The Òṣogbo Connection: Transnational Identities, Modernity and World View of Yoruba Americans in Sheldon, South Carolina and Alachua County, Florida

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Òṣogbo Connection: Transnational Identities, Modernity and World View of Yoruba Americans in Sheldon, South Carolina and Alachua County, Florida THE ÒṢOGBO CONNECTION: TRANSNATIONAL IDENTITIES, MODERNITY AND WORLD VIEW OF YORUBA AMERICANS IN SHELDON, SOUTH CAROLINA AND ALACHUA COUNTY, FLORIDA By AJANI ADE OFUNNIYIN A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2008 1 © 2008 Ajani Ade Ofunniyin 2 To My Mother Frances Elizabeth Porsche and My daughters, Nzinga, Bababi, Abeni, and Olabisi and Dr. Jacqueline Peterson 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, I would like to thank God and the spirits of my ancestors for all of the blessings that have been bestowed upon me in my lifetime and through this process. I thank my family for their continued love, support, and encouragement. I thank Dr. Allan Burns, Department of Anthropology University of Florida for recognizing my commitment to what turned out to be an arduous task and for his willingness to serve as my advisor and Chair of my committee. He was always available for discussions and encouragement. I thank Dr. Robin Poynor, University of Florida Department of Art, for giving my academic interest direction and focus and for partnering with me on many memorable projects. While Dr. Poynor did not chair my dissertation committee, he was the member that I interacted with the most on several projects and who shared my interest in Yoruba communities in Florida and Sheldon, South Carolina. I also thank my committee members whose editorial recommendations and suggestions challenged me to make this a better dissertation: Dr. Faye Harrison, Anthropology Department, University of Florida and Dr. Vicki Rovine, Department of Art History, University of Florida. My attendance and research at the University of Florida would not have been possible without the funding that I received from the Center for African Studies (FLAS Fellowships), under the leadership of Dr. Michael Chege and Leo Villianon, Florida Education Fund (FEF) McKnight Fellowship, the University of Florida Graduate School Gwendolyn Auzenne Fellowship, and a Fulbright-Hayes GPA fellowship. I thank the leadership and staff at these funding sources for their generous support of my graduate studies and field work. I am deeply grateful to the communities in which I conducted my field research. I offer a special thank you to Ifáyemí Elebuibon and his family in Ọ̀sogbo, Nigeria and to the Adediran family in Ilé-Ife, Nigeria, for their warm hospitality and generosity. I also would like to thank my family and friends in Ọyọ́túnjí African Village and in Alachua County Florida. Finally, I would 4 like to thank Yomi Yomi Awolowo, Dr. Kamari M. Clarke, Yale University and Dr. Robert Hall, Northeastern University, for encouraging me to return to graduate school for a Ph.D. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................................4 GLOSSARY ..................................................................................................................................13 ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................18 CHAPTER 1 THE RE- INVENTION OF CULTURAL NATIONALISM.................................................22 Research Purpose/Objective ...................................................................................................24 The Connector ........................................................................................................................26 The Network ...........................................................................................................................30 Self as Meaning and Self as a Site for Exploration ................................................................39 Santeria in Harlem ..................................................................................................................40 First Nigerian Experience.......................................................................................................51 Methodology and a Model for Examining Ifá/Òrìsà-Voodoo/Santeria Practices and Conducting Visual Ethnographic Research ........................................................................56 Ethnographic Bridges .............................................................................................................57 Front-Door Ethnography ........................................................................................................61 Historical Overview................................................................................................................66 2 MAGIC, IMAGINATION, AND MYTHOLOGY ................................................................72 Ọyọ́túnjí African Village and Òrìsà-Vodoo in the USA ........................................................72 Recasting Worshipping Practices ...........................................................................................77 Growth and Conflict ...............................................................................................................81 Òrìsà Conferences: Sites for the Shaping and Renewal of Collective Memory....................83 3 CULTURAL PLURALISMS AND PARAMETERS..........................................................109 African Religion and the Media ...........................................................................................109 Locating Visual