Sekou Sundiata facts for kids

Sekou Sundiata (born August 22, 1948 – died July 18, 2007) was a talented African-American poet, performer, and teacher. He taught at The New School in New York City. Some of his famous students were musicians like Ani DiFranco and Mike Doughty. Sekou Sundiata wrote plays such as The Circle Unbroken is a Hard Bop, The Mystery of Love, Udu, and The 51st Dream State. He also released albums, including Longstoryshort and The Blue Oneness of Dreams, which was even nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2000, he won the Creative Capital Performing Arts Award. Sekou Sundiata often explored topics like Jimi Hendrix, Nelson Mandela, and the history of slavery in his work.

He was also a special fellow at the Sundance Institute and Columbia University. He was the first Writer-in-Residence at The New School and taught at Eugene Lang College. He was featured twice at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, which is a big event for poets.

Early Life and Education

Sekou Sundiata was born as Robert Franklin Feaster in Harlem, New York. In the late 1960s, he changed his name to Sekou Sundiata to honor his African heritage. He studied English at the City College of New York, graduating in 1972. Later, he earned a master's degree in creative writing from the City University of New York.

Creative Performances

In 1977, Sekou Sundiata helped start the Calabash Poets Workshop with other poets like Rashidah Ismaili and Sandra Maria Esteves. They regularly put on events to share their poetry.

Sekou Sundiata's performances were a mix of poetry, music, and theater. He was inspired by different music styles, including jazz, blues, funk, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. He worked closely with musician Craig Harris on several projects. One of these was Udu, a powerful show about slavery that still exists in places like Mauritania. Another work, The Circle Unbroken is a Hard Bop, explored what it was like for African Americans growing up in the 1960s.

His last major work was the 51st (dream) state. This show combined music, dance, video, and poetry to talk about how people reacted to the September 11, 2001 attacks. After being performed at the Melbourne Festival, the show came to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in November 2006.

Recorded Music and Poetry

Sekou Sundiata released several recordings of his work. His first album, The Blue Oneness of Dreams (1997), was nominated for a Grammy Award, which is a very important music award. In 2001, he toured with the musician Ani DiFranco. His album longstoryshort was released on DiFranco's record label, Righteous Babe.

Sekou Sundiata's performances were also shown on television. He appeared on HBO's Def Poetry series and PBS's The Language of Life, letting even more people experience his unique art.

Teaching Career

Sekou Sundiata was a writing professor at The New School in New York City. Many of his students were inspired by him. Ani DiFranco, a famous musician, said that Sekou Sundiata "taught me everything I know about poetry."

Mike Doughty, another musician, also studied with Sundiata in Ani DiFranco's class. He wrote "Screenwriter's Blues," a song that became a minor hit for his band Soul Coughing in the 1990s, while he was in Sundiata's class.

Chris Barron, the lead singer of the band Spin Doctors, also studied with Sekou Sundiata. In fact, it was Sekou Sundiata who came up with the name "Spin Doctors" for the band back in 1988 or 1989!

Later Life and Passing

Sekou Sundiata passed away on July 18, 2007, from heart failure at a hospital in Valhalla, New York. He had faced many serious health challenges throughout his life, including cancer, kidney failure, a kidney transplant, pneumonia, and even a broken neck from a car accident. Despite these difficulties, he continued to create and inspire many people with his art and teaching.