Are we all still part of the show?
In short: In 1901, the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, turned Black identity into a public spectacle. From simulated villages to idealized plantations, the fair staged conflicting narratives of African life. Today, artist Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin uses these archives to ask if we are still performing for an audience.
Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin, an assistant professor at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is developing a Broadway-bound musical titled "At Buffalo." The project originated from her studies of world's fairs at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She describes these historical events as fantastical, miniature cities that birthed modern icons like the Eiffel Tower and the Seattle Space Needle.
The musical focuses on three specific exhibits from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition that presented contradictory views of Black identity. The first, "Darkest Africa," featured 98 West and Central Africans living in a simulated African village. Opposite this, a cotton field from the Antebellum era hosted a 'happy' slave life scene at the 'Old Plantation' nearby. A third display, the "American Negro Exhibit," offered a different perspective by chronicling the progress of African Americans as told by intellectuals like W.E.B. Du Bois.
Kootin employs a methodology she calls "performing the archive." She argues that historical material cannot be fully understood through reading alone; it must be embodied. By combining present-day creative arts with historical analysis, she uses bodies on stage as proxies for the archive. Her work seeks to explore how performance affects how members of the African diaspora see one another, while highlighting unsettling parallels between the turn-of-the-century fair and contemporary American society.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin: A musical that examines black identity in the 1901 World's Fair | TED
- Also: Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin: A historical musical that examines Black identity in the 1901 World's Fair | TED Talk
- Also: Franklin College faculty member uses performance to share history - UGA Today
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/ideas-amma-y-ghartey-tagoe-kootin-a-musical-that-examines-black-id.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
