In Dahomey (1902)

1. In Dahomey(1902) Paul Lawrence Dunbar (lyrics) Jesse A. Shipp (book) Will Marion Cook (music) Part I of IV And William Wells Brown Part III of III

2. The Escape… Combining Traditions Biography Theatrical Conventions of French Romanticism and Melodrama The Rituals and Artistic Production of Plantation Life Minstrelsy A Hybrid Black Theatre with a Dual Purpose

3. Speeches of Justification

4. Close ReadingAct 4 Scene 1 (Interior of a dungeon -- GLEN in chains) GLEN  When I think of my unmerited sufferings, it almost drives me mad. I struck the doctor, and for that, I must remain here loaded with chains. But why did he strike me? He takes my wife from me, sends her off, and then comes and beats me over the head with his cane. I did right to strike him back again. I would I had killed him. Oh! there is a volcano pent up in the hearts of the slaves of these Southern States that will burst forth ere long. When that day comes, wo to those whom its unpitying fury may devour! I would be willing to die, if I could smite down with these chains every man who attempts to enslave his fellow-man. (Enter SAMPEY, right) SAMPEY  Glen, I jess bin hear massa call de oberseer , and I spec somebody is gwine to be whipped. Anudder ting: I know wharmassa took Linda to. He took her to de poplar farm, an' he went away las' night, an' missis she follow after massa, an' she ain't come back yet. I tell you, Glen, de debil will be to pay on dis place, but don't you tell anybody dat I  tole you. (exit SAMPEY, right)

5. Close ReadingAct 5 Scene 3 OFFICER  Get out of the way! Gentlemen, we'll go up the shore. (exit, left) (Enter CATO, right) CATO  I is loss fum de cumpny, but dis is de ferry, and I spec dey'll soon come. But didn't we have a good time las' night in Buffalo? Dem dar Buffalo gals make my heart flutter, datdey did. But, tanks be to de Lord, I is got religion. I got it las' night in de meetin'. Before I got religion, I was a great sinner; I got drunk, an' took de name of de Lord in vain. But now I is a conwerted  man; I is bound for hebben; I toats de witness in my bosom; I feel dat my name is rote in de book of life. But dem niggers in de Vine Street Church las' night shout an' make sich a fuss, dey give me de headache. But, tank de Lord, I is got religion, an' now I'll be a preacher, and den dey'll call me de Rev . Alexander Washinton Napoleon Pompey Caesar. Now I'll preach and pull teef, bofe at de same time. Oh, how I wish I had Hannah wid me! Cuss ole massa, feref it warn't for him, I could have my wife wid me. Ef I hadn't religion, I'd say "Damn ole massa !" but as I is a religious man, an' belongs to de church, I won't say no sich a thing. But who is dat I see comin'? Oh, it's a whole heap of people. Good Lord! what is de matter? (Enter GLEN and MELINDA, left, followed by OFFICERS) GLEN  Let them come; I am ready for them. He that lays hands on me or my wife shall feel the weight of this club. MELINDA  Oh, Glen, let's die here, rather than again go into slavery. OFFICER  I am the United States Marshal. I have a warrant from the Commissioner to take you, and bring you before him. I command assistance. (Enter Dr. GAINES, SCRAGG, and OFFICER, right) DR. GAINES  Here they are. Down with the villain! down with him! but don't hurt the gal! (Enter Mr. WHITE, right) MR. WHITE  Why, bless me! these are the slaveholding fellows. I'll fight for freedom! (takes hold of his umbrella with both hands. -- The fight commences, in which GLEN, CATO, Dr. GAINES, SCRAGG, WHITE, and the OFFICERS, take part. -- FERRYMAN enters, and runs to his boat. -- Dr. GAINES, SCRAGG and the OFFICERS are knocked down, GLEN, MELINDA and CATO jump into the boat, and as it leaves the shore and floats away, GLEN and CATO wave their hats, and shout loudly for freedom. -- Curtain falls )

6. American Colonization Society • In 1822, the American Colonization Society (A.C.S.) which was the primary vehicle for returning black Americans to greater freedom in Africa, established Liberiaas a place to send people who were formerly enslaved.[This movement of black people by the A.C.S. had broad support nationwide among white people in America, including prominent leaders such as Henry Clay and James Monroe, who saw this as preferable to emancipation in America, with Clay believing "unconquerable prejudice resulting from their color, they never could amalgamate with the free whites of this country". STAMPFIELD  You shouldn't let trifles annoy you. I'll dare say you'll find the population of Dahomey quite as much a source of annoyance as the colored population of this country. Your exalted opinion of the ideal life to be found in a barbarous country is beyond my comprehension. MOSES  It's all right for you, son, to argue that way, 'cause you 'specs to live and die amongst these white folks here in the United States, but the colonization society that leaves this country for Dahomey takes a different view of the matter. In the first place, we've 'vestigated the country and found out just what's what.

