Culture · In pictures
SOFIFRAN brings joy to children
- When
- Saturday, February 27, 2021
- Where
- Online (Zoom and Facebook)
The most important events of Black History Month fall in the last days of February. Festiv’Ébène is one of them and, like all the others, had to be held online.
The most important events of Black History Month fall in the last days of February. Festiv’Ébène is one of them and, like all the others, had to be held online.
Since a pandemic does shake up our habits a little, it was fair to wonder whether the audience would show up. Speaking of habits, Sofifran regulars had not lost theirs of arriving a few at a time, but they were all there just the same! At the busiest moment there were about 65 devices connected to Zoom, some of them with more than one person watching, not counting those following the event live on Facebook. Sofifran’s audience proved loyal.
Hosted by Vanessa Aubourg Jean Charles, a member of the board of directors, this Festiv’Ébène was the first for Saïd Ben, the organization’s new artistic director.
The evening opened with a few teenage girls from the community who came to share their musical talents. Sherna Jean-Charles, Erika Jean-Charles, Rodia Mwamba, Marla Zephir and Diana Dorvil offered a bouquet of songs in a range of styles.
Gaston Mabaya followed them with a more literary turn, taking up the theme of the duty to remember. Through a vivid account, at times a dramatic monologue, at times a history lesson, he painted a picture of five centuries of Black history.
His segments alternated with other performances. Rapper Borelson warmed up the event with a musical style rarely heard there. Erta Rose Ekosso let her voice, as powerful as it is melodious, bring a few deeply felt ballads to life. Abel Maxwell brought a lighter, joyful mood with some of his hits. As for Yao, he strung together melodies woven with poetry.
Sofifran’s artistic director was not to be outdone and contributed to Festiv’Ébène through his own field: theatre. Saïd Ben performed three surreal sketches that gave the audience something to think about and left a smile on their faces.
The curtain came down on a full and quite surprising Festiv’Ébène. While many people are starting to tire of online activities, Sofifran found a way to make this pandemic-era pleasure feel fresh again.