Documentation...........................................................................................110 Elitism vs. Nationalism: Who Determines Traditions? ........................................................113 Three Ìyàwós Pilgrimage, Rituals, and Kismetics................................................................115 A Lucumi initiation...............................................................................................................131 4 SACRED MILIEUS, TIME, AND INTERVENTION ........................................................150 Spirituality vs. Religiosity ....................................................................................................150 Òṣogbo Revisited: A Life with the Gods .............................................................................159 A Life with the Gods ............................................................................................................171 Connections ..........................................................................................................................177 Diviner’s Training ................................................................................................................180 Additional Connections ........................................................................................................181 6 The King’s Demise...............................................................................................................184 Ká Wọ̀ Kábíyèsí: the Making of Ṣàngó ................................................................................186 Day 1 of Ṣàngó Initiation......................................................................................................189 Day 2 of Ṣàngó Initiation......................................................................................................199 Day 3 of Ṣàngó Initiation......................................................................................................205 Epilogue: Archiving the Sacred through Intervention..........................................................254 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................................263 SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY....................................................................................................276 SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................277 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................................281 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure page 1-1 Billboard advertising cell phones.......................................................................................70 1-2 Cell Tell retail outlet for cell phones and SIM cards, Òṣogbo ..........................................70 1-3 Nigerian Scam letter Sample .............................................................................................71 2-1 The Old Ọyọ́túnjí African Village Roadside Sign ............................................................88 2-2 The New Ọyọ́túnjí African Village Roadside Sign ..........................................................88 2-3 Raising Village Flag .........................................................................................................89 2-4 Adefunmi I and Òrìsàmola Awolowo in Harlem...............................................................90 2-5 Mama Keke, Queen Mother Moore, Efuntola, Sunta ........................................................91 2-6 Chief Òrìsàmola Awolowo- the first Alagba of Ọyọ́túnjí African Village ......................92 2-7 Efuntola Adefunmi I with Staff of Authority ....................................................................93 2-8 Ọyọ́túnjí Bàtá Drummers...................................................................................................94 2-9 Ọyọ́túnjí African Village Egúngún Seated in chairs .........................................................95 2-10 Ọyọ́túnjí
Recommended publications
  • Introduction: Introducing Yemoja
    1 2 3 4 5 Introduction 6 7 8 Introducing Yemoja 9 10 11 12 Solimar Otero and Toyin Falola 13 14 15 16 17 18 Mother I need 19 mother I need 20 mother I need your blackness now 21 as the august earth needs rain. 22 —Audre Lorde, “From the House of Yemanjá”1 23 24 “Yemayá es Reina Universal porque es el Agua, la salada y la dul- 25 ce, la Mar, la Madre de todo lo creado / Yemayá is the Universal 26 Queen because she is Water, salty and sweet, the Sea, the Mother 27 of all creation.” 28 —Oba Olo Ocha as quoted in Lydia Cabrera’s Yemayá y Ochún.2 29 30 31 In the above quotes, poet Audre Lorde and folklorist Lydia Cabrera 32 write about Yemoja as an eternal mother whose womb, like water, makes 33 life possible. They also relate in their works the shifting and fluid nature 34 of Yemoja and the divinity in her manifestations and in the lives of her 35 devotees. This book, Yemoja: Gender, Sexuality, and Creativity in the 36 Latina/o and Afro-Atlantic Diasporas, takes these words of supplica- 37 tion and praise as an entry point into an in-depth conversation about 38 the international Yoruba water deity Yemoja. Our work brings together 39 the voices of scholars, practitioners, and artists involved with the inter- 40 sectional religious and cultural practices involving Yemoja from Africa, 41 the Caribbean, North America, and South America. Our exploration 42 of Yemoja is unique because we consciously bridge theory, art, and 43 xvii SP_OTE_INT_xvii-xxxii.indd 17 7/9/13 5:13 PM xviii Solimar Otero and Toyin Falola 1 practice to discuss orisa worship3 within communities of color living in 2 postcolonial contexts.
