The Tribune

Bahamian-American multidisciplinary artist Alexis Caputo was commissioned by South African Dance Company, Lesole’s Dance Project to write a Choreo-Poem in honour of Youth Day Commemoration in South Africa and Emancipation Day in the United States of American Juneteenth.

Youth Day in South Africa, commemorated on June 16, pays tribute to the Soweto uprising in the country. The day is celebrated in order to recognise the role of youth in the liberation of South Africa from the Apartheid regime. Emancipation Day in the US, commemorated on June 19, marks the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas in 1865. It is a state holiday or state holiday observance in 42 states.

Alexis’ Afro Diaries Project is a multidisciplinary and international project co-presented with the Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, directed and curated by Jamaican Rosie Gordon-Wallace. Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator has also presented the visual art work of well known Bahamians, including Antonius Roberts, John Cox, Jason Bennett, Blue Curry, Heino Schmid and Toby Lunn. The Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator provides support through a Caribbean Crossroads Series International Cultural Exchange Program, Off The Wall Experimental Series and artists-in-residence programs.

The narrative embraces issues of race, gender, class and all topics that are important to the black-brown divide.

Alexis is an honours scholar and graduate of New York University, where she studied at Tisch School of the Arts and the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. She holds degrees in Liberal Studies, Music, Performing Arts and Education with a concentration in Educational Theatre. She has progressively shared her work beyond university level, in theatres, galleries, cultural organisations, educational institutions and gender specific organisations .

The collaborating presenter of “Hector Pieterson: A Choreo-Poem” is choreographer, dancer and artistic director Lesole Z. Maine of Lesole’s Dance Project. Maine is a native of South Africa. Lesole’s Dance Project is a professional dance company that presents quality performances highlighting South African traditional, American modern, and Afro Fusion dance with a central focus on creating opportunities for cultural exchange through educational programming.

The commissioned, “Hector Pieterson: A Choreo-Poem” written by Alexis, invites dialogue and shares the true story of South African youth activist, Hector Pieterson who was killed during a protest and liberation march against apartheid.

An activist herself, Alexis was inspired to write about the life of the youth, struggle of a people, human rights violations and international injustices internationally.

“It is every bit a political piece, in addition to educating, sharing history and offering entertainment through the arts forms of Poetry, Spoken Word, Dance, Music and Theatre. It is a deliberate piece and gives people an opportunity to re-examine the world they live in, while giving them insight into others”. She continues, “If we fundamentally look at the stronghold of oppression, it has everything to do with and is directly tied into education.

This is why we must teach those who do not know. After all, knowledge has always been a form of currency. This is referenced in the Akan word Sankofa, which means “one must return to the past in order to move forward.”

Maine shares, his evening length program “FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION” in which “Hector Pieterson: A Choreo-Poem” will be presented, invites one into the frame of discussion on exactly what “Freedom of Expression” is and the historical and research work Lesole’s Dance Project wants to share with audiences. He continues with sharing, “There are some distinct and biting parallels that highlight human rights violations between South Africa and the United States. An example, are the similarities of oppression with apartheid in South Africa and slavery in America”.

“Hector Pieterson, A Chore-Poem” will be performed by Caputo with Lesole’s Dance Project at The ARC Theatre in Washington, D.C., as a collaboration and also will feature the works Khoba (a traditional dance from Botswana) made possible for presentation with Funding from the Maryland State Arts Council, Ethekweni (a fusion of Bharatanatyam Indian dance) and Nldamu Zulu dance with the Natananjali Dancers.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION is made possible by sponsorship from the South African Embassy and the Maryland State Arts Council. The Washington Post shares of Maine’s work “Power and Ferocity”. Additional support for Caputo’s Hector Pieterson, A Choreo-Poem is from the South Florida based AFRICAN HERITAGE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER of Miami-Dade County, whichserved as development and residency sponsor.

To learn more about AFRO DIARIES visit www.facebook.com/afrodiaries and Lesole’s Dance Project www.lesolesdanceproject.com