As a lover of learning and exploration, I couldn't resist going to check out this performance when a friend ask me to attend. Very interesting....
The Saartjie Project has garnered international attention for its boundary-stretching stage presentation that explores the mysticism, paradoxes and complexities surrounding the black female body.
Saartjie (pronounced Sar-kay) Baartman - was the South African woman paraded around Europe under the showname,"Hottentot Venus". She was caged to show off her large buttocks, dissected upon her death and placed in a museum. Founding Producer Jessica Solomon explains, "We are extremely excited about the production and are committed to using art as a catalyst of self-expression, self-definition and healing. This is not a performance to missed!"
http://www.thesaartjieproject.org/The_Saartjie_Project/The_Saartjie_Project.html
Over the weekend I participated in the 1st Annual Heel-a-thon Charity Walk to raise funds for rescusing woman and children enslaved in human trafficking and forced prostitution. When I was approach to participate in this effort I was excited to be included in such a needed cause. We often think of prostitution as a choice that someone made because they felt there was no other way for them to get money. However, this path for many people was chosen for them and they are faced with the same fears of someone enslaved to domestic violence. It felt wonderful to walk in my 3.5" heels knowing that this time it wasn't just to set off my ensemble or to be diva for the night, it was to help give someone their life back.
