On Saturday, Feb. 12, the St. Simons African American Coalition and Cassina Garden Club will sponsor "From Slavery in the Tabby Cabins to Freedom at Harrington School House." This all-day event will trace the growth of St. Simons Island's African American people, from the days of plantation slavery to the freedom and self-empowerment found through education.
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| Tabby cabins at Gascoigne Bluff |
10:00 am to noon - Programs at the Cassina Garden Club tabby cabins on Gascoigne Bluff.
10:30 am - African American musical performance at the tabby cabins.
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| Harrington School Credit: Georgia Trust |
2:00 pm - Performance by the Brunswick Shouters, on the grounds of the Harrington School
All events are free. Donations will benefit preservation and restoration of the historic Harrington School. Built in 1925, the school was named to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's 2011 List of '10 Places in Peril'. The school served as the main educational structure for three African American communities on St. Simons Island until desegregation in the 1960s. The school also served as a social hub for community and was the site of many community gatherings and activities.
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On Saturday, Feb. 18, Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation presents "Tell Me a Story," a special program that combines stories and songs of individuals and families in Africa and America. Presenters will be Braima Moiwai, a native of Sierra Leone, and Pline Mounzeo, a native of Congo.
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| Credit: Hofwyl-Broadfield |
The high-energy performance will weave together West and Central African cultures through stories, songs and poems. "Mandé (West African) and Bantu (Central African) cultures contributed a great deal to Africanism in American culture," Moiwai explains.
A regular presenter at Hofwyl-Broadfield, Moiwai is a storyteller and musician who specializes in the oral traditions of the coastal regions of West Africa and the influence of African languages and cultures on the Gullah and Geechee culture of South Carolina and the Georgia sea islands. He will be joined by percussionist and dancer, Pline Mounzeo, who is a guest artist and teacher at Duke University. He has appeared in Le Ballet Final and the Traditional Ballet of Pierre Sacree, and has also worked for extended periods at L' Association Eolo, a center for the arts in Lyon, France.
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| Credit: Hofwyl-Broadfield |
Moiwai will begin the day at 11:00 am by preparing an African dish, Jollof Rice, for visitors. He will cook the dish using the traditional African method, in a large cast iron pot over an open fire. The dish will be served at noon along with lemonade and cookies.
While visitors enjoy their meal, Moiwai and Mounzeo will begin their performance, utilizing a variety of musical instruments such as Ngoma (tall drums), djembe drums, djun djun drums and shakers. At 1:00 pm, Moiwai will move to the Hofwyl Theater for more music and a presentation on life in Sierra Leone, followed by a discussion with the audience.
Regularly scheduled tours of the antebellum plantation house will be offered throughout the day. Admission is $6 for adults, $5.50 for seniors and $3.50 for youth.
Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation State Historic Site is owned and operated by the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources. For information call 912-264-7333 or visit www.gastateparks.org/info/hofwyl.
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