'From de pout of mih mouth,
To de treacherous calm of mih smile,
You can tell...'
Grace Nichols' first published collection of poems tells the story of a young African woman uprooted from her homeland and transported to slavery in the Caribbean. It is simultaneously the story of one woman and many women, charting the harsh conditions of life on the sugar plantations; and the daily physical and mental abuse the slaves experience. The poems tell of the many acts of defiance, from the mocking dances deriding the slave owners, to acts of rebellion which eventually led to freedom for the slaves. This November sees the broadcast of a Radio play on BBC Radio 3 and the screening of a Video based on these poems by Grace Nichols. Claudette Williams gives us her impressions of the Video and Radio play.
The poems are actualized as monologues, songs and dances and tell of the journey of the 'beadless', nameless Black woman, stolen away from Africa. It looks at her conception into the 'new world' of the Caribbean ' which has no history or image of her ' and the tools she is forced to used in order to survive. This dehumanized and invisible beast of burden is subjected to physical and psychological abuse, and grows to trust no-one but herself. She has no external powers, and finds refuge in memories of her ancestral Motherland, and its magic, which she uses to define herself.
'I must construct myself a dream... This dream must not be tarnished.'
What she constructs is a language, music, songs and dances, to relieve her oppression, and finally creates a mask to protect her true self. Her means of survival finally secured, she invokes her ancestors to this alien land to guide her in her quest for retribution.
From the defiled and frightened child, she grows into the Rebel Woman, a fusion of memories, rooted in Africa, with experiences felt in the Caribbean, and affirms, defiantly:
'Ah comin', Massa, Ah comin ...'
Drawing inspiration from her sisters and brothers, the Amerindians and the Maroon Warriors of the Haitian Revolution, she plots her own. Firstly in dreams ' the birthplace of all revolts ' and then in action. For she knows through bitter experience, freedom is never given. With her re-remembered African Goddesses and Gods she claims her hour, and her identity, out of sorrow and pain. Finally she welcomes victory by liberating herself, and begins the process of healing.
'I have crossed an ocean,
I have lost my tongue,
From the root of the old one
A new one has sprung.'
This moving film captures the beauty, pride, and sophisticated codes of survival of Black women. It is a passionate and powerful tribute, a celebration.
The dramatisation is interspersed with an interview with Grace Nichols who explains what motivated her to write the piece. 'I wanted to get into the Black Woman's psyche'' This she does. Her poems are magical and profound. They lay to rest the ghosts which haunt every Black woman: the trade in human blood, commonly known as slave trade.
The poems are performed by two Narrators. The first, played by Adjoa Andoh, is a young girl, painfully trying to come to terms with her enforced reality. The second, Leonie Forbes, is a mature woman who has seen and survived all. The dramatic narration is juxtaposed with dance sequences performed by Malisha Adlum, Eusebia Suffren and Steve Wright, and archive stills of enslavement and revolt.
Every area of the film excels. Leonie Forbes magnetic screen presence and resounding voice holds the film together, with Andoh's lyrical support. Djanet Sears' singing is breathtaking. Her vocal range evokes the depths of Africa. The original music score, by Dominique Le Gendre, brilliantly compliments the poems, drawing on African, Caribbean and Amerindian rhythms and sounds. Greta Mendez' choreography is impressive; she has finally found the medium for her innovative and extreme style of expression. Frances-Anne Solomon direction pulls together all the art forms to create one ' No mean feat! ' in a visionary way. The lighting and camera work are exceptional too: I have never seen the presence of Black women captured in all its many facets in such a sensitive way. The sculptured images, and textured movements transport you into a world which brings you close to tears.
Leda Serene Productions is an exciting group of Black women committed to making programmes about women worldwide. What excites me is the experimental nature and fusion of different art forms of this first production. It is a major achievement which gives Black women a cinematic voice.
The film is too short. With greater funding, it could have been made on location, but this takes nothing away from the courage of the producer, Ingrid Lewis. The video will have a special screening organised by the Arts Council at the Bijoux Theatre, Wardour Street, London, but as yet there are no plans for televising the video nationwide or having it play in many more cinemas. I reamin hopeful however that TV Channels and various cinemas will have the foresight to take special interest in this unique film. If it does not receive nationwide viewing then it is a marked indictment on our society. Rise, you daughters, rise'
Although the video and radio play treat the same material and carry the same name, Frances-Anne Solomon has developed the two projects so that each stands as a separate work. As an aural piece, I Is A Long Memoried Woman: The Radio Play forces the listener to construct personal images to match the evocative voices, music and use of effects. Leonie Forbes' voice demands your attention, while at times Adjoa Andoh lacks depth of expressiveness needed. I look forward to following Frances-Anne Solomon's creative
endeavors.
The Radio Play will be broadcast on November 30 and should not be missed. All the best also to the video for its screening at the New York Film Festival this December!
