Benkadi Drum and Dance at the JFK Library (Juneteenth 2024)

let's try that again are you ready to celebrate beautiful wonderful my name is McKenzie Brown I am the program coordinator for the Department of Education and public programs at the library and to those of you who have never been here before welcome to those of you who have been before welcome back to open I humbly start with a land acknowledgement to recognize that the land on which we stand has historically been and continues to be cared for by indigenous peoples the massachusett tribe and the Nations have taken care of and lived in the Boston Harbor and the surrounding area for many generations and continue to today while a land acknowledgement is not enough it is an important way to recognize indigenous indigenous experience and it serves as a reminder that we are on stolen and settled indigenous land I invite all of us to take some time to think about how to better support indigenous communities and learn how to honor and take care of the land that each of us inhabits where we play learn and grow so many others can enjoy it for Generations after us as well today we'd like to welcome benotti drum and dance who are helping us celebrate juneth this holiday commemorates the announcement in galvaston Bay Texas that the more than 250 inle or excuse me 250,000 enslaved black people in the state were free on June 19th 18 65 almost 2 and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation we greatly appreciate everyone who has joined us today so thank you so much for coming and we thank our sponsors the Kennedy Library Foundation Martin Richard foundation and the Massachusetts cultural Kennedy and Mrs Kennedy's support for the Arts as an important component of a Democratic Society to highlight America's cultural diversity for our online audience you can access the captions button or captions by clicking the CC button on the bottom left of the video and now ready to celebrate let's get started and enjoy the show thank you [Applause] he [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] hello everyone thank you so much for joining us Banky drum and dance company welcomes you to this juneth celebration at JFK library with what was known is known as the drum call drumming is Central to African dance and many rhythms have meanings the Rhythm you just heard was called cuckoo in traditional African culture the drum invokes ancestral spirits and calls the community together for important events the same is true for us today we are the descendants of the Africans that created these rhythms our group Banky drum and dance and Banky means coming together sweetly in the bamanan language of Mali we are here to tell you about juneth an American holiday its Origins and why we celebrate it we're so pleased you're here today now Andia which means we welcome you so this is audience participation so this is also a call in a response so I'm going to start singing the song I'm going to point to me and then when I point to you that's your turn to sing but we're going to learn the words first I'm going to sing the song first time so you hear what the song sounds like and then I'm going to te you the words [Music] and I see people for those of you who don't know repeat after me ffia ffia ffia ffia ffia fiafia FIA excellent so remember this is a call and response so I'm going to start singing first and then when I point to you it's your [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] as I said rhythms have have meaning in history as well as a tradition this one we're about to do is called kakilambe a dance for the Harvest in the bounty to come for gratitude for Good Fortune and hope for a new [Music] future M my [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] M my my mama my my my mama [Music] my my oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] a the [Music] [Music] [Applause] a [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] y [Music] a [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] a [Applause] [Music] [Music] a [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] go [Music] w [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] w [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] a [Music] [Music] the [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] a [Music] in the early 1300s the first African ships navigated by ocean currents and trade winds from the western coast of Africa to the land We Now call Mexico the history of black uh people in the Americas is long in the 1700s Europeans living in the part of North America that would become the United States forced slave slavery onto black people who had come here with them and were living and working alongside them in the shops fields and homes of the first American colonies imagine losing your ability to run and play and having your parents brothers and sisters taken away from you sold away from you during the time of slavery the mafa you could be killed for knowing how to read for knowing how to write your own name during the time of slavery all drumming was illegal punishable with severe consequences and dancing for black people was banned 1861 the Civil War the United States went to war against itself and split into two the the Union States and the Confederate States in 1862 President Abraham Lincoln by the order of the Emancipation Proclamation abolish slavery but the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all of America's enslaved people