Eroticism, devotion, rage, fire, and intensity united Friday night and conceived “Passions,” a pre-Valentine’s Day affair presented by the Apollo Players and Sankofa Poets.
“Some of the skits and poetry performed tonight are not for the young or weak at heart,” Jermaine Watson, manager of the African American Cultural Center, said in the introduction of the program.
“Passions” was performed Friday, Feb. 13 in the Union’s Magnolia Room in celebration of Black History Month.
The Sankofa Poets poetry group and the Apollo Players’ acting troupe are both comprised of University Students.
These groups bridged both their talents and created a program that alternated between poetry readings and acting skits.
Each poem corresponded with a skit and covered facets of passion such as spiritual development, knowledge, freedom, youth and beauty, love and understanding.
Michael Conn, a design junior, said he attended the program with some of his fraternity brothers Delta Sigma Phi, a predominantly white fraternity.
“We support diversity and promote cultural awareness among our members and feel Black History Month events are important for all people,” Conn said.
Conn said he attended Harambee last semester and enjoyed the poetry reading that was given by the keynote speaker.
“I hope to see more of that tonight,” he said.
Elliott Ewing, a communication studies senior and Delta Sigma Phi member, said the fraternity goes to see many different speakers.
“That can get boring, so we try to mix it up,” he said. “I really don’t know what to expect tonight, but I have a feeling it’s going to be entertaining, artistic and creative.”
Before the show started, André James, the chair of the event, said he was very nervous.
“We had a huge turnout tonight, and I wanted the program to run smoothly,” he said.
After the show’s end, James was able to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“The program went beautifully,” James said. “It was better than I expected, and all that I hoped it would be.”
Shamika Smith, a biological sciences freshman, said her favorite performance was the skit, “The Rape of Michelle.”
“Chitia Daniels was an excellent actress,” Smith said. “She had charisma and a spark that gave me chills.”
In the skit, Daniels played the wife of a man who has been sent to jail for statutory rape.
The couple has been married only six months, and though she expresses immense rage about his affair, she vows to stick with him.
Heather Stewart, a biological sciences freshman, said her favorite poem of the evening was “When the Revolution Comes,” by Shaquana Anderson.
“Her lines about the war on terror reminded me of my dad, who is stationed overseas,” Stewart said. “And I felt connected to her message.”
Anderson’s poem, that addressed the war on terror, alluded to the Bible and challenged media imagery, asked the listeners to re-evaluate their lives and what they considered important.
“As a 28-year-old, I have lived through the MTV era,” Anderson said. “It really frustrates me to see the commercialization that has taken hold of artists in videos, and the media’s influence on young people as a whole.”
“Understanding,” by Jarrel Francis, was the last poetry piece of the night and reinforced the evening’s overall theme.
“Without understanding, we cannot take in any of the information we come across,” Francis said. “People can talk to you all day — but it’s worthless if you choose not to understand.”