Claiming Shakespeare

CALEEN SINNETTE JENNINGS: In terms of African Americans, because this literature and access to this literature has often been used as a barrier for us, there's the added pleasure of recognizing the fact, Hey! This is all mine, too! I can claim this. There's nothing in here that I can't own. In fact, I often like to think of African Americans as being the people who are at the very crossroads or the intersection of two very, very different world views, and then why shouldn't we claim all that we are and all that we were forced to become and have become and embrace, and I think Shakespeare's an interesting meeting point along those lines.

I do strongly agree that the rhythm and the meter, and language as storytelling, and the fact that so many of Shakespeare's texts come from history—we use storytelling to tell history, so much of that is a part and parcel of African, particularly West African, cultures. But I think the thing that gets tricky is, and I think the thing that I take umbrage with, and other African Americans do as well, it's also an extraordinary intellectual exercise. Because African American and African intelligence is something that is not often spoken about and not explored. The ideas, the intellectual ideas that are in these works! These works speak to us on an intellectual level as well as on a visceral level.

Now, politically speaking, whether or not you choose, as an African American artist, do you choose to do that work? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. And I think the political issues are that some feel, and I can understand, on certain days I can very well understand, that, Look, throughout history there have been examples of African Americans, "how can we show you that we are like you, we are as good as you," you know. Just stop. Just stop. We don't need to define ourselves and prove ourselves anymore. And I can totally understand that. On the other hand, I have a right to everything. I've paid my dues, all of this belongs to me. So if it's beautiful, if it feels good, if it opens doors, why shouldn't I also claim that? And I am quite comfortable having a foot in both of those points of view.