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THE DIRECTOR Justin Emeka is an actor, writer, director, and teacher. For over ten years, he has worked to expose young people in the inner city to the power and potential of the theater. In 1995, he worked with a grant from the Seattle Housing Authority to create Pressure: A Hip-Hop Theater Experience, an original production involving 25 youth from three Seattle housing projects. He was the founder and artistic director of Jungle Creations, an African-American performance company that produced workshops and performances throughout the Northwest including Jungle Wisdom, Where the Wild Thangs At, and The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. At Arts West he directed A Raisin in the Sun. In 2001, he was an associate director for the nationally renowned “Maafa Suite” a three hour theatrical commemoration of the Middle Passage and the Black holocaust. Mr. Emeka has performed with Seattle Children’s Theater, the Seattle Repertory Theater, the Intiman Theater and the Group Theater. He has taught acting classes and workshops at institutions such as Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, Seattle Children’s’ Theater, Seattle Peace Academy, Garfield High School, The African-American Academy, Arts Corp, and Oberlin College. Toured high schools, colleges, and cultural arts centers nationally, presenting the one-man show “A Right to Dream” exploring the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. Collaborated in theatrical performances with Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra and the Total Experience Gospel Choir. He is the recipient of the John Stanford Memorial Teachers Award, the Seattle Arts Commission Literary Fellowship in playwriting, and the Washington State Film Commission Screenwriting Award. Currently, Justin is completing his MFA Directing Degree at the University of Washington, School of Drama. KABBY MITCHELL, III Kabby Mitchell is a
choreographer, educator and performer and has danced with the Dance Theatre
of 
RESOURCES AND RECOMMENDED READINGS
The Afrikan Diasporic Maafa Institute People Institute for Survival and Beyond A Slaveship Speaks: The Wreck of the Henrietta Marie Great Blacks in Wax Museum African Burial Grounds Project What is Sankofa Theatre? Sankofa Theatre is an original theatrical commemoration, first presented in July 2003, that covers a period in World History African Americans refer to as the Maafa. Maafa is a Ki-Swahili word that means great tragedy, calamity, disaster, and holocaust, also known as the Middle Passage or Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Through drama, song, rhythm and dance, Sankofa Theatre tells a story of Africans who are confronted with the arrival of white slavers, the voyage of Africans to America, and the complex circumstances under which enslaved Africans were oppressed. At its core is a commemoration of the millions of Africans who were lost during the voyage and a celebration of the resiliency of the human spirit. The goal of Sankofa Theatre is to use performing arts to increase understanding and spur dialogue related to the underpinnings of racism in America. Who participates in the production and when is it presented? Sankofa Theatre engages over 100 performers that include artists from West Africa, South Africa, Seattle and New York. Members of the Seattle community comprise the largest group of performers and artists, numbering over 75. There are 6 performances of Sankofa Theatre scheduled for July 20-25, 2004 at the Moore Theatre. What is the relationship between Sankofa Theatre and the Maafa Suite? The Maafa Suite is a production of the St. Paul Community Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY. For the past 10 years, St. Paul has presented a week of events in September that focus on educating their community about the origins of racism and the impacts of slavery. At the center of these events is the theatrical production, Maafa Suite, a product of the church’s drama ministry. In addition to hosting Maafa Suite at the church, the production has toured around the United States to cities including Dallas, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta, Bridgeport, and Seattle. The Maafa Suite was presented in Seattle in July of 2001 and 2002. The Maafa Suite is the inspiration for Sankofa Theatre, and members of the Maafa Suite production team have worked with the Sankofa Theatre team for the past 2 years. Who is Sankofa Theatre for? The experience of revisiting history from a perspective that may not match the information received through more traditional forms of teaching history, is a valuable opportunity for all members of the community to explore other possibilities. Through participation in Sankofa Theatre, it is hoped that people of all nations will come to better understand what may lie at the heart of racial tensions in our community and nation. Unlike most other efforts designed to bridge racial divides that rely completely on dialogue, Sankofa Theatre uses performing arts to illustrate and recount history. Additionally, Sankofa Theatre presents one of the few opportunities to educate our community purely from an African American perspective. How is Sankofa Theatre structured and presented? Sankofa Theatre evolved out of the efforts of a group of individuals in Seattle who had previously been involved in various elements of presenting the Maafa Suite. This group collaborated with the Seattle Theatre Group as the fiscal sponsor and presenting partner for Sankofa Theatre. Fundraising efforts were undertaken and a writer, director, and production team was assembled to mount this original production. The budget for Sankofa Theatre is raised through public, corporate and foundation grants, with the remaining funds being generated by ticket sales. Unfortunately, less than 30% of the budget is generated through ticket sales and Sankofa Theatre would not happen if it were not for the willingness of artists and organizers to give of their time and talents to support this effort. In its first year, Sankofa Theatre received financial support from the following sources: Seattle Theatre Group, The Boeing Company, US Bank, SAFECO, City of Seattle Civil Rights, Human Services, Public Utilities, and Neighborhoods departments, Cultural Development Authority of King County, ClearChannel Outdoor, Key Bank, small businesses and individuals. To date, the 2004 production has received support from the following: The Seattle Theatre (presenting and fiscal sponsor) The Boeing Company, Vulcan (a Paul G. Allen Company), US Bank, KSTW 11/UPN, SAFECO, Blackbox Music and Entertainment, Ethnic Cultural Center/Ethnic Cultural Theatre-University of Washington. Is Sankofa Theatre a non-profit organization? Sankofa Foundation, an organization formed to present the annual Sankofa Theatre production is in the process of filing for its IRS non-profit status. In the meantime, Seattle Theatre Group, a 501 c-3 non-profit organization, is the fiscal sponsor, yet the production and all production elements are coordinated by the Sankofa Foundation. Who are the community partners? We have created partnerships with a number of organizations that support community education activities and the Maafa presentation. Some of our partners include: African American Jewish Coalition, Church Council of Greater Seattle, Human Rights Commission Committee on Racial Justice, SAFECO Diversity Team, Seattle Youth Employment Program, Upward Bound, Bellevue and South Seattle Community Colleges, The Conciliation Project, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Ethnic Cultural Center – U of W, New Covenant Christian Center, St. Paul Community Baptist Church, ArtsCorps. --------------------------------------- |
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Harlem, the Nederlans Dance Theater, Civic Light Opera, Oakland Ballet,
and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Kabby has been a dance instructor for more
than 20 years having taught ballet, modern jazz, and Haitian dance at
schools and dance academies in Seattle, Iowa, and Mexico. In Seattle, Kabby
has worked with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Cornish College of the Arts,
University of Washington, and Ewajo Dance Workshop. He is currently on
faculty at the Evergreen State College in Olympia. His local choreography
credits include work with Spectrum Dance Theatre, The Group Theater, Seattle
Repertory Theater, Bathhouse Theatre, A Contemporary Theater and the Civic
Light Opera. Kabby’s signature choreography is seen in the annual
presentation of Black Nativity, directed by Jacqueline Moscou at the
Intiman Theatre, and most recently in the production of For Colored Girls…directed,
by Dr. Tawyna Pettiford-Wates. He also frequently contributes his time to
help programs that support the development of young urban dancers and is a
supporter of local art and theatre companies whose goal is to serve the
under served community through the arts.