Lost voices of slaves, sung and spoken, to be featured during London panel   | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Lost voices of slaves, sung and spoken, to be featured during London panel   Lost voices of slaves, sung and spoken, to be featured during London panel   Published: February 05, 2019 Author: Joanna Byrne ND Experts Sophie White Professor of American Studies Credit: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University On Feb. 14 (Thursday), Sophie White, associate professor of American studies at the University of Notre Dame, together with a group of musicians, activists and academics, including the composer Odaline de la Martinez, will participate in a panel discussion at the London Global Gateway titled “Voices of the Enslaved: Tales of Love and Longing." This gathering coincides with the world premiere of de la Martinez’s new opera, “Imoinda: A Story of Love and Slavery,” at the London Festival of American Music — a complex love story set against the backdrop of enslavement in the Americas. Drawing inspiration from “Oroonoko,” a 17th-century novel by Aphra Behn, "Imoinda" is the first modern opera to address slavery and the beginnings of Afro-Caribbean culture.   The panel will explore voices past and present, looking at the realities of Aphra Behn’s novel and how her characters’ stories were recorded, before considering how to perceive these chapters of history, how to represent them today and how to anticipate future depictions.   Sophie White White’s forthcoming book, “Bound Bodies, Free Voices: Slave Testimony in French Louisiana,” uncovers the voices of enslaved Africans in colonial America through an exceptional set of source material: the court cases in which they testified.   White’s research and de la Martinez’s opera will be examined side by side, inviting engagement with lost voices.   “As an historian of colonial America, my contribution is to bring to light the actual voices of enslaved Africans, as they spoke them in court," said White. “This is extremely rare evidence that allows us to know about these individuals by hearing their words, including the cadences of their speech, the snatches of Creole, the metaphors and the emotions that seep through their written testimony.”   “Both the opera and court records allow us to give voice to enslaved individuals," said White. “And, perhaps surprisingly, what we uncover when we hear the testimony of these individuals is how often they chose to talk about intimacy, family and their often-tragic tales of love and longing.”   White will be joined by de la Martinez, political activist and writer Candace Allen, research fellow Kristy Warren, author and Vanity Fair travel editor Michelle Jana Chan and "Imoinda" librettist Joan Anim-Addo in a discussion moderated by BBC journalist Kevin Le Gendre.  De la Martinez will perform at the piano with singers from the opera production.  Originally published by Joanna Byrne at london.nd.edu on Feb. 4. Posted In: Research International Faculty and Staff Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related March 08, 2022 New anthology of Irish poetry offers ‘underground perspective’ on history and culture of Ireland August 22, 2019 New book explores development of Jewish solidarity with Palestinians August 21, 2017 Denis McDonough, former White House chief of staff, joins Keough School of Global Affairs August 17, 2017 Former Homeland Security official Francis Taylor joins Keough School of Global Affairs August 03, 2017 Heather Hyde Minor named academic director of Rome Global Gateway For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn