Explore the 1739 Stono slave rebellion through the voices of its beyond-human participants. While typically depicted as a suppressed insurrection, STONO asks: Is there another story? To find answers, listeners are guided to commune with ancestors, water, mushrooms, guns, and the Kongolese Virgin Mary. Combining music, spoken text, and field recordings from the historic rebellion sites, STONO imagines a more expansive and surprising story about that fateful episode, a space in which revolution extends beyond racial politics, human temporality, and material space.
Listen to excerpts from STONO: An audio-ritual
Written & composed by T. Carlis Roberts
Additional lyrics for “Ibo” by Kristen Mitchell
Performers:
T. Carlis Roberts - voice, synths, percussion, mandolin, guitar
Rafael Maya - drums, electronic percussion
Safiya Fredericks - voice
Kristen Mitchell - voice, hot water bottle
Presentation History
September 2022 — Slave Dwelling Project conference: The Stono Rebellion and the Atlantic World (Charleston, SC)
August 2022 — KGNU radio (Denver/Boulder, CO)
July 2022 — Destination Freedom podcast via the Broadway Podcast Network (online) — Listen
June 2022 — National Queer Arts Festival (online) — View program | Watch video of online event featuring post-show Q&A
Co-commissioned by No Credits Productions, LLC for Destination Freedom and Queer Cultural Center for the National Queer Arts Festival. A co-production of No Credits Productions, LLC and Queer Cultural Center.
