnipresent in the child culture of the time, grounding visitors in how these dolls depart from such visuals. AMN: It’s explained that the exhibition examines how these toys serve as expressions of resilience and creativity, perseverance and pride, and love and longing. Shall I assume the dolls are created by people of color who experienced (and/or, are experiencing) trauma based on racism?

DJL:While many of the doll makers are unknown, the dollmakers we are aware of, whose stories are included in the exhibition, were/are people of color. These dolls were made in a tumultuous and painful time in America for Black people, and while these dolls don’t speak directly to that history, they are the creative expressions of the real people who lived through these difficult times, and it’s meaningful to view them through that lens. AMN: How can dolls provide a “unique view of the history of race in America”? Not disagreeing —just very interested to know. I agree, just curious.

DJL: In the long and difficult history of race in the United States, it’s difficult to center Black women and their experiences—they were often denied the chance to learn to read and write, and much of their work took place in the home and doesn’t exist for us to study as much as we’d like to: the hairstyles that were never photographed, the meals they cooked, the gardens they tended, the clothes they made and maintained. By being thoughtful and informed about what DOES remain— for example, quilts, foodways, and recipes handed down through oral history, and yes, dolls—we honor their

Images from the Black Dolls exhibit, currently running at the NY Historical Society through June 5 (Lapacazo Sandoval photos)

East African jazz vocalist Somi will headline this year’s Africa Now! Festival (Image courtesy of the Apollo Theater)

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH

Special to the AmNews

It has been announced that Harlem’s renowned Apollo Theater will be presenting Africa Now! Festival in April 2022. This year’s festival will be “live and in-person” and features headliner, East African jazz vocalist and extraordinaire artist, Somi. The musician and special guests will be in celebration of Somi’s newest album “Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba,” which is a musical rumination of the incredible life and work of the legendary African icon, Miriam Makeba in lieu of Makeba’s 90th birthday. Dianne Reeves and South African musician Thandiswa Mazwai will perform in support of Somi.

“We’re thrilled to welcome back our Africa Now! celebration and to continue honoring and presenting contemporary art from the African diaspora,” stated Kamilah Forbes, the Apollo’s executive producer in a press release. “Over the past eight decades the Apollo has amplified Black voices and used its platforms to create an intersection of art and activism, so having Somi, a contemporary artist and activist, perform new music from her upcoming album that honors the late Miriam Makeba, a respected musical and activist icon of the 1960s, is exactly the kind of artistic conversation and experimentation that the Apollo champions.”

Apollo Comedy Club will open the festival on March 4 led by comedian Akintunde. On March 5, Congolese musician and artist, Nkumu Katalay and DJ YB will perform at the Apollo Music Café and on March 10, “a screening and post-film discussion of Apollo Film: ImageNation’s Cocktails and Sol Cinema – ‘Queen of Glory,’ by director Nana Mensah (Netflix’s ‘The Chair’) who vividly captures the GhanaianAmerican experience of being caught between two worlds in her film.”

The festival will run from March 4 through March 19 offering a plethora of opportunities for the community to celebrate the powerful influences of African art, music and film. It is important that the Black community in America and across the diaspora connects and fuses together to create stronger bonds with artists from across the world. There are so many similarities and interesting and powerful differences between Black cultures, creating space for people to come together and enjoy the beauty and brilliance of Blackness.

Tickets for Africa Now! Festival’s Queen of Glory, Apollo Music Café, and Apollo Comedy Club are $25, the Livewire discussion is free, and tickets for Somi and Friends: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba start at $25. To purchase tickets to Africa Now! and all other events of the Apollo’s Winter/Spring 2022 season, visit www.ApolloTheater.org.

Dolls

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lives and humanity, and tell a fuller story about the realities of the period. If we only look at documents and photographs, think of all that we miss! AMN: The exhibition features more than 200 objects, including 110 handmade dolls from the private collection of Deborah Neff, commercially produced 20th-century dolls, textiles, books, games, sewing tools, and ephemera from New York Historical and other collections. How is this different from the previous show in Paris?

DJL: This exhibition is distinct from past exhibitions of Neff’s collection in its emphasis on historical context. Also, the New York Historical exhibition will feature Neff’s collection alongside objects from New York Historical and loans from other collections. Additions include a trio of dolls made by Harriet Jacobs after she escapes from slavery and a selection of 20th-century commercial dolls including the first Black American Girl Doll Addy Walker.