This is us: Africa speaking to Africa and to the world.
So begins an original show, African Voices, opening at Heritage Playhouse on Feb. 17 in celebration of Black History Month, written and directed by Gibsons' performer Jean Pierre Makosso.
It features story-telling, dancing, drumming and singing from a cast that includes local performers and members of a Vancouver troupe.
Born in the Congo, Makosso wants to tell his stories as his mother told them to him.
"She just saw human beings as they truly are," he says.
The stories were passed down in the family, usually through the women, from his great-grandmother to his mother to him.
African Voices is a story for human beings who are too proud to be humble, he says.
"If you're too proud to be white, this show is not for you. If you're too proud to be black, this show is not for you," said Makosso.
The show might surprise some of the audience with its honest voice. The theme is more complex than a tale of oppression or slavery, but offers a story that Makosso hopes will bring more peace, love and understanding between cultures. His mother's stories do not blame whites solely for the colonization of Africa or for slavery. Instead, she also saw the wrongs of African against African. She believed that Africa is the birthplace of humanity and told a fascinating story of how the people moved from this heart of the world to acquire their new land in the north and why the white slave traders later returned to the country to revisit their brothers.
African Voices can also answer many questions. What does a father say to his children when they ask, "Why are there so many blacks living far, far away from Africa?" In the performance, much of the action between a white ambassador and a black king is observed by two children, one white, one black. They show a clearer understanding of right and wrong than the adults.
"It is the children who pay for our mistakes," Makosso says. "So we better try hard to make this world a better place for them to live."
On that note, high school students will perform for the pre-show.Makosso has given them an idea of the show's theme, and they will recite a poem or story or perform a drama, song or rap about love, peace, unity and freedom.For the performance, poet Adelene Da Soul will read If There was Love in the World. Embers Moore talks about White Bread Society. Randeesh will sing People and his universal songs. Anna Catherine Zadi showcases her choreography. Fana Soro appears with his traditional balafon and Kissigue greets people from his ancestral mask.
Makosso is a consummate story-teller who can tell tales in many languages including English, French and the language of his greatest feeling, his own tribal tongue.
On Feb. 16, he and some of the others in the troupe will be giving a performance of another Makosso show, M'bassu, for the children at Ecole du Pacifique in Sechelt, rendered entirely in French. The Gibsons show, which is aimed at adults, will be in English. The show is for anyone, whether born in Africa or not, who wants to learn more about its art and history. African Voices takes place at the Heritage Playhouse on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 at Gaia's Fair Trade, bookstore outlets in Gibsons and Sechelt, Roberts Creek Health Food Store and the Roberts Creek General Store.
Workshops in African drumming and dance will be held on Feb. 18. The drum workshop with Fana Soro is from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and a dance workshop with Anna Catherine Zadi, the show's choreographer, runs from 5 to 6 p.m. Both instructors are from the Ivory Coast. Each workshop costs $10. Registration will be taken at 604-886-3431.
