TED2019
Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin: A historical musical that examines black identity in the 1901 World's Fair
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In this lively talk and performance, artist and TED Fellow Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin offers a sneak peek of her forthcoming musical "At Buffalo." Drawing on archival material from the 1901 Pan-American Exhibition, a world's fair held in Buffalo, New York, the show examines conflicting representations of black identity exhibited at the fair -- highlighting unsettlingly familiar parallels between American society at the turn of the century and today, and asking: Are we all still part of the show?
Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin - Scholar, artist
Scholar and artist Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin transforms historical material about black identity into theatrical performances. Full bio
Scholar and artist Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin transforms historical material about black identity into theatrical performances. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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The archive.
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One may envision rooms and shelves
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stocked with boxes
and cartons of old stuff.
and cartons of old stuff.
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And yet, for those who are
patient enough to dig through it,
patient enough to dig through it,
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the archive provides
the precious opportunity
the precious opportunity
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to touch the past,
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to feel and learn from the experiences
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of once-living people who now seem
dead and buried deeply in the archive.
dead and buried deeply in the archive.
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But what if there was a way
to bring the archive to life?
to bring the archive to life?
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Jon Michael Reese: "The world
is thinking wrong about race."
is thinking wrong about race."
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Melissa Joyner: "This country insists
upon judging the Negro."
upon judging the Negro."
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JMR: "Because it does not know."
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AYGTK: What if one could make it breathe?
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MJ: "By his lowest
and most vicious representatives."
and most vicious representatives."
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AYGTK: Speak.
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JMR: "An honest, straightforward exhibit."
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AYGTK: And even sing to us,
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so that the archive
becomes accessible to everyone.
becomes accessible to everyone.
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What would performing
the archive look like?
the archive look like?
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A performance that is not
simply based on a true story
simply based on a true story
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but one that allows us
to come face-to-face
to come face-to-face
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with things we thought
were once dead and buried.
were once dead and buried.
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(Piano music)
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This is what "At Buffalo,"
a new musical we're developing,
a new musical we're developing,
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is all about.
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Using collections
from over 30 archival institutions,
from over 30 archival institutions,
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"At Buffalo" performs the massive archive
of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition,
of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition,
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the first World's Fair
of the 20th century,
of the 20th century,
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held in Buffalo, New York.
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Now, if you've heard of this fair,
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it might be because this is where
then-US president, William McKinley,
then-US president, William McKinley,
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was assassinated.
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For nearly 17 years,
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I've stayed inside the gates
and the archive of this fair,
and the archive of this fair,
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not only because of that story
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but because of a real
life-and-death racial drama
life-and-death racial drama
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that played out on the fairgrounds.
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Here, in a place that was like
Disney World, the Olympics,
Disney World, the Olympics,
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carnivals, museums, all in one,
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there were three conflicting displays
of what it meant to be black
of what it meant to be black
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in the United States.
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The archive says white showmen presented
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a savage black origin
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in the form of 98 West
and Central Africans,
and Central Africans,
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living and performing war dances
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in a recreated village
called Darkest Africa.
called Darkest Africa.
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And across the street,
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a happy slave life,
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in the form of 150 Southern
black performers,
black performers,
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picking cotton,
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singing and dancing minstrel shows
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in a recreated antebellum attraction
called Old Plantation.
called Old Plantation.
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As a response,
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the black Buffalo community championed
the third display of blackness:
the third display of blackness:
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the Negro Exhibit.
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Codesigned by African American
scholar W.E.B. Du Bois,
scholar W.E.B. Du Bois,
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it curated photographs,
charts, books and more,
charts, books and more,
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to show black Americans
as a high-achieving race,
as a high-achieving race,
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capable of education and progress.
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When I first encountered this story,
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I understood from my own life experience
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what was at stake to have members
of the African diaspora
of the African diaspora
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see each other like this.
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For me, as the child of immigrant parents
from Ghana, West Africa,
from Ghana, West Africa,
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born in the American South,
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raised in Manhattan, Kansas,
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(Laughter)
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and having attended the same
elite school as Du Bois,
elite school as Du Bois,
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I could see that the Buffalo fair
effectively pitted
effectively pitted
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the black Northerner
against the Southerner,
against the Southerner,
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the educated against the uneducated,
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and the African American
against the African.
against the African.
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And I wanted to know:
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How did these three distinct groups
of black folk navigate this experience?
of black folk navigate this experience?
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Unfortunately, the archive
had answers to questions like this
had answers to questions like this
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underneath racial caricature,
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conflicting information
and worse -- silence.
and worse -- silence.
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(Piano music)
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Still, I could hear musical melodies
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and see dance numbers
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and the rhythms of the words
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coming off the pages
of old newspaper articles.
of old newspaper articles.
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And learning that this World's Fair
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had music playing everywhere
on its fairgrounds,
on its fairgrounds,
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I knew that live, immersive,
spectacular musical theater,
spectacular musical theater,
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with the latest technologies of our time,
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is the closest experience that can bring
the archival story of the 1901 fair
the archival story of the 1901 fair
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out of boxes and into life.
