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SONGS AND STORIES TO RECONCILE BY
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The Folklore Madison Avenue is only now learning what folklorist have known for centuries – cloak your message with humor, unforgettable characters and put them in believable situations. Black folklore ends where spirituals begin. While
spirituals speak to the history of the enslaved black person in America,
black folklore tells of those enslaved people in their homeland and all
their foibles, development and morals. Folklore is the cousin to
Aesop’s Fables, Canterbury Tales and Fairy tales by the Brothers
Grimm. Though the language,
culture, climate and color may be different, the humanity and its lesson
are constant. Folklore can be a valuable learning tool for any
age. Folklorist Tim Hutchinson has charmed audiences from the small who
gather around him on the floor, to the elderly who sit before a stage. Mr. Hutchinson traces African American history
through folk tales and songs, leading the audience on a journey from a
village in Africa to the slave ships,
the plantations of the South, the Underground
railroad, the Civil War,
and finally to the aftermath of the war and into the Civil
Rights Era. He portrays the transition from the path of desolation and despair to the road of encouragement by such song as Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Chile, the repentant songs of a former slave ship captain and trader: Amazing Grace, and the “escape songs” of enslaved Africans: Steal Away, Following The Drinking Gourd, Wade in the Water, Swing Low Sweet Chariot and others. Music and songs enhance and reiterate the message, a unique yet somehow nurturing experience soothing the myriad of colors in all of us.
JAMBO RAFIKI…Hello FriendBelieving
that each person can celebrate the uniqueness in another individual, I
hold that awareness and communication are the keys to appreciation of
our multi-cultural, multiethnic history. We are
enriched, each to the other, by understanding and accepting our
neighbors differences. Recognition
can be our tools to broaden the base on which problems are solved. RECONCILE Reconcile has various meanings for different people
and I have chosen the following definition: To win over to
friendly attitude; to settle or resolve a dispute; to make compatible,
and to bring harmony. I believe that we all enriched through multi-racial and cultural understanding, respect and acceptance. The songs and stories that emerged from the hearts of enslaved people can speak to reconciliation in today’s world. HARAMBEE! Let’s Work Together Tim For additional information Call or write: Tim Hutchinson 7675 Hollywood Boulevard, Apt. 3 Hollywood, CA 90046 (323)
851-4469 Or email Tim: AT
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