Past Events
‘Many Rivers To Cross’ – Reggae, Marcus Garvey & The Harlem Renaissance, Revisited
Scoundrel, savior or inveterate dreamer? Nearly a century after his Harlem heyday, the ultimate meaning of Marcus Garvey’s odyssey still remains a matter of debate. Although deported from the United States in 1927, images and messages of Marcus Garvey linger yet in theater production
Scoundrel, savior or inveterate dreamer? Nearly a century after his Harlem heyday, the ultimate meaning of Marcus Garvey’s odyssey still remains a matter of debate. Although deported from the United States in 1927, images and messages of Marcus Garvey linger yet in theater productions, historical studies, documentaries, folklore, conferences and the global popularity of Jamaican culture and reggae music.
Join us for some Caribbean sunshine to greet a Cambridge springtime. On March 28, Lesley University master’s degree candidate Kevin Aylmer will share research culled from a quarter-century of documenting the Garvey odyssey and legacy. Drawing from history, psychology, sociology and folklore, this address entitled “‘Many Rivers To Cross’ – Reggae, Marcus Garvey & The Harlem Renaissance, Revisited” will explore shifting images of Garvey over time. Part lecture, part travelogue, supplemented with a reggae soundtrack, the presentation utilizes primary sources, interview segments, archival and contemporary photography, artworks, film and video. Prof. Aylmer will share evidence suggesting the need for a reevaluation of Garvey’s odyssey, a reappraisal of Garvey’s public and private agendas, and some possible meanings for our 21st century world of change.
A question-and-answer period will follow. Opening festivities will be the rising Roxbury a cappella gospel ensemble, the Harmonizing Stars. Raising spirits and a few pulses in a special post-program performance of Rasta lyrics we’ll hear from Ras Magaman. Earlier, evoking the spirit of the Rastaman Vibration and nicing up the area during the afternoon twilight, the Black Star Liner Sound System will showcase music of the Caribbean and African Diaspora.
registration
/RSVP required:
no cost: free dates 03/28/2009, 6:00 PM to 03/28/2009, 7:30 PM
location
Lesley University University Hall 1815 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 Amphitheater
contact information
Heather Shosho 617-349-8364 hshosho@lesley.edu