Black masculinity explored in artistic creations
By Neil Armstrong
A few weeks ago, I sent an email to some friends encouraging
them to see the Barry Jenkins’ film, Moonlight,
and the plays, “Secrets of a Black Boy” and “Black Boys.”
It seemed to me that over the past few months that has been
a lot of focus through the arts on black men in the aforementioned productions
and more.
In September, CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, in
collaboration with Black Daddies Club and Black in Canada, presented
#BlackLoveMatters, an international film contest for short films which address
black masculinity and black love.
“Not enough films are created with fully developed,
authentic portrayals of the diverse experiences of Black Love,” says the
write-up in the festival program.
“This challenge was inspired in collaboration with the Black
Daddies Club and was designed to provide a platform for narratives of Black
Men, Black Love, and Black Masculinity, in all of their many forms,” it
continued.
The theme of this year’s festival was: “Caribbean Love: Our
Love. Our Life. Our Festival.”
At about the same time, the Barry Jenkins’ film, Moonlight, had its premiere at the
Toronto International Film Festival and the reviews were full of praise. In
many ways, the film fulfills what #BlackLoveMatters seeks to do.
Moonlight is the tender,
heartbreaking story of a young black man’s struggle to find himself, told
across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain
and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.
Many who have seen it are impressed with the humanity with which
Jenkins presents the story of this black man against a backdrop of living in
Miami during the drug wars.
Jenkins’ use of images, silence, the camera’s gentle approach, the
multidimensional characters, the cinematography, and the black male as being
vulnerable but having the capacity to love (even as a drug dealer who is kind
to a little boy and teaches him confidence) are all things worthy of praise.
Moonlight opened in
theatres in Toronto on October 28 and will run at the TIFF Bell Lightbox until
January 2017.
On November 11 – Remembrance Day – I’m sitting in Theatre Passe
Muraille with a couple friends at the opening night of the play, “Secrets of a Black
Boy,” written by Darren Anthony and directed by Kimahli Powell. The play runs
until November 20.
My two friends had seen the play when it was first staged ten
years ago at the Harbourfront Centre and when it was remounted in 2009 at the
Danforth Music Hall. I had only seen it ten years ago so I was looking forward
to see how much it had changed from what I recalled.
This dramedy gives voice to five young black
men from Toronto as they come together for one last domino game at their local
community centre before its permanent closure.
The revitalization of their neighbourhood
has displaced thousands of people and, in many ways, the camaraderie of these
friends helps to buffer them against the turmoil of change and uncertainty in
their community.
Through
a series of compelling monologues and narratives, mixed with musical
interludes, the play critically explores the underlying effects of common
stereotypes faced by racialized men.
It
delves into several controversial issues including police brutality and
injustice, mental health, domestic abuse, infidelity, interracial dating, and
sexuality.
The
opening scene of Sheldon played by spoken word artist, Al St. Louis, as a regal
figure and soon shackled and assaulted by authority figures – signifying the
slavemasters’ treatment of their chattel (slaves), the colonizer and the
colonized, or the police assault of black men – seems the precursor of what unfolds
thereafter.
All
of these men seem confident and are steeped in machismo but through the
narratives they tease out monologues giving an insight into each character and
their vulnerability.
We
meet a young man, Biscuit, played by Samson Brown, who is defined by his sexual
prowess – they all are, in fact – a character whose brother dies as a result of
gun violence, one with mental health issues, another dealing with parental
abuse and becoming an abuser himself to his partner, the choice to date white
women while denigrating black women, same-gender love, and the effects of the
policing of black male bodies.
Sheldon
seems to be the glue that holds this clique together. Indeed, he is the one who
seems the be the seasoned voice of reason, one who although he encountered
police brutality and injustice in full view of his young son still wants to
become a police officer to protect the community.
It
is Sheldon who declares that, “we are here,” followed by the others in chorus
in answer to a voice, presumably that of a construction worker, asking if
anyone was in the soon-to-be demolished community centre.
Biscuit
is the young and impressionable man who all the older men take under their
guidance, introducing him to soul music, something different from his regular
listening pleasure.
Julien
Hyacinthe as Sean defends the reason he dates interracially, and doubles as
another character who eventually commits suicide as a result of dealing with
mental health issues and being raised in a family afraid of the stigma
associated with it.
Jerome,
played by Mark Sparks, reveals his infidelity in his relationship and also
later draws us into the issue of domestic violence, confronting the belief that,
“love hurts.”
He
had an abusive father, seeks to escape and protect himself and his sister, and
later becomes an abusive partner to his girlfriend.
The
issue of father love is an issue that bell hooks, African American cultural
critic, feminist theorist, scholar and writer, explores in her book,
“Salvation: Black People and Love.”
