Afi-Tiombe Kambon tells of pre-1850 black history
Most students who hear stories are listening to friends complain about trivial matters such as roommate problems, school assignments and weekend plans gone wrong. Only a few took the time to listen to the tales of storyteller and oral historian Afi-Tiombe Kambon.
Kambon performed Tuesday in the Glenn Miller Ballroom in a program put on by Disability Services. The event was the last session of the annual Diversity Summit that began Monday.
The performance began with an introduction in sign language and a pop quiz about diversity. Disability Services wanted the audience to walk away from the program with more knowledge about diversity and how to treat people with disabilities.
Kambon then walked onto stage and said she was an oral historian of black history and would be performing two original pieces, “An Extra Jar of Molasses” and “Black Diamond.”
Kambon’s stories were set between 1398 and 1831 and focused on the slave trade. She performed the stories with props such as a log, burlap scraps and a walking stick to help the audience visualize the actions of the characters. She also sang songs the slaves sang when working in the fields. All parts of her stories were based on factual accounts of history she had read in books and journals.
“An Extra Jar of Molasses” focused on the strength of women in Africa fighting off the invaders coming to enslave them. The story switched back and forth between the queen of a tribe in Africa trying to fight off the invaders and an enslaved woman whose mother was murdered by the master.
In “Black Diamond,” Kambon described in detail a master kicking and stomping to death a slave’s disabled baby boy. At times Kambon evoked so much emotion that almost half the audience was in tears as they listened to the pain and suffering of the slaves.
After performing her two stories, Kambon participated in a question-and-answer session.
“(Black people) are the pioneers of America,” she said in answer to an audience member’s question. “The slave trade made shipping businesses, cities, banks and the cotton industry possible. You did this and don’t you forget it.”
Kambon started storytelling in 1990. She was trying to break into acting but was having trouble finding parts because of her disability. Kambon lost her right leg from bone cancer when she was young and walks with the aid of two crutches.
“Sometimes people tell me they don’t even notice my disability because of the strength of my performance,” she said.
Eventually, she got a chance to perform with the California Disabilities and Telecommunications group and was able to land more parts in theater soonafter.
Her disability never seems to stop her from achieving her goals.
“Today, when I audition, I almost always land a part,” she said.
Today, Kambon is studying for her master’s in theater, art, history and writing at San Jose State University. She continues to perform in theater and as a storyteller.
Director of Disability Services Cindy Donahue wanted to bring in a speaker that matched the theme of the Diversity Summit.
“We have wanted to hear her story for a long time and finally decided that this year was the year,” Donahue said.
Kambon believes that it is important for people to know the true historical accounts of the early years of this country.
“I am trying to make a contribution to healing wounds in our society,” she said. “If you go to the doctor and you bleedin’, you got to know where you bleedin’. That is how I approach history. I am trying to find where we’re bleedin’.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Ashley Herzberger at Ashley.Herzberger@thecampuspress.com.
