arts & entertainment
pBS Special: Black in Latin America Oregon Shakespeare
By kam Williams
Special To The Skanner News
W
hen you think of slavery in
the Americas, I bet you
assume that more Africans
were brought to the U.S. than any-
where else in this hemisphere. But
truth be told, only a tiny fraction were
transported to this soil, with ten times
as many being taken to Brazil, and
even twice as many to Cuba.
This is just one of the fascinating
factoids in store for viewers of “Black
in Latin America,” the latest PBS spe-
cial produced by Harvard’s Henry
Louis Gates. Professor Gates has pre-
viously hosted “African-American
Lives 1 & 2,” ” Faces of America,”
“Wonders of the African World,”
“Oprah’s Roots,” “Looking for
Lincoln,” and “America beyond the
Color Line.”
A half-dozen countries serve as the
focus of this four-part series, namely,
Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Haiti and
the Dominican Republic. Gates travels
to each nation to talk to the locals, cap-
turing the flavor of the present-day
culture in the light of the lasting lega-
cy of slavery. Despite having majored
in Black Studies, I have to admit that I
found all of the episodes extraordinar-
ily informative.
For example, I had no idea that sup-
posedly freedom-loving President
Thomas Jefferson had not only refused
to recognize Haiti after that nation
declared its independence but that he
derogatively referred to its emancipat-
ed inhabitants as cannibals. In terms of
Cuba, I was surprised to learn of a
recent return of a color-coded caste
system on the island, ostensibly as a
consequence of an influx of dollars
from lighter-skinned relatives in the
United States.
Similarly, Brazil, often promoted as
a post-racial utopia, is presented here
as the undeserving beneficiary of a
myth yet to be realized. Who knew
that slavery was only abolished there
in 1888? And racism is apparently
ubiquitous in Peru, too, where for a
pittance many blacks still pick cotton
in fields on the very same plantations
as did generations of their ancestors.
Dedicated to Dr. Gates’ recently-
deceased, beloved father (whom you
may remember from “African-
American Lives”), “Black in Latin
America” is a must-see for anyone
interested in appreciating the history
and continuing fallout of slavery South
of the Border.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 240 Minutes
Distributor: PBS
“Black in Latin America” airs
Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on PBS (check
local listings)
Festival Hosts Hip-Hop
poetry Open-Mic
May 2 poetry event part of
season-long series in Ashland
O
regon Shakespeare
Festival will host a
hip-hop
poetry
open-mic, May 2. The open-
mic is the third of four free
events, all scheduled for 7-9
pm Mondays at The Black
Swan Theater, 15 S. Pioneer
Street, Ashland. Upcoming
dates are: May 2 and Oct.
10.
Newcomers and veterans
of open-mic events are
invited to mix and experi-
ment, and share your writ-
khatt taylor
ing, music and theatrical
skills of any kind. There is
no requirement to participate - we need appreciative people
just to listen and appreciate the power of the spoken word.
Admission is free.
This open mic will include special guest Khatt Taylor,
who acted the role of the player queen in Hamlet as well as
other roles at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Khatt has
rocked poetry slams from California and Illinois to
Washington and Oregon. A graduate of the University of
Washington’s drama school, she has written and performed
several one-woman shows and worked with many compa-
nies, including Intiman in Seattle.
More information from 541-482-2111, ext. 295
Week on the Web
Phoebe Snow,
right, a bluesy
singer, guitarist
and songwriter
who had a defining
hit of the 1970s
with “Poetry Man,”
has died ... in
National News
According to the
Bureau of Labor,
last month the
unemployment rate
dropped to 8.8
percent and the
job market added
216,000 positions. But for
who? ...in US News
Jefferson High
School students
were the hosts at
a carbon foot-
print fair to
mark Earth Day
2011 ... in
Northwest News
Seattle-based hip
hop artist, Sonny
Bonoho has
released four
songs from his
latest album,
Phonephreak, as
a free download.
Phonephreak is the follow-up
to his debut “Life of a Back-up
Singer”... in Music Reviews
www.
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april 27, 2011 The Seattle Skanner Page 5