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Dance Master’s Theses Dance
Spring 5-17-2014 Oshun, Xica and the Sambista: The lB ack Female Body as Image of Nationalist Expression Oluyinka A. Akinjiola The College at Brockport, [email protected]
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Repository Citation Akinjiola, Oluyinka A., "Oshun, Xica and the Sambista: The lB ack Female Body as Image of Nationalist Expression" (2014). Dance Master’s Theses. 1. http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/dns_theses/1
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Dance at Digital Commons @Brockport. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dance Master’s Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @Brockport. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Oshun, Xica and the Sambita The Black Female Body as Image of Nationalist Expression
By Oluyinka Akinjiola
A thesis submitted to the Department of Dance of The College at Brockport, State University of New York, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Dance May 20, and 2014 Oshun, Xica and the Sambista The Black Female Dancing Body as Image of Nationalist Expression by Oluyinka Akinjola
APPROVED BY:* s/z;[ 1'-/ Advisor Date ~~ 15-j; .--) '-/ Reader Date 1
Table of Contents
Oshún, Xica and the Sambista: Introduction 4
Chapter 1: Oshún from African Myth to American Icon 13
Who is Oshún and what does she represent to the “nation?” 17
Transforming from African myth to American Icon 21
Myths across Miles 22
Process of Cultural Creativity in Public Celebrations 25
Oshún as Icon of the American Nation 27
Chapter 2: Xica da Silva, Re-envisioning African femininity in the Americas 33
Xica da Silva and the Sexual Paradigm 36
Making the Myth 41
Vehicles of Redemption and African Femininity in Postcolonial Constructs 46
Dancing with Agency to National Rhythms 49
Rumberas of Matanzas 53
Chapter 3: Embracing Carnaval and Releasing the Inner Sambista: Black Female Dancing Bodies in Social movements and Processions 60 Defining the Public Sphere and Performance Space 62 Out of the Clubs and into the Streets 64 The Cuban Revolution, the Civil Rights movement and the Black is Beautiful Movement 69 Making New Images 71
Oshún, Xica and the Sambista: Conclusion 81
2
List of Illustrations
Images and Pictures Page
Figure 1: Suzanne Wenger Sculpture in Oshún Grove, Oshogbo, Nigeria 13
Figure 2: Fermina Gomez 23
Figure 3: Javier Martinez "Caridad del Cobre" 24
Figure 4: New world Oshún 24
Figure 5: Oshún icon of beauty 31
Figure 6: Chica da Silva 33
Figure 7: the myth of Chica da Silva 41
Figure 8: 34th Noite da Beleza Negra 60
Figure 9: Miguel Covarrubias Rumba 66
Figure 10: Afro American Solidarity 69
Figure 11: 1960s 70
Figure 12: Beleza Negra 71
Figure 13: Conjunto Folklorico Nacional 71
Figure 14: Conjunto Folklorico Nacional 77
Figure 15: Conjunto Folklorico Nacional 77
Figure 16 81
Figure 17: Los Muñequitos de Mantanzas 82
Figure 18: Carnavales 87
3
Abstract
The context of this work explores black female iconography from the African Diaspora including Oshún, X