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Episode 68 - King Shotaway: The Garifuna Story at the Birth of Black Theatre in New York
Description
Before Broadway became a global symbol, Black New Yorkers created a stage of their own - and one of its foundational original dramas centered the Garifuna resistance of St. Vincent. In Episode 68, host José Francisco Ávila explores William Alexander Brown's African Grove/African Theatre and The Drama of King Shotaway, the now-lost play about Paramount Chief Joseph Chatoyer.
What can the surviving record tell us? Why do sources cite both 1822 and 1823? And what does this connection mean for the place of Garifuna heritage in New York City's cultural history? This carefully sourced narrative separates documented history from open questions and offers practical ways for educators, theatres, museums, and libraries to carry the story forward.
Share this episode with a teacher or cultural institution. Garifunas Driving Prosperity, Power and Progress.
Episode Links & Resources:
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- Garifuna Coalition
- The Garifuna Experience in NYC
- The Carib Garifuna Chief: Transatlantic Images of Chatoyer in the Early 19th Century
Books by José Francisco Ávila
- Pan-Garifuna Afro-Latino Power of Pride:: My Quest for Racial, Ancestral, Ethnic and Cultural Identity
- Garífuna Ancestry: The DNA Quest to Decipher the Garifuna Distant Past