Publisher's Synopsis
Poetry. Art. African & African American Studies. Includes an audio CD. "Mendi + Keith Obadike are 21st century sonic griots channeling spirits worthy of the great poet Larry Neal's Bebop Ghosts and the interplanetary rhythms of Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders. The richness of their references from the nsibidi script of ancient Nigeria to oral histories from modern day Chicago reminds us of the sacredness of the quotidian and animates the relentless admonitions of human ancestors who refuse to be silenced. Replete with nuance and wit, Big House/Disclosure is both elegy and praise song to enslaved Africans whose lives and losses speak to us across continents and across the centuries. Through word, image, performance and sound the Obadikes lead us on a journey that is fluid and fluent, gloriously unpredictable, endlessly inventive and engaging. In so doing, they map a territory of imagination and history that leaves the traveler breathless and forever grateful." Kinshasha Holman Conwill"