    [Show full text]
  • Yoruba Art & Culture
    Yoruba Art & Culture Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology University of California, Berkeley Yoruba Art and Culture PHOEBE A. HEARST MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY Written and Designed by Nicole Mullen Editors Liberty Marie Winn Ira Jacknis Special thanks to Tokunbo Adeniji Aare, Oduduwa Heritage Organization. COPYRIGHT © 2004 PHOEBE A. HEARST MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PHOEBE A. HEARST MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY ◆ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY BERKELEY, CA 94720-3712 ◆ 510-642-3682 ◆ HTTP://HEARSTMUSEUM.BERKELEY.EDU Table of Contents Vocabulary....................4 Western Spellings and Pronunciation of Yoruba Words....................5 Africa....................6 Nigeria....................7 Political Structure and Economy....................8 The Yoruba....................9, 10 Yoruba Kingdoms....................11 The Story of How the Yoruba Kingdoms Were Created....................12 The Colonization and Independence of Nigeria....................13 Food, Agriculture and Trade....................14 Sculpture....................15 Pottery....................16 Leather and Beadwork....................17 Blacksmiths and Calabash Carvers....................18 Woodcarving....................19 Textiles....................20 Religious Beliefs....................21, 23 Creation Myth....................22 Ifa Divination....................24, 25 Music and Dance....................26 Gelede Festivals and Egugun Ceremonies....................27 Yoruba Diaspora....................28
    [Show full text]
  • Cassava Farmers' Preferences for Varieties and Seed Dissemination
    Cassava farmers’ preferences for varieties and seed dissemination system in Nigeria: Gender and regional perspectives Jeffrey Bentley, Adetunji Olanrewaju, Tessy Madu, Olamide Olaosebikan, Tahirou Abdoulaye, Tesfamichael Wossen, Victor Manyong, Peter Kulakow, Bamikole Ayedun, Makuachukwu Ojide, Gezahegn Girma, Ismail Rabbi, Godwin Asumugha, and Mark Tokula www.iita.org i ii Cassava farmers’ preferences for varieties and seed dissemination system in Nigeria: Gender and regional perspectives J. Bentley, A. Olanrewaju, T. Madu, O. Olaosebikan, T. Abdoulaye, T. Wossen, V. Manyong, P. Kulakow, B. Ayedun, M. Ojide, G. Girma, I. Rabbi, G. Asumugha, and M. Tokula International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan February 2017 IITA Monograph i Published by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, Nigeria. 2017 IITA is a non-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. It is a member of the CGIAR System Organization, a global research partnership for a food secure future. International address: IITA, Grosvenor House, 125 High Street Croydon CR0 9XP, UK Headquarters: PMB 5320, Oyo Road Ibadan, Oyo State ISBN 978-978-8444-82-4 Correct citation: Bentley, J., A. Olanrewaju, T. Madu, O. Olaosebikan, T. Abdoulaye, T. Wossen, V. Manyong, P. Kulakow, B. Ayedun, M. Ojide, G. Girma, I. Rabbi, G. Asumugha, and M. Tokula. 2017. Cassava farmers’ preferences for varieties and seed dissemination system in Nigeria: Gender and regional perspectives. IITA Monograph, IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria.
    [Show full text]
  • Purple Hibiscus
    1 A GLOSSARY OF IGBO WORDS, NAMES AND PHRASES Taken from the text: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Appendix A: Catholic Terms Appendix B: Pidgin English Compiled & Translated for the NW School by: Eze Anamelechi March 2009 A Abuja: Capital of Nigeria—Federal capital territory modeled after Washington, D.C. (p. 132) “Abumonye n'uwa, onyekambu n'uwa”: “Am I who in the world, who am I in this life?”‖ (p. 276) Adamu: Arabic/Islamic name for Adam, and thus very popular among Muslim Hausas of northern Nigeria. (p. 103) Ade Coker: Ade (ah-DEH) Yoruba male name meaning "crown" or "royal one." Lagosians are known to adopt foreign names (i.e. Coker) Agbogho: short for Agboghobia meaning young lady, maiden (p. 64) Agwonatumbe: "The snake that strikes the tortoise" (i.e. despite the shell/shield)—the name of a masquerade at Aro festival (p. 86) Aja: "sand" or the ritual of "appeasing an oracle" (p. 143) Akamu: Pap made from corn; like English custard made from corn starch; a common and standard accompaniment to Nigerian breakfasts (p. 41) Akara: Bean cake/Pea fritters made from fried ground black-eyed pea paste. A staple Nigerian veggie burger (p. 148) Aku na efe: Aku is flying (p. 218) Aku: Aku are winged termites most common during the rainy season when they swarm; also means "wealth." Akwam ozu: Funeral/grief ritual or send-off ceremonies for the dead. (p. 203) Amaka (f): Short form of female name Chiamaka meaning "God is beautiful" (p. 78) Amaka ka?: "Amaka say?" or guess? (p.
