Tragically beautiful: history depicted through Spoleto’s art performances
Moments from Omar’s dress rehearsal performance, Nduduzo Makhathini’s show, and the Magnolia Plantation tour.
By Katie Hopsicker
Spoleto Festival USA is one of Charleston’s most important festivals, and this year, the historical impact of the festival displays the history of slavery and Charleston’s past.
The world premiere of Omar, the opera by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, details the life of Omar Ibn Said, a West African scholar who was enslaved here in Charleston. The opera shows Omar’s harrowing journey through its songs, costumes, and stunning scenery.
As an audience member, it’s chilling to see scenes set in places like the Charleston Slave Mart, as I knew the physical location was a mere ten minute walk away. The performers sang with both passion and pain, and my heart swelled as I realized the dichotomy between the atrocities of slavery and Omar’s story becoming an opera that is so tragically beautiful.
The directness of the opera made me curious about Charleston’s past. So, I visited Magnolia Plantation. And while the disgusting truth of Omar’s story was revealed through a beautiful opera, I felt that the beauty of Magnolia Plantation’s grounds, in a way, hid the truth of what really happened there.
The plantation, featuring 500 acres of gardens and rice fields, displayed Southern living in an interesting way. Guests can take a tour of the plantation’s house, a tram tour around the property, a boat tour through rice fields to see surrounding nature and wildlife, a self-guided walk through its famous gardens, and of course, a tour of the slaves’ quarters.
While I learned much about the atrocities of slavery on the tour, I couldn’t help but feel that the monstrosities were glossed over in favor of the stunning house, garden, and grounds. It was perfectly pretty in an eerie way, and I felt as if the tours idolized the plantation owners.
We need more truth and context when it comes to these conversations, and South African jazz musician Nduduzo Makhathini addressed this during his performance. Part of Spoleto’s Wells Fargo Jazz programming, Makhathini spoke of slavery and the lasting affects of racism and South African apartheid.
“This music as we understand it, in various histories has been related to notions of displacement,” he said. “This relationship is becoming more evident in sonic means and what we have is a true connection across the Atlantic.”
And however ugly the past may be, a true connection it is. With Spoleto’s artists and shows, the festival brings light to a history often masked or pushed aside. Despite this tragic history that took place in Charleston, Spoleto is spreading the truth.