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The Flying African

Project Type

Aerial Arts

Date

October 2024

The Black body flying in the air has remained a powerful image in the black imagination since slavery. The story of the flying African has been passed down from generation to generation gaining mythological status. This myth is rooted in the history of the Igbo Landing, a site on St. Simmon’s Island, in Georgia, where in May of 1803, enslaved Nigerians rose in rebellion, took control of the ship that held them captive, and drowned their captors. After docking the ship at Dunbar creek, the sequence of events becomes unclear. Some say the Igbo walked into the marshy waters committing mass suicide, but others say they flew, sprouted wings and traversed the seas to get back home.

These Igbo men and women were strong and proud, traits that made them valuable as slaves but also more prone to rebel. As a Nigerian of Igbo descent I seek to embody this myth using the trapeze as a metaphor for the wings my people used to escape the violent fate that stood before them had they not had the courage to fly.

My act was about 3 mins long, beginning with some contemporary movement on the ground and then transitioning into a trapeze sequence. My costuming was relatively simple. I used white body paint to cover my body in Nsibidi, an ancient iconographic script used by the Igbo people before colonization. These symbols carry deep meaning serving not only as decoration but also a form of communication

Through my performance, I aim to honor the legacy of my people and explore themes of resilience, identity, and freedom.

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