it was only until the end of Civil War on May 13th 1865 after the union had declared Victory only until then that all black folks could realize I I the end of slavery and yet there were still parts of the United States that hid this fact and tried to keep black people enslaved don't tell them don't tell them they ain't going nowhere they think they'll fly there's no up down here in Texas territory and yet we always always kept our hope because in our hearts we were free I dream of a corn field tall stalks in the sky my daughter she's running away they catch her and drag her and bring her back here I want another dream someday I keep my eyes and my ears open and here's what I heard the White Town people say one more Harvest one more Harvest they didn't want us to know one more Harvest one more Harvest than then we might let them go on June 19th 1865 news reached galston Texas the people are informed that in accordance with a proclamation from the executive of the United States all slaves are free this involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former Masters and slaves and the connection here to for existing between them becomes that between employer in hired labor where will we go now this what will we do this is the Harvest I dreamed of we'll find our families choose our new names we'll celebrate this day June 19th juneth got a nice ring to [Applause] it Jubilee Jubilee allom Jubilee in the [Music] Morning Jubilee in the [Applause] evening Jubilee in the Morning Jubilee shout my people CU you're free finally got your Liberty Jubilee [Applause] Jubilee Jubilee in the morning jubile Jubilee in the evening juilee in the Morning Jubilee Jubilee [Music] Jubilee shout my people cuz you're free Freedom ju finally got your Liberty oh freedom [Applause] the order continued the freed men are advised to remain at their present homes and work for wages they are informed that they will not be allowed to collect in military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either here there or elsewhere I don't think so I'm going away this town's too small for me see you later alligator after a wild crocodile down low too slow up high by and by give me some of that good land too and I'll make my hay 40 acres and a mule that's not all old to me give me what's due and with good days work I'll show you how I make my way within a few years African-Americans in other states started their own celebrations making juneth an annual tradition among black folks folks took to wearing new clothes as a way of representing their Newfound Freedom we celebrated with prayers and songs and bright red was the color of our food and our clothes read for the blood of our people shed for this land every family has their own way of celebrating my nie is in angst she thinks her Auntie's tradition this juneth cookout is some sort of riddle I told her bring the most important thing she can think of to the family the most important thing to bring for our family atie s and her real baby we all got something to bring to the festivities today sunu just doesn't know it yet my annual family June celebration celebrates her very [Music] heartbeat how's that is this my beloved sister how are you today hello hello bum dear my beloved sister how are you on today ah I can't complain cuz don't nobody want to listen no way you sound just like your Madre are you ready do you have everything prepared oh well I'm need to might need to sweep up a little well first Can We Dance rhetorical question is that Uncle John John what you doing ah my queen sister is NAD death where's my favorite niece she's sitting out there by herself talking about not having nothing bring to the festivities what what she she don't get it she don't understand how long until this I should go nah I'm going to John leave her be she'll figure it out Come Dance With Us instead [Music] [Music] hey he [Music] he [Music] he [Music] he [Music] [Music] la [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] h [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey he [Music] [Music] GI [Applause] okay maybe it was a dance I need hey sunu hey sis what you doing ah I still don't get this let this figure thing out on her own yes what's up with you karita Family be patient tell the people who we are big s the thing is here in South Carolina a lot of our peoples came together during the Great mafa mafa is a Swahili word that translates to Great disaster great tragedy or unspeakable horror folks from Bahia bamako and Bina Faso came here to make communities in families you see sunu she 's born here away from the Homeland but she's just as much on this journey of our diaspora as any of our ancestors were I'm here to dance and when I say Dance I mean everyone dance [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] he [Music] he [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey [Music] [Applause] [Music] w [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelu hallu Hallelujah [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] I'm I'm [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] he [Applause] [Applause] a [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] a [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I get it I get it it's my heart and soul that's the most important thing to bring to the cookout it's here in my bones along with the memories of our ancestors I just remembered [Music] family man the ritual opens with a call from the drum