    [Show full text]
  • African American Parent Groups As a Context for the Activation of Social Capital : a Case of Parent Empowerment Through Transformational Leadership Ajamu T
    The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 2008 African American parent groups as a context for the activation of social capital : a case of parent empowerment through transformational leadership Ajamu T. Stewart Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Stewart, Ajamu T., "African American parent groups as a context for the activation of social capital : a case of parent empowerment through transformational leadership" (2008). Doctoral Dissertations. 232. https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/232 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of San Francisco AFRICAN AMERICAN PARENT GROUPS AS A CONTEXT FOR THE ACTIVATION OF SOCIAL CAPITAL: A CASE OF PARENT EMPOWERMENT THROUGH TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP A Dissertation Presented To The Faculty of the School of Education Organization and Leadership Department In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education By Ajamu T. Stewart San Francisco May, 2008 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I’d like to acknowledge my committee, Dr. Patricia Mitchell (my committee chair), Dr. Betty Taylor and Dr. Ellen Herda. Thanks for your patience and encouragement. Each of you contributed greatly to my experience at the University of San Francisco, and you will always be remembered.
    [Show full text]
  • The House of Oduduwa: an Archaeological Study of Economy and Kingship in the Savè Hills of West Africa
    The House of Oduduwa: An Archaeological Study of Economy and Kingship in the Savè Hills of West Africa by Andrew W. Gurstelle A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology) in the University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Professor Carla M. Sinopoli, Chair Professor Joyce Marcus Professor Raymond A. Silverman Professor Henry T. Wright © Andrew W. Gurstelle 2015 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I must first and foremost acknowledge the people of the Savè hills that contributed their time, knowledge, and energies. Completing this dissertation would not have been possible without their support. In particular, I wish to thank Ọba Adétùtú Onishabe, Oyedekpo II Ọla- Amùṣù, and the many balè,̣ balé, and balọdè ̣that welcomed us to their communities and facilitated our research. I also thank the many land owners that allowed us access to archaeological sites, and the farmers, herders, hunters, fishers, traders, and historians that spoke with us and answered our questions about the Savè hills landscape and the past. This dissertion was truly an effort of the entire community. It is difficult to express the depth of my gratitude for my Béninese collaborators. Simon Agani was with me every step of the way. His passion for Shabe history inspired me, and I am happy to have provided the research support for him to finish his research. Nestor Labiyi provided support during crucial periods of excavation. As with Simon, I am very happy that our research interests complemented and reinforced one another’s. Working with Travis Williams provided a fresh perspective on field methods and strategies when it was needed most.
    [Show full text]
  • Decoding Encoded Yorùbá Nomenclature: an Exercise of National Research University Higher School of Economics Linguistic Competence and Performance
    Dalamu, T.O. (2019). Decoding Encoded Yorùbá Nomenclature: An Exercise of National Research University Higher School of Economics Linguistic Competence and Performance. Journal of Language and Education, Journal of Language & Education Volume 5, Issue 1, 2019 5(1), 16-28. doi: 10.17323/2411-7390-2019-5-1-16-28 Decoding Encoded Yorùbá Nomenclature: An Exercise of Linguistic Competence and Performance Taofeek Olaiwola Dalamu Anchor University Lagos Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Taofeek Olaiwola Dalamu, Department of English & Literary Studies, Anchor University Lagos, Lagos, 1-4 Ayobo Road, Ipaja, Lagos, Nigeria. E-mails: [email protected]; [email protected] The proficiency of Yorùbá users has influenced the formation of towns’ names, which this study investigated, revealing their haphazard formation processes. Ten towns of Yorùbá-land in Nigeria functioned as exploratory samples. Ellipsis, serving as the analytical instrument, elucidated the effectiveness of competence and performance, being operational in the clipping of statements to nominal lexemes. The study exhibited flexibility in the development of Yorùbá names, influenced by users’ needs. The historical facts of business, religion, hunting, war, and conquest supported the formations, without seemingly consistent linguistic principles. The study further revealed the deletion of linguistic components (Ilè̩ tó ń fè̩ = Ilé-Ifè̩ – a piece of land that expands), twists in pronunciations with a meaningless derivative (Ọjà kò tà – business is not picking up = Ọjó̩ta), manipulation of English words to Yorùbá (Bad agric = bà dá gìrì [Badagry]), and the production of novel lexemes-cum-meanings (Amúkokò – a person who catches a leopard = Amùkòkò – someone who smokes his pipe).
