ELEGBA FOLKLORE SOCIETY’S PERFORMERS PRESENT AFRICAN AMERICAN REFLECTIONS ON THE CIVIL WAR

RICHMOND, VA •  In complement to Henrico County’s commemoration of the historic Battle of New Market Heights, September 1864, Elegba Folklore Society presents an original work, African American Reflections on The Civil War, at the Henrico Theater on Sunday, September 21 at 4p.  Admission is free.

The Battle of New Market Heights occurred in Henrico County, and it brought the Union Army one strategic step closer to its April 3, 1865 invasion of Richmond that effectively ended The Civil War.  At both instances, it was the skill and bravery of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) that led the Union Army to victory.  Of the 18 Medals of Honor awarded to black soldiers during the war, 14 of them were given at the Battle of New Market Heights.

In African American Reflections on The Civil War, audience members should expect the “Wow” factor as they witness the lives and roles of Africans and Africa’s descendants unfold in this drama that informs and empowers. Music and dance punctuate the stories of the spirit and magic of Africa, conditions of enslavement, resistance, the Black Dispatches, United States Colored Troops, women in support, the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment.  

An audience member said, “It was amazing how so much information could be presented in 90 minutes.  I and my grandchildren were engaged throughout.”

No matter the audience’s age or background, the spirit and the openness of the Elegba Folklore Society will enchant them.  In a way that perhaps they will expect or in a way that is totally spontaneous, their energy will blend beautifully with the Society’s, closing the gap between performer and audience.   Participants find themselves swept up in a universal cultural energy that links them with the global significance of this timeless art forms.