African American Theatre Essay

Harlem Renaissance was the name of the African American cultural movement that gained its popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s. It got its name because it took its roots in Harlem of New York, an area which had been always associated with the African American inhabitants. It emerged toward the end of World War I in 1918, blossomed in the mid- to late 1920s, and then faded in the mid-1930s (Encarta, 2006). Harlem Renaissance as a movement attracted serious attention of the publishers to the African American cultural phenomena. It was the starting point to consider the African American art and literature to be a substantial part of the entire American culture. It attracted serious attention of the American nation to the culture of the huge part of American citizens, African Americans. It was initially a literature movement but it was also related to the African American music, theatre, art and politics. Harlem Renaissance emerged in the early 20’s of the 20th century, during a period of serious political, social and economic upheavals in the African American community. There were several social and political factors which gave the basis for the raise of the African American culture. The end of the Civil War (1861-1865) created specific attitude towards African Americans. They gained new opportunities for development of their culture; they got access to the proper education, they got qualitatively new self esteem and self respect. They got equal rights guaranteed by the Declaration of the Independence which stated the basis of the American society, â€Å"all men are created equal†. The Great Migration gave hundreds of thousands black Americans an opportunity to move from the from an economically depressed rural South to industrial cities of the North to take advantages of the employment opportunities created by World War I. Harlem became the place of settlement for educated and socially conscious blacks. It developed into the political and cultural centre of the black Americans. â€Å"Equally important, during the 1910s a new political agenda advocating racial equality arose in the African American community, particularly in its growing middle class. Championing the agenda were black historian and sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which was founded in 1909 to advance the rights of blacks. This agenda was also reflected in the efforts of Jamaican-born black nationalist Marcus Garvey, whose â€Å"Back to Africa† movement inspired racial pride among blacks in the United States. † (Encarta, 2006). Harlem Renaissance was the most creative period in African-American cultural life which influenced greatly the entire American culture. It impacted the American culture, American social life and race relations in the United States. It was a period of flourishing of artistic expression and cultural activity. The interracial relations in the United States found their new manifestation during the Harlem Renaissance. The rise of the black culture would be impossible without the recognition of it by the representatives of the white American community. â€Å"White authors writing about African-Americans; white patrons and supporters of the Harlem Renaissance; white publishers, producers, and booking agents; white critics and promoters-these all influenced African-American culture for better or worse. A closely related subject is the interaction between blacks and whites: most often black artists reacting with white publishers, promoters, and critics; but also the more complex interaction between the black intelligentsia and black writers and white publishers and intellectuals. Both W. E. B. Du Bois and James Weldon Johnson were black civil rights leaders, novelists, and poets in their own right, and both published, promoted, and critiqued the work of black artists and writers. Carl Van Vechten, a white novelist, wrote a major Harlem novel of the period and also served as a patron and promoter of black literature, art, and music, and as a documenter of the Harlem Renaissance. † (Cary D. Wintz, Paul Finkelman, 2004). During the 20’s Harlem became the center of the black culture rise. The unprecedented attention was attracted to Harlem due to its uniqueness as a world center of the black culture, culture being developed on the principles of freedom. The period of Harlem Renaissance came between the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. â€Å"The term â€Å"Renaissance† might be considered a misnomer for the Harlem Renaissance because it was more of a birth than a rebirth. Its artistic production was based upon a powerful sense of intense race consciousness and pride in black heritage and community. † (Patricia Flynn, 2006). It was impossible to promote the black culture before the period known as Harlem Renaissance. The American society had not got rid of the racial prejudices, segregation etc. Jim Crow laws created the obstacles for the full scale integration of the American blacks into the society and consequently stopped the cultural development of the African Americans. The Ku Klux Klan in the South promoted the racial segregation. The violent nature of the Ku Klux Klan and similar groups tried to renew the gloomy traditions of slavery. The legislation of the South differed greatly from that of North and Harlem of New York symbolized the freedom, an American dream for African Americans. Harlem of New York City became the area of accommodation for the African Americans moving from the South. â€Å"As Southern blacks moved into the area, a power struggle developed between white and black capital. Whites deserted Harlem and prices of property fell. Blacks bought up the properties. By the 1920’s, the two square mile area between Eighth Avenue (West) and Fifth Avenue(East), and 125th Street North to 145th Street held 200,000 blacks. † (Patricia Flynn, 2006). During the World War I black soldiers in Europe recognized the interest to the traditional black music jazz. They started realizing their African American cultural heritage. The war had created a demand for workers. The image of proud and independent â€Å"New Negro† in black community replaced the comic image of the plantation slave created by the white culture. One of the leading black philosophers who called African Americans to recognize the pride for their African heritage was Alain Locke. â€Å"Alain Locke was probably the foremost spokesman for artists and writers of the Harlem Renaissance. He was highly educated as a philosopher at Harvard University, and the first black American Rhodes Scholar (1907-1910). He chaired the Philosophy Department at Howard University. His theories of black art encouraged black artists to recognize and incorporate their African heritage within their work. He powerfully wrote and lectured that African artistic heritage was at the center of the black experience. African art had made a contribution to modern art in Europe, and it should have an even deeper and more historical meaning to black artists in America. Locke felt that black artists needed to be liberated, free to express their heritage. † (Patricia Flynn, 2006). Alain Locke organized the financial support of the African American artists. This financial support was one of the most controversial issues of Harlem Renaissance. On one hand the philosophic ideas of the black self identity as opposed to the white one was the core of the philosophy of Harlem Renaissance and on the other hand the financial aid came from the white philanthropists, who were the representatives of the white culture.