known as the break there's a great proverb I heard it first from a master drummer dancer from Molly without the drum there can be no dance hidden in plain sight are patterns of primordial binary ones and twos that are seamlessly stitched together with folktales of farmers blacksmiths and wise women doing laundry there is a heart of the people's resistance with the Keen sense of time and swag they continue to March even when all is dark with songs of mystical Moon crickets that beckon a deep sense of true Freedom Liberation and veneration I sing this Ed to the drum the response slave Cod of South Carolina article 36 1740 it is absolutely necessary to the safety of this Providence that all due care be taken to restrain Negroes from using or keeping of drums which may call together or give sign of notice to one another of their wicked designs and purposes 1630 Barbados Masters have been conducting weekly searches on behalf of the British Commonwealth Nation the living quarters of owned black bodies cannot contain the resistance formerly on their festivals were allowed the use of trumpets after their fashion and drums but making use of these and the wars at home in Africa it was thought too much inciting to rebellion and so they were prohibited by the customs of the land slave owner Hans Sloan 1688 Jamaica 1711 sa kits 1761 Bermuda 1883 Trinidad and Tobago 18 1994 martinque 1925 Cuba August 21st 1971 at IO ball alone walk cannot we today dream I have I dreams conjure the waking mind connecting a phenomenon to her Essence her true nature tro rhythms make constant yet cozy clav beds for Freedom's dreams on my first waking the sounds of Serena violins and drums saluted my ears and for some time continued the ptical was crowded with these dancers Fiddlers and drumming this memory reflects a people who put things together West African sacred stories condom blate love Champs and European jig fiddling resistance is in the ability to keep the memory of rocks in our pockets 1739 South Carolina they say it was an early Sunday morning in the morning when I Rise they say the group was angas of Africa my Lord what a morning they say the group caught out Liberty marching on with colors displayed with drums beating when the stars begin to fall when the stars begin to fall they say the white people they met with did not leave that calling on this side of soil men women and children so so they say fix me for my long white robe they say that the group finished in a field dancing and dancing calling more black bodies to them singing and beating drums and dancing and the sudden courage in the field and the humanity afterwards have had so good in effect that there have been no farther attempt and the Very Spirit of Revolt seems over unidentified white official allegedly General James oglethorp 1741 New York 1800 Virginia 1815 Virginia 1831 Virginia 1835 Florida 1841 Bahamas are there two cultures in America one that seems to change its mind overnight you see the drums were allowed on the ships by slave traders to keep slaves mentally and physically in shape what's more is that any abolitionist caught allowing black folks to drum with find ,000 in today's money we also see another culture that seems steadfast in their Revolt these survivors of the subsaharan and transatlantic slave trades are still telling the stories of their people creatively for on the floor and under the protection of nighttime being the right time James never saw juet Fett never saw a bakan now James never saw a ring shout second line Juba Gumboot or a spiritual ain't never heard of no burning down a cornfield or of no gospel war cry or slow drag or of no jab jab or Risha hudo or Voodoo Jimmy certainly never heard of a resistance and a hairlock a recipe of herbs a Mojo bag or catching the spirits the nature of History reproduces the most accurate Beaten Track to what will always repeat Slave Code of South Carolina article 36 1740 it is absolutely necess Neary to the safety of this Providence that all do care be taken to restrain Negroes from using or keeping of drums which may call together or give sign or notice to one another of their wicked designs and purposes king of be he though slave of evil is that he slave is he though free is kind is that he he all at law know is law unjust and that me too seems it James never saw bop bbop postp hip hop bone bop afrob bop afro beat or Afro Cuban free jazz Jim didn't Juke or wine Jim didn't pretty mask didn't grotesque mask Jim didn't chip Jim didn't sauca didn't sauca Jim didn't Soo didn't Samba didn't do doombot didn't Milly Rock didn't twostep didn't shoulder lean didn't swag surf didn't Calypso Jem don't Rhythm Jem don't frappe don't cont Tempo don't F don't J said Jim don't Buck Jim don't Zito don't Ka don't Crump don't M grow don't [Music] gritty without the drum there can be no dance [Music] juneth is another reminder that our ancestors and US share common ground and how we hope hold our Liberation within our bodies we always knew we were free and we gather still to talk about that remembering so thank you to the online audience who has joined us for today we would like to invite everyone that's here in person with us to come to the for

Channel: JFK Library

Views: 214

Keywords: JFK, Kennedy, Library, museum, history, politics, 1960s, cold, war, camelot, president, presidency, us, john, fitzgerald, jackie

Id: P2zKVm5Rw68

Length: 46min 39sec (2799 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 16 2024