“Loving
fathers do not abandon families. Hence if our entire culture taught all men the
art of loving, we would not have the problem of absent fathers. Within white
supremacist capitalist patriarchy, black males who embrace the values of these
ideologies have enormous difficulty with the issue of self-love. Patriarchal
thinking certainly does not encourage men to be self-loving. Instead it
encourages them to believe that power is more important than love, particularly
the power to dominate and control others.”
Though
physically present, emotionally Jerome’s father was absent from the lives of
his children.
Sheldon’s
announcement that, “we are having a baby,” challenges the notion from one of
his friends that because his [Sheldon’s] girlfriend had an earlier child for
whom he is not the father he should be less caring of the family. This becomes
a power counterpoint to the trauma of Jerome’s childhood and its consequence.
Sheldon’s
love for his biological family and by extension, his wider family of friends is
grounded in love and challenges negative stereotypes, some bought into by his
friends.
hooks,
in “We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity” notes that: “Negative stereotypes
about the nature of black masculinity continue to overdetermine the identities
black males are allowed to fashion for themselves.”
She
continued that: “More than any other black male who has come to power in our
nation, Malcolm X embodied black male refusal to allow his identity to be
defined by a system of race, gender, and class domination. His was the example
that young black folks in the sixties followed as we struggled to educate ourselves
for critical consciousness. We studied Malcolm’s words, accepting that he gave
us permission to liberate ourselves, to liberate the black male by any means
necessary.”
The
theme of love continues in the reason Jakes, played by Troy Crossfield, decides
to delay attending his best friend’s wedding as bestman and opts to play
dominoes instead.
Jakes’
protracted revelation comes in his declaration that he loves his best friend –
an outing of his homosexuality -- which garners the understanding and support of
his fellow black male friends.
The
inclusion of soundscapes, the stage setting of moving boxes, and the seamless integration
of DJ O-nonymous as Dwayne, spinning live music add to the authenticity of the
place and the current issues impacting these lives.
In
the director’s note, Powell notes in part that, “…Darren’s work is more urgent
than ever, particularly in light of the many challenges we continue to
experience in our society today. And so, we use the power of the theatre to
continue speaking out and taking a stand in the face of injustice, bringing our
narratives forward and letting our voices be heard.”
Anthony,
in the playwright’s notes, says he wants, “Secrets of a Black Boy to spark
uncomfortable, healthy dialogue that can inspire a conscious shift and
contribute to making our society a better one for future generations.”
“Secrets
is just that – a representation of the many facets of black men that extend
beyond the headlines, and I wrote it because we are more than the
one-dimensional stereotypes so often presented in the mainstream and pop
culture,” he writes.
After
each performance, there is a talkback session with the cast, playwright and
director hosted by various figures in Toronto’s arts scene.
On
November 15, there will be a town hall entitled, “Unpacking The Politics of
Gender and Blackness in the Greater Toronto Area,” following the performance.
The
play is produced by Playing With Crayons, co-directed by Anthony and Shaka
Licorish.
“Secrets
of a Black Boy” is definitely worth seeing because it opens a window into the
lives of these black men grappling with challenges but at the end of it all
allowing themselves to be vulnerable, to cry, and to heal with the support of
community.
Visual
artist, Oluseye, has an art exhibition and installation that complements “Secrets
of a Black Boy” at Dais, 1196 Queen Street West, until November 18.
Informed
by Yoruba mythology and geometry, he fuses human, mask, and sculptural elements
to imbue his portraits with a physical-spiritual identity.
BLACK BOYS
A
day before “Secrets of a Black Boy” closes, another play about black
masculinity, “Black Boys,” will open at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre on
November 19.
The
play, which runs until December 11, is described as “a raw, intimate, and
timely exploration of queer male Blackness.”
“Black
Boys” is created from the lives of three Black men seeking a deeper
understanding of themselves, of each other, and how they encounter the world.
The
performers are: Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, Tawiah Ben McCarthy and Thomas
Olajide.
WHEN BROTHERS SPEAK
Up
From The Roots presents the 18th annual When Brothers Speak Spoken
Word Concert, created, curated and hosted by award-winning spoken word artist,
Dwayne Morgan, on Saturday, November 26, 8 p.m. at St. Lawrence Centre for the
Arts, 27 Front Street East, Toronto.
www.dwaynemorgan.ca
All
of these creations about black men and black masculinity had me thinking about
organizations in Toronto that are supportive of black men and seek to disrupt
the dominance of negative stereotypes.
THE BLACK DADDIES CLUB
(theblackdaddiesclub.com)
A
support group for black fathers to:
Develop
a continuous support system for Black men and fathers to share their challenges
and/or experiences.
Work
with Black fathers and the community at large to address issues facing Black
fathers, children and families.
Work
with the media to provide alternate images of Black fathers, and assist in the
creation of our own media that depicts Black fathers in a positive light.
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