Cotton is a touching tribute, honoring the journey of the African-American slave through spirituals, art and slave narratives. This Black History celebration will highlight some slave narratives in a touching audiovisual tribute.
Book this singing talk in 3 ways:
1. Talk only with audio-visual presentation
2. Talk with 1 spiritual performed by the speaker
3. Talk with 2 spirituals performed by the speaker
Cotton honors the African American experience during slavery and its indelible impact on history and most of all the plight of the descendants in a Prelude and 3 Acts. Through excellent research, Tanisha carefully crafts the words of slaves through themes matched with slave narratives and spirituals. This program is a perfect fit for Black History Month and Juneteenth.
ACT ONE: PAIN
Following a brief introduction of the impact of cotton on the US economy, Act 1 highlights slave children who witnessed their families torn apart and being auctioned to various masters for work. Spirituals include Motherless Child and I’m a Po’ Little Orphan in this World.
ACT TWO: RELIGION AND RESISTANCE
Religion played a pivotal role in keeping slaves submitted to their masters. However, it became a driving force to questions of being enslaved. This act delves into a slave named Uncle Silas who was a devout churchgoer and questioned his own deliverance from slavery as those in the Bible. Spirituals in this act include City Called Heaven.
ACT THREE: EMANCIPATION
In America, slaves created their own religion from what masters wanted them to believe to keep them subservient. Act 3 explores the motivation behind escaping from slavery and how spirituals became codes for escape. Spirituals highlighted in this act are: Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel and Deep River.
Five Memorable Quotes from the American Slave Experience
1. Talk only with audio-visual presentation
2. Talk with 1 spiritual performed by the speaker
3. Talk with 2 spirituals performed by the speaker
TANISHA’S PICKS: DVD’S, SOUND RECORDINGS & MORE
This opera talk features Tanisha’s favorite DVD's and recordings relevant to this talk. Click the link to purchase some of them for your own collection.
