Ep 037 | The Power of Storytelling

Jan 30, 2018

It is no secret that we live in polarizing times. That can make voicing opinions and tell stories difficult at times. My guest today though, uses the power of theater to highlight and bring awareness to the struggles that African Americans in our country deal with daily. To say that she is an accomplished woman would be an understatement. She is a modern day, Bay Area Renaissance Woman, who has been a director, writer, actress, poet, lyricists, producer and much, much more, as well as serving as a true leader and figurehead in her community. So please welcome to the podcast, Dr. Ayodele Nzinga.

Website: http://www.ayodelenzinga.com/               Email: [e-mail]

Lower Bottom Playaz: http://www.lowerbottomplayaz.com/

New Show Dates: 2/2 &2/3

Growing Up

• Grew up in the Bay Area, East Bay for over 40 years, Various cities
• Two Ph.D.’s despite not graduating from high school
• Transformative Education
• Doctorate in theater and psychodrama

Transformative Education

• Education that makes you different
• Transform trauma into victory

Public Education

• Drop out rates improving slightly
• Curriculum Constraints, Behavior Problems
• After School Programs cut back

Being a Writer

• Wrote first play as a senior in High School
• Ebonics Speaker didn’t write discernable English until 12th grade
• Spoken word in theater/ acting

Lower Bottom Playaz

• Area in West Oakland
• Also known as Prescott
• Washington Burns helped with construction of the theater
• Moved to a new theater on Broadway in Oakland
• Theater that talks to you through a black lens
• Cater to all audiences
• Taboo subjects among topics covered

“Lifer”

• Story of Glenn Bailey, been in prison in California for 52 years
• John Pomeroy

Past Movements and Their Influence

• Prison movements in the Bay Area
• Stories are enough
• Most issues today are not new

Sports Activists

• Kaepernick was not the first to protest
• Response is more interesting than the movement

Project Beyond Bars

• First-hand interviews with people who are/ were incarcerated
• How does incarceration impact the community?

Prison System Reform

• System is broken
• Better legal representation
• Humans want to stay alive
• Laws for poor people and minorities
• Prison allows time to think
• What drives crime
• Innocence project
• Intention starts with change

Wrap up/ Information