Gideon F. For-mukwai presents dramatic one-man show “Dare to Tell: Crossing the Columbia with York,” at 7pm on Saturday, January 13, 2018 at the Hoffman Center for the Arts in Manzanita.
“Dare to Tell: Crossing the Columbia with York,” is a dramatic one-man show, starring Gideon F. For-mukwai as York of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804 -1806. York was Captain Clark ‘s black slave. His status notwithstanding, the records show he contributed immensely to the success of the expedition, as an indispensable bridge-builder.
Gideon takes the audience on a panoramic journey from Camp Dubois in Missouri to Fort Clatsop in Astoria, Oregon. In the course of the journey, York experiences 850 days of freedom. Unlike other slaves of that era, he was allowed to carry a rifle, vote alongside the soldiers, and given express permission to hunt and trade with the Indians.
But for the footnotes in the journals of his fellow explorers, York’s story would have been lost. York ‘s story is an open invitation to all of us to explore and to tell the stories of today ‘s unsung heroes in communities, corporations and institutions. Who is the York of your community? Dare to tell the story of your own unsung heroes and keep their legacy alive.
After two years of researching and piecing together York ‘s untold story, Gideon did test performances in Portland, Oregon and St Louis, Missouri. Prior to attempting this project, Gideon spent over 15 years honing the craft of business storytelling in Asia, Europe, Africa and America.
He combines a natural flair for telling stories with dramatic and poetic characters that blend entertaining serio-comedic messages with topical issues that engage and educate across cultures. With speaking awards from Nevada, California and Singapore, Gideon’s public speaking and storytelling have taken him to countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, Iraq, Canada and United Arab Emirates.
Gideon is a bestselling author of The Science of Story Selling. Growing up in Africa, he was very mischievous and often got himself into deep trouble with all the villagers. Everyone in his village predicted that he ‘d end up in jail. He ended in Portland, Oregon. Not bad for a kid with a weird name and goofy accent from Africa.
The event will be held at Hoffman Center for the Arts; 594 Laneda Avenue, Manzanita, OR, at 7pm on Saturday, January 13, 2018. Admission fee is $10.
This is a program of the Hoffman Center of the Arts and will be held at the Hoffman Center (across from Manzanita Library at 594 Laneda Ave). Further information is available at www.hoffmanblog.org online or contact Vera Wildauer at vwildauer@gmail.com