7. In Dahomey? The origins of Dahomey(present day Benin) can be traced back to a group of Aja from the coastal kingdom of Allada who moved northward and settled among the Fon People of the interior. By about 1650, the Aja managed to dominate the Fon, and Wegbajadeclared himself king of their joint territory. Based in his capital of Agbome, Wegbaja and his successors succeeded in establishing a highly centralized state with a deep-rooted kingship cult of sacrificial offerings. These included an emphasis on human sacrifices in large numbers, to the ancestors of the monarch Economically, however, Wegbaja and his successors profited mainly from the slave trade and relations with slavers along the coast. As Dahomey's kings embarked on wars to expand their territory, they began using rifles and other firearms traded with French and Spanish slave traders for young men captured in battle, who fetched a very high price from the European slave merchants.

8. On Broadway in Dahomey/In Dahomey on Broadway RAREBACK  (laughing) Stick to me and after we're in Dahomey six months if you like it, I'll buy it for you. I'll tell the King over there that I'm a surveyor, and you're a contractor. If he asks for a recommendation, I'll tell him to go over to New York City and take a look at Broadway -- it's the best job the firm ever did, and if he don't mind, we'll build him a Broadway in the jungle. (song) If we went to Dahomey, suppose the King would say We want a Broadway built for us, we want it right away. We'd git a bunch of natives, say ten thousand or more Wid banyan trees, build a big department store. We'd sell big Georgia possums, some water melons, too. To get the coin for other things we'd like to do. If we couldn't have real horse cars, we'd use zebras for awhile On the face of the Broadway clock, use a crockodial. CHORUS  On Broadway in Dahomey bye and bye We'll build a Bamboo Railway to the sky. You'll see on the sides of the rocks and hills, On Broadway in Dahomey bye and bye. We'd git some large Gorillas and use them for police, then git a Hippopotamus for Justice of the Peace. We'd build a nice roof garden somewhere along the line, Serve Giraffe Highballs and real Cokenut wine. We'd use Montana Diamonds to make Electric light, And then have Wagner sung by parrots ev'ry night. We'd have a savage festival, serve Rhine-os-erus stew, Have pork chops and U-need-a Biscuit too.

9. The Structure of the Minstrel Show PART 1- The entire troupe danced onto stage singing a popular song. Upon the instruction of the interlocutor, a sort of host, they sat in a semicircle. Various stock characters always took the same positions: the genteel interlocutor in the middle, flanked by Tambo and Bones, who served as the endmen or cornermen. The interlocutor acted as a master of ceremonies and as a dignified, if pompous, straight man while the endmen exchanged jokes and performed a variety of humorous songs. Over time, the first act came to include maudlin numbers not always in dialect. One minstrel, usually a tenor, came to specialize in this part; such singers often became celebrities, especially with women. Initially, an upbeat plantation song and dance ended the act; later it was more common for the first act to end with a walkaround, including dances in the style of a cakewalk PART 2- The “olio”-” had of a variety show structure. Performers danced, played instruments, did acrobatics, and demonstrated other amusing talents. Troupes offered parodies of European-style entertainments, and European troupes themselves sometimes performed. PART 3/FINALE- Uusually one actor, typically one of the endmen , delivered a faux-black-dialect stump speech, a long oration about anything from nonsense to science, society, or politics, during which the dim-witted character tried to speak eloquently, only to deliver countless malapropisms, jokes, and unintentional puns. All the while, the speaker moved about like a clown, standing on his head and almost always falling off his stump at some point. With blackface makeup serving as fool’s mask, these stump speakers could deliver biting social criticism without offending the audience,although the focus was usually on sending up unpopular issues and making fun of blacks' ability to make sense of them.

10. Minstrelsy and the “Race Problem” Act 1 (Public Square with a house doorway. Above the door is a sign: "Intelligence Office." A crowd is assembled around a medicine show pitchman. Applause at rise of curtain. A banjo player acts as an interlocutor as Tambo, and Bones tell one or two jokes. The banjoist sings a song. Dr. Straight, the pitchman, addresses the crowd.) [...] DR. STRAIGHT  Wait, wait, wait, this is not all. I have another preparation, Oblicuticus, "Obli" -- in this case, being an abbreviation of the word "obliterate." "Cuti" -- taken from the word "cuticle," the outer skin, and "cuss" is what everybody does when the desired results are not obtained, but there is no such word as "fail." This wonderful face bleach removes the outer skin and leaves in its place a peachlike complexion that can't be duplicated -- even by peaches. Changing black to white and vice versa. I am going to spend only one day in your city, but I am going to convince you by exhibiting a living evidence of my assertions that these two grand preparationsStraightaline and Oblicuticus are the most wonderful discovery of modern times.