It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
That song has probably been playing somewhere recently. Just in case you are not familiar with the song, listen to Andy Williams singing it.
But has it always been a wonderful time of the year?
Aunt Pearlie Sue and the Gullah Kinfolk sing (say) differently. Enjoy this special musical Christmas stage play ... full of despair, but yet full of hope too. Follow along the journey with the narrator Aunt Pearlie Sue and Gullah Kinfolk as they sing a different type of Christmas playlist.
Funga Alafia!: "Funga Alifia" is traditional West African welcome song. Strangers arrived on the shores of West Africa in April, 1756, and a ten year old girl from Sierra Leone named ‘Cilla (formerly Binda) was kidnapped. Like many others, she was transported to Charleston, South Carolina, in the belly of a slave ship during the Middle Passage. ‘Cilla became the property of Elias Ball, a rice plantation owner.
Amazing Grace: During the five to eight week voyage from West Africa to the West Indies, with the final destination being in the Carolinas, these Africans suffered inhumane conditions. Sir John Newton, a captain of one of these slave ships experienced a spiritual rebirth during a terrible storm; realizing the evil that is slavery. Newton became an abolitionist and preacher, and later penned the famous song “Amazing Grace”.
How Kum We Be Here?: Through the many adversities of being put to work under harsh conditions in rice and cotton fields, generations of enslaved Africans might have often asked "How kum we be here?"
Trouble Will Be Obah: There is talk of war in December, 1860, Beaufort, SC. The southern states threaten to secede if Abraham Lincoln is elected President. Lincoln’s election results in the formation of the southern Confederate States of America. For the slaves living in the South, the talks of war, combined with the upcoming Christmas holiday provided a glimmer of hope: “Trouble will be obah… "
Hallelujah ... Freedom Comin’!”
If you missed any of the holiday programming, check out the Happy Holidays page, or view more classic content on ETV Classics.
