Thought-provoking and powerful poetry that gets stuck in your head

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WITH PIC Melodye Micėre Van Putten at The Neo Griot Lounge

The latest in Chewstick’s excellent Griot Session series featured renowned Africalogist, activist, teacher, author, speaker and poet, Melodye Micėre Van Putten.

Mrs Van Putten delighted a packed house at Chewstick’s headquarters on the corner of Court and Elliot Streets, delivering a splendidly paced performance of her original poetry with style, flair, and attitude to spare.

The ambiance inside the Neo Griot Lounge on Friday night was cool, laid-back, and sensual. The popular artists’ haven had its usual speakeasy feel enhanced with African print mud cloth, Congo drums, and a healthy dose of conscious vibes. The audience was comprised of mostly mature patrons; the kind of folks who really know and really appreciate good poetry.

The evening’s entertainment started sometime after 8.30pm with American storyteller David O’Shea. He regaled the attentive audience with two of his popular stories from his years as a New York City taxi driver. There was comedy, drama, emotion, and heartache in Mr O’Shea’s performance; as well as within the fabric of his wonderful stories.

The pieces were nothing more than vignettes, having nothing resembling a beginning or an end. He picked up a fare, observed them, had an experience, and then moved on. There was the time he learned firsthand the correct way to use the famous phrase “What am I, chopped liver?” And then there was the time he helped a love-struck escort by putting his hand on her forehead and uttering the words, “Luck to Diane”.

Mr O’Shea was thoroughly entertaining during his set, keeping the audience hanging on his every word like the griots of yore; in the days before stories were told by talking heads inside electronic boxes. A very nice opening act indeed.

Of course, the headliner was no less impressive. Mrs Van Putten immediately made the space her own. It was like she was returning to her natural habitat a proud lioness holding court on the bountiful Serengeti. She absorbed the positive vibes the crowd was exuding and reflected them back in abundance.

Childhood friend Thomas Lowery accompanied her on percussion. Mr Lowery is a master drummer from Philadelphia, and he added considerable weight to the performance, delivering stellar rhythms to accentuate her powerful words. He dazzled with his beats, employing a wide array of percussive tools, including the billabong, djembe, Congo drum, and traditional bass, snare, and cymbal drum set. He even played a Bermuda Gombey rhythm at the end, to the delight of the receptive crowd.

The poetry on offer was thought-provoking, entertaining, emotional, powerful, and inspiring all at once. Mrs Van Putten’s performance was well-rehearsed, polished, and brilliant. She sang, scatted, hit all the perfect inflections, added attitude exactly where it was needed, and thoroughly convinced the crowd that her words indeed were words to live by.

There was a healthy dose on African Diaspora history in her work. Pieces like ‘I Can Feel Your Spirit’, ‘Lest We Forget’ and ‘Ashay (Bermuda Libation)’ paid homage to the ancestors, while ‘History’s Challenge’, ‘This Headwrap Ain’t No Bandana’, ‘When Did We Stop Being African?’ and ‘What Are You Watching?’ issued challenges to the new generation of muti-media obsessed African progeny.

After a brief intermission, the material became noticeably more sensual. Apart from the tributes to President Obama and Michelle Obama, the poems in this portion of the show focused on women’s issues (‘Inspired’, ‘Hair’), mature love (‘Love Now’), and other sensual matters (‘Feeling Poetry’). Perhaps the most modern style piece of the evening was the wonderful ‘I Got A Poem Stuck In My Head’, a story about a poem that would not rest until it was out of her head and into the universe.

Mrs Van Putten closed the set with a tribute to the purpose behind her life’s work; a simple piece which can be summed up by just stating the title, ‘I Love Black People’. The veteran educator appeared entirely absorbed in this piece, singing the words with closed eyes and a soft smile on her face like merely uttering the phrase was actively soothing her soul. Indeed, the piece was intoxicating and quite soothing for the audience, which fell under her spell quite early, and remained captivated throughout.

She read selected pieces from her four poetry volumes during the session. ‘Sacred Thoughts: God Is The Light... and The Light Is All There Is’, ‘Soul Poems: Life as Fertile Ground’, ‘Obamatyme: Election Poetry’ (winner of the 2009 Best Books Award, Urban Poetry, USA), and ‘Ashay: Poetry for Empowerment’ are all available at bookstores throughout the Island, or by contacting Mrs Van Putten directly.

This was another excellent evening in the fantastic Griot Session series at Chewstick. If you’ve never been to a Griot Session and you love poetry, you might want to look out for upcoming sessions; you won’t be disappointed.

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