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On December 10th, the United States Sierra Leoenan Association (USSLA) had their traditional arts variety show at the Gerard Carter Center in Stapleton.  The program was well attended by members of Staten Island’s Sierra Leonean community and an assortment of youth groups from Stapleton.   Coverage of the program also graced the cover the Staten Island’s Advance North Shore addition on Wednesday, December 14th.  The article was written by Virgina N. Sherry who did a fantastic job explaining the complexity of the program and the traditions that were being shared.   These measurements–attendance and press coverage–are very important for arts and culture organizations but in terms of the mission of our Folklife program, this is only half of the story.  It’s also important to be concerned with the vitality of traditional art forms.

Back in March of 2011, I had my initial meetings and interviews with members of USSLA.   I was struck by one of the members Foday Daramy pontificating that USSLA was “ready to share our culture and we are bringing it with pride.”  Bring it with pride they certainly did.   Not only was the program filled with folktales, traditional dances, and live music performed by the young generation, but the  elders were also heavily involved.  I think this is an important component of passing down traditions.  As with many other traditional art forms and the communities that bring them, there is much attention paid to making sure that the young children perform at public displays and exhibits of traditional culture. Rightfully so.  This ensures that children, many of whom were born in the United States, get sufficient exposure to traditions and heritage.  But I also believe that it is very important that the adults and elders in traditional communities are also engaged in traditional practices–either on stage or at home.  Either way, I’ll take it.  Hopefully their children will see this and one day imitate it themselves.

Unfortunately, the S.I. Advance missed the last two dances performed which I found extremely interesting. Both were masquerades that featured masked dances.  The first was called the Bondo Dehbnu which comes from a women’s society on the eastern part of Sierra Leone called the Sande Society.   This dance is done to initiate girls into adulthood.  The second dance was referred to as “devil dancing” which is a traditional dance performed during public holidays. During both, the audience gathered around the dancers.  We were being asked to pack up to make room for 4pm youth basketball in the gymnasium.   The dance kind of took over the space and for a minute, you felt part of the dance.  I think this is an important element that we miss in westernized performance structures.  You forgot that you were in a gymnasium inside a community center on Staten Island, New York.

When the show was over, Muhammod from USSLA kept repeating to me–”This is just the beginning, there is so much more.”   I think this could be said about a lot of the traditional communities I have worked with so far–this is just the beginning.

Link to Staten Island Advance Article :
http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2011/12/a_variety_show_staged_by_the_u.html

Thanks to the entire USSLA organization the Gerard Carter Community Center, and the JCC.   I would also like to thank Garretson Sherman for filming the program and Kamor Olayokun of the JCC.

One of the questions I have been thnking about on Staten Island is how to facilitate research and fieldwork in communities.  What is my role when the folks I meet have so much knowledge and great ideas?  How do we manage these collaborations between bearers of traditional knowledge and bearers of institutional knowledge (Arts Councils)?  As time goes by, I see a large distinction between doing work in communities and doing work with communities.  With regard to the Mexican community on Staten Island, I think doing work with communities is preferable.  It is during this process that my “informants” or “participants” become leaders.  So, when you look at the photo below, that is really what you are looking at–the leaders of cultural preservation on Staten Island.  I am behind the camera, framing them and captioning them as leader.  I am not sure how the feel about that role but I am not sure that is part of the lexicon of the Mexican community on Staten Island.  The emphasis tends to be on community and not individuals.  For the folks in this photo, passing down traditional knowledge is a responsibility.  Leading up to the November 5 event, COAHSI will be collaborating with community leaders in Port Richmond’s Mexican communities to share their songs, poems, and dances with the broader community.

Left to Right: Irma Flores, David Suarez, Alfredo Suarez, Victor Soto, Jesus Juarez, Saul Lopez