San Francisco Examiner - July 31, 2002
Rachel Howard, Of The Examiner Staff

That's the vision behind Afro Solo, launched when the baby-faced and soft-voiced Simpson, then taking a solo acting workshop, invited some friends to perform at his 39th birthday party.

Eleven years and eight festivals later, Afro Solo is now a sprawling month-long celebration presenting not just solo performers but also visual art, comedy, a jazz concert and an AIDS forum. It kicks off Thursday evening with a free opening gala of music and art at the Western Addition's African American Art and Culture Complex.

But no matter how large the festival grows, the individual experience -- and the many heated reactions it can provoke -- remains at the heart of Simpson's mission.

This year's "Black Voices" program, running Aug. 15-16, features Nigerian-born poet Uchechi Kalu, performance artist James Cagney, spoken word artist Soyinka Rahim, and Simpson himself commemorating Langston Hughes' birth with a reading of his poetry.

Expect an intimate encounter. "It's like the old ancient storytelling, one person telling a story," Simpson says of the solo form. "There's a way that solo performance connects more with the audience, as though it's one on one."

Sometimes those connections -- or disconnections -- can be impassioned.

Several years back, when San Francisco choreographer Robert Moses concluded his piece with a spoken-word tirade, some in attendance took offense, opening up just the kind of opportunity Simpson hopes the festival will provide.

"One woman in the audience felt Robert said something homophobic and it disturbed her, so she talked to me about it," Simpson remembers. "And then Robert came out and I introduced him and they sat down and talked."

The key to keeping the dialogue flowing is diversity, and again this year Simpson has scheduled a lineup that includes women and gays. "African Americans often put ourselves out there as if we're on the same plate, but we're quite diverse, and that surprises even us sometimes," he says. "It's like a mosaic. You put the pieces together and hopefully a whole emerges."

Five years ago, Simpson decided he should channel that diversity and conversational energy towards one of the issues that concerned him most. Afro Solo's AIDS discussions have become a festival staple. This year Simpson will again convene young poets, singers, and hip-hop artists to voice their feelings about AIDS in "Slammin AIDS 2."

His growing festival has provided a launching pad for emerging African American artists, as well as a regular venue for local legends like choreographer Robert Henry Johnson. And when Simpson surveys The City now, he says he sees a thriving African American art scene.

"In the last few years there seems to have been almost a renaissance in the Bay Area, with theater companies like the Lorraine Hansberry, Beatrice Cooper, African American Shakespeare," he says.

Meanwhile his Afro Solo Festival is approaching a 10th anniversary, and the indefatigable Simpson is creeping toward 50. After putting his acting career on hold for the festival's formative years, he runs Afro Solo -- with a lot of volunteer help -- from a single room office in the African American Art and Culture Complex.

But far from fearing burnout, he sees no reason for the ever-expanding Afro Solo not to continue flying high.

"For a while I felt we were taxiing on the ground, and we finally got off the ground and now we're up in the clouds," he says. "I'm not sure where we're headed next year, but I don't see a landing right now. The sky's the limit and I feel we're in the sky and can head a lot of places."

E-mail: rhoward@sfexaminer.com

Afro Solo Arts Festival 9 opens from to 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday with a free reception at the African American Art and Culture Complex, 762 Fulton St., San Francisco.

Visual Arts -- An exhibition featuring work by Karen Carraway, Rodney Ewing, Idris Hassan, Dr. Ajuan Mance and Daria Nile continues at the AAAC's Sargent Johnson Gallery Tuesday-Saturday, noon to 4 p.m., through Aug. 31. Call (415) 922-0623. A discussion panel with the artists is from 6-8 p.m. Aug. 20 at the gallery.

Outdoor Jazz -- Afro Solo presents a free concert with Idris Ackamoor, Lady Mem'fis, Andre dos Santos Morgan and Denise Perrier from 1-4 p.m. Saturday at Yerba Buena Gardens, 701 Mission St., San Francisco. Call (415) 771-AFRO.

"Bay Area Performing Artists" -- The program features Uchechi Kalu, Sayinka Rahim, Thomas Robert Simpson and James Cagney at 8 p.m. Aug. 15-17 and 3 p.m. Aug. 18 at AAAC's Buriel Clay Memorial Theater. Admission is $12, $20 for a gala Aug. 17. Call (415) 292-1850.

"Slammin AIDS2" -- The AIDS Community Forum: Black Artists and Their Friends on AIDS presentation is from 6-9 p.m. Aug. 22 at the AACC. Admission is free.

"An Explosion of Comedy" -- Donald E. Lacy, Jr., John Alston, Tim Jackson, Cash Crazy, Andre the Wonder Woman and others perform at 8 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, 701 Mission St. Tickets are $17 general; $15 seniors and students. Call (415) 978-ARTS.

Visit www.afrosolo.org for more information.

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