It’s been almost a week since I went to see FELA! And while I like to blog when my emotions are still fresh, I let this one sit for a bit. In doing so, I sometimes gain an additional creative phrase or so, but I do believe I lose some momentum – some of the fire that sparked the initial topic’s birth. But I will try anyway …
One of the many poignant parts of the musical entailed the main character describing his mother’s death and the subsequent way that her coffin was handled. Without giving too much of the story line away, I will only mention that FELA and his family decided to publicly display the coffin to all – those who aided in her death and all who supported it, as well as those who mourned her death. It was a way of forcing the offenders to face what they had done. It was a way of making their actions still present and real. The character moved to a climax by stating that we must all “carry the coffin” … we must not bury it and forget; the struggles, visions, dreams must remain present. Real. What followed was a very dramatic scene with the dancers carrying coffins from all angles of the FOX theater – they came from the side entrances to the stage, the lower level, up the stairs and through the aisles. The coffins had names such as Troy Davis, Martin Luther King Jr. and Trayvon Martin. Chills ran through my body!!!
So the impetus of this post is very simply and however complex to ask do you carry the coffin??? What pains and struggles do you carry on a daily basis? What ideas, thoughts, rights are very current to and for you? What injustices do you refuse to turn away from, bury and forget about? Will you carry the coffin or do you spend your time finding ways to avoid the realities of life outside of your happy space?