    [Show full text]
  • A Walk Through the Gallery 5
    A WALK THROUGH THE GALLERY MARGARET PLASS The new African Gallery has been designed to exhibit, simply and honestly, a selection of sculptures from our permanent collections. Proudly we present them as works of art; where possible they are arranged in tribal groups for convenience and comparative study. They are labeled briefly and clearly. Here are the materials from which our visitors may form a just view of the special characteristics and merits of Negro art. For more than half a century our Museum has been enriched by acces- sions of African sculpture, mainly by purchase and partly by gifts, to the end that our permanent collections are the largest and most varied in style in America. The following descriptive notes are not to be construed as an attempt at a catalogue of the exhibition; the serious student may have access to fully documented formal catalogues should he apply to the Museum staff. In Dr. Coon's introduction he has given us the anthropological and ethno- grapbical background of the people who produced this art, working within the framework of their tribal traditions. Here in this book, with their photographs, are small synopses of what we know of these sculptures, and what we guess. We all have conscious, and sometimes unconscious, difficulty in understanding such works of art; the philosophical barrier that lies in the way of full appreciation is almost too difficult to hurdle. Many writers have tried to explain the magico-religious significance, the strength and directness of African art; few have succeeded. Perhaps these notes are mere hints and suggestions, but we hope that they may sometimes be stimulating as well as factual.
    [Show full text]
  • African Concepts of Energy and Their Manifestations Through Art
    AFRICAN CONCEPTS OF ENERGY AND THEIR MANIFESTATIONS THROUGH ART A thesis submitted to the College of the Arts of Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Renée B. Waite August, 2016 Thesis written by Renée B. Waite B.A., Ohio University, 2012 M.A., Kent State University, 2016 Approved by ____________________________________________________ Fred Smith, Ph.D., Advisor ____________________________________________________ Michael Loderstedt, M.F.A., Interim Director, School of Art ____________________________________________________ John R. Crawford-Spinelli, D.Ed., Dean, College of the Arts TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………….. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS …………………………………… vi CHAPTERS I. Introduction ………………………………………………… 1 II. Terms and Art ……………………………………………... 4 III. Myths of Origin …………………………………………. 11 IV. Social Structure …………………………………………. 20 V. Divination Arts …………………………………………... 30 VI. Women as Vessels of Energy …………………………… 42 VII. Conclusion ……………………………………….…...... 56 VIII. Images ………………………………………………… 60 IX. Bibliography …………………………………………….. 84 X. Further Reading ………………………………………….. 86 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Porogun Quarter, Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria, 1992, Photograph by John Pemberton III http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/cosmos/models.html. ……………………………………… 60 Figure 2: Yoruba Ifa Divination Tapper (Iroke Ifa) Nigeria; Ivory. 12in, Baltimore Museum of Art http://www.artbma.org/. ……………………………………………… 61 Figure 3.; Yoruba Opon Ifa (Divination Tray), Nigerian; carved wood 3/4 x 12 7/8 x 16 in. Smith College Museum of Art, http://www.smith.edu/artmuseum/. ………………….. 62 Figure 4. Ifa Divination Vessel; Female Caryatid (Agere Ifa); Ivory, wood or coconut shell inlay. Nigeria, Guinea Coast The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org. ……………………… 63 Figure 5. Beaded Crown of a Yoruba King. Nigerian; L.15 (crown), L.15 (fringe) in.
