Paul Robeson must be turning in his grave.
The late singer, actor and activist — who, in the 1950s, was banned from travelling outside of the United States after being accused of having anti-American sentiments — would likely be disappointed to see the new Trump administration using the same scare-mongering, anti-democratic tactics.
Tayo Aluko tells his story in Call Mr. Robeson: A Life With Songs, which runs at Coquitlam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre this month — a story that rings true today as more than half a century ago.
Robeson, who died in 1976, stood up for ordinary people. “Not just black people but, in his words, all oppressed people in the world,” Aluko said during a phone interview last week from London, England, where he premiered his new show, Just An Ordinary Lawyer.
“He decided to use his art and singing voice as a weapon in defence of all oppressed people.”
Aluko studied Robeson’s life after he was told he had a similar-sounding bass voice as the man who famously sang Ol’ Man River.
Aluko didn’t know anything about Robeson at the time but, after reading a biography, felt compelled to write a play about the artist and champion.
Robeson’s life, Aluko said, essentially captures the first half of the 20th century in America: an NFL hero who gained his law degree and performed regularly on stage and screen, but later set it aside to become politically active.
He lobbied for the Republican side of the Spanish Civil War, was on a Council on African Affairs and was investigated during the age of McCarthyism.
His passport was taken away when he refused to denounce pro-Soviet policies.
Aluko said Muslims are the target now. “There’s a narrative that Muslims pose a threat to world peace but the real issue is that religion is being used as a smoke screen” to protect self-interests, he said.
Reaction to his award-winning play is the same no matter where it’s told, the Nigerian native said: Audiences in Canada, Britain and Jamaica want to hear “an international and human story about a man who tried to fight the system. And it’s inspiring to continue that fight today.”
• Call Mr. Robeson: A Life With Songs runs at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam) from Feb. 16 to 18, with a matinee on Feb. 18. Tickets are $33/$28/$15. Call the box office at 604-927-6555 or visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
