Cast explores 'Amistad' history

The cast of the opera "Amistad" amble in, one by one, through the door of Gretchen Barbatsis' small, elegant Wraggborough home, bearing gifts of fried and barbecue chicken, strawberries mingled with blackberries, avocado dip and chips.

The impetus for the occasion, besides the fact that there's no rehearsal that evening, is that Barbatsis has invited Carolyn Jabulile White, a James Island native and authority on the Gullah culture, to meet with New York soprano Janinah Burnett, who is Barbatsis' guest while performing in the opera at Spoleto Festival USA.

"I wanted to know more about this Gullah that I had heard so much about, and I felt it would strengthen

my portrayal of a scared young mother who has been forced from her family in Sierra Leone," Burnett says.

On a recent rainy Sunday afternoon, surrounded by such talents as Kevin Maynor, (who was in Spoleto's "Salome" in 1990); "Amistad" director Sam Helfrich and set designer Caleb Wertenbaker, White holds court, majestic in colorful dangling earrings and hand-woven bracelets from friends in Africa. She answers questions and tells stories in a language that is a mix of African languages and English that developed among black slaves on the local sea islands.

White also listens intently to those whose roles in "Amistad" call for them to portray captives who staged a rebellion on the slave ship by that name in 1839 as it was on its way to Cuba. It ended up off the tip of Long Island and the 50-member cargo and crew were captured by the U.S. Coast Guard.

After two years and an extensive trial, the Amistad eventually was allowed to leave and take its passengers back to Sierra Leone. But some stayed behind in America where they became involved in a new culture.

"I wondered what my people had brought to America," said Burnett, a California native who sings the role of Margru and later this summer will perform the role of Bess in "Porgy and Bess" with the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

"I suppose y'all know that at least 40 percent of your ancestors landed right here in Charleston where they were sold as slaves," says White, who explains she was given her Zulu name of Jabulile, meaning "happiness," on a trip to her homeland in South Africa.

No, they didn't know.

"And you should know that the customs and culture your people brought to America are part of the Gullah heritage," explains White. "These customs and the language were meshed together with those in America which then created Gullah."

Outside, clouds gather and thunder rolls, as slavery and its impact comes out of the history books and into real lives.

Helfrich, the director, says, "We welcome discussion such as this, as this opera is like no other. 'Amistad' is not only relevant to Charleston, but these issues of race, some which are very ugly, are alive and well today."

In the room are non-Southern whites such as Barbatsis, a native of Minneapolis who taught communication in colleges for years in Michigan. She listens as White describes how people in power traditionally look down upon the Gullah people and their language and customs.

"But things have changed. Now they ask you to come speak at schools and civic clubs," White says with a chuckle.

She tells of ancient customs such as painting doors blue to keep the "haints" out.

"What are haints?" asks a cast member.

Ghosts or evil spirits, White says.

This vision ties right into the opera's concept of gods and goddesses and spirits who traveled with the captives through the Middle Passage to America, changing people's minds and making things happen.

Like the Goddess of the Waters, portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Williams wearing a raspberry-colored sundress and seated on the hearth near White. In the opera, Williams sings an aria saying that the people of Sierra Leone should be allowed to return to their homes.

She and the other visitors lean forward as White described traditions taken from Africa such as mashing up raw onions inside a cloth and wrapping it around a child's head to bring down a high fever.

And to cure a cold, people gather an herb that White called "Life Everlasting," which is found on the sea islands. "It will knock the flu out in a flash," White says with a laugh.

It often has been said that one of the main purposes of Spoleto, now starting its 32nd season in Charleston, is to bring various cultures together. And in this room, the world seems a little smaller.

As a red velvet cake and cream pie are served to go with pitchers of iced tea and red wine, the discussion keeps going until midnight.

Finally, Barbatsis could contain herself no longer, "I LOVE having Spoleto people in my home," she exclaims.

Reach Dottie Ashley at 937-5704 or dashley@postandcourier.com.