Sekou Sundiata, flying onward

I found out about the passing of Sekou Sundiata (August 22, 1948 - July 18, 2007) at the BDC screening of Woodie King, Jr.'s Segregating the Greatest Generation. Curator Michelle Materre shared the news with the audience during the Q&A for the film. In the row ahead of us was an actor who was growing out his hair for a role; people there swore he could have been Sundiata, or at least his twin, but sadly, no.

Sekou Sundiata, as Mark Anthony Neal penned, had truly "gone home." I wish I had heard him read and experienced more of his work, but I'm going to be one of those folks relying on the historical record and memory of others to fill in the gaps. Here's the Academy of American Poets obituary for Sundiata (thanks J.), a J'stheater post on Sundiata which includes video of Sundiata from Def Poetry, one from SWEAT, Louis Reyes Rivera's obituary on ChambaNotes, and The New York Times.

When Materre mourned the absence of footage of Sundiata performing or of interviews, filmmaker Nicole Franklin remembered that she had shot some of his performances for an arts center. So fortunately, that does exist. The other question was one of interviews, and access. When I got home I went into research mode and found a few interviews available online.

One of them moved me deeply, a 2002 NPR interview with Terri Gross in which he reads from his work blessing the boats (the title is taken from the Lucille Clifton poem), and talks about his experience dealing with kidney failure, on which the work was based. He also speaks on his friends' response to his kidney disease, and the subsequent auto accident in which he broke his neck, but was not paralyzed. Another interview focusing on his creative process appears on the KadmusArts webpage, "In Memorium: Sekou Sundiata." Salon.com has audio of Sundiata reading "The Sound of Memory" from Righteous Babe Records release longstoryshort.

Sekou Sundiata Praise Day
at the Bowery Poetry Club
Saturday, July 28 3-5pm

“shortstorylong”

Gather to praise share further remember forget bring up stories recite poems
perform dreams discover new loves energize yourself continue invent greet
tolerate lie dance

We’ll play Sekou’s CDs and watch his videos, and there will be as many
poems for him as there is room for.

Donations may be made in the name of Sekou Sundiata to the New York Organ
Donor Network or to the National Kidney Foundation.

Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery (Bleecker-Houston)
#6 to Bleecker B,D,F,V to Broadway-Lafayette
212-614-0505
walt@bowerypoetry.com

The video below is from a performance that aired on Bill Moyers Journal, 20 July 2007 in remembrance of Sundiata.