2007-08 College of Arts & Media Theatre Production Series
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OPALANGA
STORYTELLER /GRIOT*
AFRICAN ORAL TRADITION
SETTING THE STAGE
Thursday, February 21
11:30am-12:45pm
Music/Dance Studio, King Center
Free
Before there was TV, before there was radio, before there was books, there was the storyteller. Storytellers held positions of high regard in all early civilizations, they were not only the entertainers of the day, but were responsible for remembering the history of the people, as well as safeguarding their sacred mysteries.
Storytelling is a time honored tradition in Africa. It is tightly woven into the fabric of the daily lives of the people. Many of the stories follow the life cycle events, birth, naming, games, songs, riddles, folk and dilemma tales.
Opalanga Pugh tells stories in the African oral tradition, which focuses on concepts related to ethnicity, develops these concepts cross culturally, illustrating ties among all cultures, this way it elicits pride in one's own ancestry and simultaneously appreciating the ancestry of others.
Drawing upon her African-American heritage as well as her travels, nationally renowned entertainer Opalanga Pugh brings to life the rich and diverse legacy of oral stories. She serves the peacemaking community with her personal stories and metaphors about solving problems non-violently.
Opalanga's programs harness the power of stories to instruct and inspire. Her stories bridge youth and age, tradition and technology. She encourages us to pass on tradition in our own families as a rebirth of the wealth of wisdom from one generation to the next. She believes that stories can be instructive in our multicultural move through the 21st century.
Opalanga, a Denver native, is well known as the "project weaver" of Denver's Kwanzaa celebration. She has won a Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts twice and Westword's Best Storyteller honor. As a full time professional storyteller since 1986, she has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Christian Science Monitor. She was recently honored by NBC television with 9 other African Americans across the country in 30 second national spots that salute her work as an African American "Living Legend."
*GRIOT - A teacher/storyteller who hosts ceremonies, remembers the ancestral genealogy, preserves the history and tradition passed down through the ages in the African oral traditions.
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