Funda Fest is a unique event in Rhode Island. A celebration of the oral traditions of black storytelling, the event features live performances in schools and public venues across the state. This year marks the 28th edition of Funda Fest, which starts Jan. 16 and runs through Jan. 25.
Ocean State Media’s Joe Tasca spoke with Valerie Tutson, executive director of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers and co-director of Funda Fest 28, to learn more about the festival.
Interview highlights
On what Funda Fest is
Valerie Tutson: It is a celebration of black storytelling, and we call it Funda (Fest) because “funda” is a word that comes from the Zulu people, and it means “to learn.” When we were dreaming up a storytelling festival, we know that the most ancient way of people passing on their history and their culture and their morals and things is through stories. And the word funda also looks like fun. So it’s a fun time for the whole community to come together and learn some stuff in the community and have a good time.
On what to expect at Funda Fest
Tutson: We like to make sure we offer something for everyone. So for example, we have an opening night party (Friday Jan. 16), where the community will come together and we’ll eat. We’ll sit together in a drum circle with Master Drummer Sidy Maiga. Our theme this year is “Drumming Up Freedom.” So we invite everybody to come into the circle. We’ll hear a story from one of our founding members of the Rhode Island Black storytellers, Ramona Bass Kolobe. And then we’re going to get a band up there, Slick Fantaztic, and we’re just going to dance and party.
The next day we have an event that we call Family Fun Day. So that means there are activities where kids and their families can come and do drumming. They’ll do African head wrapping, they’ll learn about African animals. In the afternoon we have performances by young people and then also for their families.
And then we’ve got Storytelling for Grown Folk – doesn’t mean it’s X-rated, it just means that it’s not geared for kids – on Saturday nights. We have Words and Music, which combine spoken word and singing as well as storytelling. We also have a Liars Contest for those who want to try out their own fabrication skills before a panel of judges, and that’s really fun. You don’t need to be a professional, but you can win a cash prize.
On the festival’s ‘Drumming Up Freedom’ theme
Tutson: We were well aware that this is the beginning of our official 250th celebration of our country’s birth, and we also are aware that sometimes we don’t lift up the stories of black folks who have been involved from the very, very beginning of our country’s foundation. So we wanted to make sure that we were highlighting some of the lesser known stories of black folks who’ve been here from before the Revolutionary War period through the Revolutionary War period, and who are, of course, still very present here today.
One of our national guests is a woman named Sheila Arnold, and she is well known for her storytelling around, specifically, a woman by the name of Oney Judge, who was enslaved by George Washington and who actually ran away from him when he was our first president. She ran to New Hampshire, so there’s a New England connection there. So I’m excited to hear Sheila tell that story.
And then some of us local folks will be telling some of the local stories. I’ll be sharing a story of Duchess Quamino, who actually was known as the pastry queen of Newport who served pies and cakes and cookies to General George Washington before he became the president. (We’re) really looking forward to just sharing some of those lesser-known stories.
On what she hopes people take away from Funda Fest
Tutson: One, we want people to know that storytelling and oral storytelling, particularly in this time of technology, offers us something that technology never will be able to, right? It’s that exchange that happens when a community gathers together in the same space, the energy that’s shared, the positivity, the learning. You might not remember every detail of the story, but we always hope that you had a really good time with whoever you came with in your experience there.
We all always hope that those stories will shift into your body and resonate at another time. If you’re black identified, we hope you learn something that you didn’t learn (before). We hope you feel a sense of pride if you’re not black identified. We hope you learn something that you never knew and that eyes are opened to the experience – the diverse experience – of what it means to be black in the world.
Funda Fest is a business supporter of Ocean State Media. Editorial decisions are made independently of business support.