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Stories, like Tannie and Henrietta,
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a husband and wife vaudeville duo in love
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who become at odds over performing
these "coon" minstrel shows
these "coon" minstrel shows
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while striving for their
five-dollar-a-week dream
five-dollar-a-week dream
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in the Old Plantation attraction.
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Like African businessman John Tevi,
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from present-day Togo,
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who must outwit the savage rules
of the human zoo
of the human zoo
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in which he has become trapped.
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And stories like Mary Talbert,
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a wealthy leader
of the black Buffalo elite,
of the black Buffalo elite,
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who must come to terms
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with the racial realities
of her home town.
of her home town.
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MJ: "The dominant race in this country
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insists upon judging the Negro
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by his lowest and most
vicious representatives."
vicious representatives."
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AYGTK: Like Old Plantation
and Darkest Africa.
and Darkest Africa.
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MJ: "... instead of by the more
intelligent and worthy classes."
intelligent and worthy classes."
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AYGTK: When fair directors
ignored Mary Talbert
ignored Mary Talbert
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and the local black Buffalo community's
request to participate in the fair,
request to participate in the fair,
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newspapers say that Mary Talbert
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and her club of educated
African American women
African American women
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held a rousing protest meeting.
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But the details of that meeting,
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even down to the fiery speech she gave,
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were not fully captured in the archive.
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So, "At Buffalo" takes the essence
of Mary's speech
of Mary's speech
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and turns it into song.
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(All singing) We must, we are unanimous.
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We must, we are unanimous.
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MJ: We've got something to show --
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we're going to teach a lesson in Buffalo.
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It would benefit the nation
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to see our growth since emancipation.
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Colored people should be represented
in this Pan-American exposition,
in this Pan-American exposition,
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it would benefit the nation
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to see our growth since emancipation.
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(All singing) They made a great mistake
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not to appoint someone from the race.
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We must, we are unanimous.
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We must, we are unanimous.
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We must, we are unanimous.
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AYGTK: Mary Talbert successfully demands
that the Negro Exhibit come to the fair.
that the Negro Exhibit come to the fair.
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And to have the Negro Exhibit in Buffalo
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means that the musical must tell the story
behind why Du Bois cocreated it ...
behind why Du Bois cocreated it ...
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and why Mary and the black elite
felt it was urgently needed.
felt it was urgently needed.
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JMR: "The world is thinking
wrong about race.
wrong about race.
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They killed Sam Hose
for who they thought he was.
for who they thought he was.
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And more men like him, every day,
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more Negro men, like him, taken apart.
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And after that -- that red ray ...
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we can never be the same.
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(Singing) A red ray
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[A man hunt in Georgia]
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cut across my desk
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[Mob after Hose;
he will be lynched if caught]
he will be lynched if caught]
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the very day
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Sam's hands were laid to rest.
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Can words alone withstand the laws unjust?
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[Escape seems impossible]
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Can words alone withstand the violence?
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Oh, no, oh.
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[Burned alive]
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[Sam Hose is lynched]
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Oh, no, oh.
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[His body cut in many pieces]
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Oh, no, oh.
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[Burned at the Stake]
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[Ten Cents Slice Cooked Liver.]
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[Fight for souvenirs.]
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(Both singing) Who has read the books?
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Our numbers and statistics look small
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against the page.
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The crisis has multiplied.
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Our people are lynched and died.
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Oh, Lord.
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Something must change.
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AYGTK: Something must change.
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"At Buffalo" reveals
how the United States today
how the United States today
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stands at similar crossroads
as 1901 America.
as 1901 America.
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Just as the name of Sam Hose
filled newspapers back then,
filled newspapers back then,
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today's media carries the names of:
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JMR: Oscar Grant.
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MJ: Jacqueline Culp.
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Pianist: Trayvon Martin.
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AYGTK: Sandra Bland.
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And too many others.
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The 1901 fair's legacies persist
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in more ways than we can imagine.
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MJ: Mary Talbert
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and the National Association
of Colored Women
of Colored Women
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started movements against lynching
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and the myth of black criminality
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just as black women today
started Black Lives Matter.
started Black Lives Matter.
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JMR: And some of the same
people who fought for
people who fought for
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and created the Negro Exhibit,
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including Du Bois,
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came to Buffalo,
four years after the fair,
four years after the fair,
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to start the Niagara Movement,
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which set the groundwork
for the creation of the NAACP.
for the creation of the NAACP.
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AYGTK: It's not just black folks
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who had a peculiar experience
at the 1901 fair.
at the 1901 fair.
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An official handbook informed fair-goers:
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MJ: "Please remember:"
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JMR: "... once you get inside the gate,"
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AYGTK: "... you are a part of the show."
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Performing the archive in "At Buffalo"
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allows audiences to ask themselves,
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"Are we still inside the gates,
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and are we all still part of the show?"
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(Music ends)
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(Applause and cheers)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin - Scholar, artistScholar and artist Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin transforms historical material about black identity into theatrical performances.
Why you should listen
Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin is currently developing At Buffalo, a musical theatre piece created from historical records documenting representations of black experience at the 1901 World's Fair in Buffalo, New York. It exposes the impacts such performances still have on our everyday enactments of racial and national identity.
Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin | Speaker | TED.com