    [Show full text]
  • Orisha Journeys: the Role of Travel in the Birth of Yorùbá-Atlantic Religions 1
    Arch. de Sc. soc. des Rel., 2002, 117 (janvier-mars) 17-36 Peter F. COHEN ORISHA JOURNEYS: THE ROLE OF TRAVEL IN THE BIRTH OF YORÙBÁ-ATLANTIC RELIGIONS 1 Introduction 2 In recent years the array of Orisha 3 traditions associated withtheYorùbá- speaking peoples of West Africa has largely broken free of the category of “Afri- can traditional religion” and begun to gain recognition as a nascent world religion in its own right. While Orisha religions are today both trans-national and pan-eth- nic, they are nonetheless the historical precipitate of the actions and interactions of particular individuals. At their human epicenter are the hundreds of thousands of Yorùbá-speaking people who left their country during the first half of the 19th cen- tury in one of the most brutal processes of insertion into the world economy under- gone by any people anywhere; the Atlantic slave trade. While the journey of the Middle Passage is well known, other journeys under- taken freely by Africans during the period of the slave trade – in a variety of direc- tions, for a multiplicity of reasons, often at great expense, and sometimes at great personal risk – are less so. These voyages culminated in a veritable transmigration involving thousands of Yorùbá-speaking people and several points on both sides of 1 Paper presented at the 1999 meeting of the Société Internationale de la Sociologie des Religions. This article was originally prepared in 1999. Since then, an impressive amount of literature has been published on the subject, which only serves to strengthen our case. A great deal of new of theoretical work on the African Diaspora in terms of trans-national networks and mutual exchanges has not so much challenged our arguments as diminished their novelty.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender and Race in the Making of Afro-Brazilian Heritage by Jamie Lee Andreson a Dissertation S
    Mothers in the Family of Saints: Gender and Race in the Making of Afro-Brazilian Heritage by Jamie Lee Andreson A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology and History) in the University of Michigan 2020 Doctoral Committee: Professor Paul Christopher Johnson, Chair Associate Professor Paulina Alberto Associate Professor Victoria Langland Associate Professor Gayle Rubin Jamie Lee Andreson [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1305-1256 © Jamie Lee Andreson 2020 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to all the women of Candomblé, and to each person who facilitated my experiences in the terreiros. ii Acknowledgements Without a doubt, the most important people for the creation of this work are the women of Candomblé who have kept traditions alive in their communities for centuries. To them, I ask permission from my own lugar de fala (the place from which I speak). I am immensely grateful to every person who accepted me into religious spaces and homes, treated me with respect, offered me delicious food, good conversation, new ways of thinking and solidarity. My time at the Bate Folha Temple was particularly impactful as I became involved with the production of the documentary for their centennial celebrations in 2016. At the Bate Folha Temple I thank Dona Olga Conceição Cruz, the oldest living member of the family, Cícero Rodrigues Franco Lima, the current head priest, and my closest friend and colleague at the temple, Carla Nogueira. I am grateful to the Agência Experimental of FACOM (Department of Communications) at UFBA (the Federal University of Bahia), led by Professor Severino Beto, for including me in the documentary process.
    [Show full text]
  • SHIR SG 13-14 Season.Indd
    2013-2014 SEASON SchoolTimeSchoolTime StudyStudy GuideGuide Sweet Honey in the Rock Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 11 a.m. Zellerbach Hall, University of California, Berkeley Welcome to SchoolTime! On Thursday, February 13, at 11 am, your class will a end a SchoolTime performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock. This powerful a cappella ensemble performs tradi onal songs and original composi ons that address many cri cal issues in today’s society, including freedom, jus ce, peace and equality. Their work refl ects the strong legacy of African American music in America, especially the infl uence of spirituals. The informa on included in this guide explores the work and ar stry of this remarkable ensemble, providing a context for the performance. Your students will learn about the history of African American song tradi ons, the art form of a cappella singing, and some songs wri en by the members of Sweet Honey in the Rock. Using This Study Guide You can prepare your students for their Cal Performances fi eld trip with the materials in this study guide. Prior to the performance, we encourage you to: • Copy the Student Resource Sheet on pages 2 & 3 and hand it out to your students several days before the performance. • Discuss the informa on About the Performance & Ar sts on pages 4-7 with your students. • Read to your students from About the Art Form on page 8 and Historical Context on page 14. • Engage your students in two or more of the Learning Ac vi es on pages 19-22. • Refl ect with your students by asking them Guiding Ques ons, found on pages 2,4 & 8.
    [Show full text]