Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty

You know how you feel when you find a ten-dollar bill in a winter coat that you forgot about? Well, the eight women of The Saartjie Project (pronounced Sar-key) elicited that same warm smile of remembering in me as they wove a touching, powerful telling of the story of Saartjie (Sara) Baartman, the woman dubbed the “Hottentot Venus.”

Baartman, who left South Africa in 1810 when she was 20-years-old, found herself at the center of a heartbreaking freak show, that would make her all the rage in London and the icon of black female sexuality well into the 20th century.

Through beautiful and sassy monologues, dance and poetry Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty attempts to restore Baartman’s dignity and humanity by insisting that we are her “reincarnated” and as a result can change how people see and treat black women. That by taking up space, telling our truth and disengaging from the machine that only sees us as body parts, we get to redirect the harsh glare and the seldom flattering fascination with the black female form.

The eclectic cast of women, representing various body types and skin tones, moves effortlessly from one vignette to another, with Margaux Deloitte-Bennett’s rich voice providing the sensual soundtrack throughout. From the "Busted Baby Pageant" to the childhood taunts of "if you're black stay back," the audience is taken on a journey that is both provocative and searing in how close it cuts to the bone of truth for the modern day woman, regardless of race.



The brainchild of Jessica T. Solomon, playwright and cultural creative, The Saartjie Project has been on tour for two years. “It was supposed to be a one night performance, but then we started to receive invitations to perform it all over the country,” an amused Jessica shared with the audience during the talk-back portion after the performance.

This was the final performance of Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty and as the cast took their final bow on The Corner Store stage, you wish it weren’t.

The collective’s next project will be based on Nina Simone’s “Four Women.” The new show, schedule to debut fall 2010, will look at the four archetypes of womanhood.