Stono presented by Step Afrika!
Date and Time for this Past Event
- Wednesday, Sep 9, 2020 6:45pm
Location
Lied Center for Performing Arts
301 N. 12th St.
Categories
Details
The Lied Center is proud to be part of the world premiere of Stono, a feature length performance and post show talk back, on September 9, 2020 at 7pm CDT. The film will be screened in the Lied's main hall. This is a FREE event, but tickets are required.
On September 9, 1739, the largest insurrection of enslaved Africans in North America began in South Carolina on the banks of the Stono River. Twenty Africans marched south toward a promised freedom in Spanish Florida, waving flags, beating drums, and shouting ‘Liberty.” This extraordinary act of rebellion in colonial America predates the famed Boston Tea Party of 1773, the first significant act of defiance to British rule over American colonists. Although the Stono Rebellion was suppressed, this little-known event in American history forever changed African American life and culture.
When Africans lost the right to use their drums through The Negro Act of 1740, they began to use their bodies as percussive instruments in response. This act of survival and activism earned them the name of “Drumfolk,” coined by famed folklorist Bessie Jones. Their percussive movement gave rise to some of the country’s most distinctive art forms, including the ring shout, tap, hambone, and stepping.
Stono highlights the spirit of resistance and activism that remains a critical part of American freedom. The virtual premiere will be immediately followed by a live panel discussion hosted by C. Brian Williams (Founder and Executive Director, Step Afrika!) and special guests from across the country. Panelists will explore the Stono Rebellion and its relevance to issues regarding political protest and structural inequities that dominate American conversations today.
Lead commissioning support for Stono generously provided by Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa.
Additional commissioning support provided by AARP, Arts Emerson, ASU Gammage, Capital One, Lied Center for Performing Arts, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Strathmore, and Verizon.
Step Afrika! extends deep gratitude to Events DC and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for operating support as Washington, DC's largest African American arts organization.
