Celebrate The African Experience In Hawai‘I With ‘Pōpoloheno – Songs Of Resilience And Joy’

Watch Four-Time Grammy Winner Kalani Pe’a And ‘Pōpoloheno’ Producer Māhealani Uchiyama Perform “Kamakakēhau” From The Project - Live At Honolulu’s Hawai‘I Theatre: https://youtu.be/JhaYgWLilHE

Concerts Honoring The Black Voices And Stories Of Hawai‘I Planned This Summer In San Francisco (August 1) And Pearl City, Hi (August 16)

The undertold stories and vast contributions of the Black community in Hawai‘i are celebrated today on ‘Pōpoloheno: Songs Of Resilience And Joy,’ a moving and vital ten-song collection - which unites a diverse array of award-winning musicians from throughout the islands. It’s a project that was originally conceived by Māhealani Uchiyama - the first lineally recognized Kumu Hula (Hula educator) of African descent - when a student of hers (of both African and Hawaiian heritage) expressed she had always felt like she was not “part” of the society she was born into, because of her background. “It got me to thinking… could it be possible that there was no African presence in the history of Hawaiʻi since the time of first Western contact,” Uchiyama recently told No Depression. “Fast forward several years and considerable research later, I came to understand that there indeed was a long history of Black people in Hawaiʻi. Itʻs just not well known.” 

‘Pōpoloheno’ was created with a mission to counter those centuries of historic erasure, using its tracklist to share stories like that of Alice Ball (“Wahine Hōʻola”), a young African American chemist who developed the first successful treatment for leprosy - but would not receive proper credit until years after her passing. Or that of Betsey Stockton (“Pua Laulele”), a woman born into slavery in the United States - who came to Hawai‘i as a missionary (the first known woman of African descent to do so). After teaching herself how to read and write, she made it her life’s work to teach the same to the common folk of Hawai‘i - during a time when education was typically reserved for the wealthy. Another example is John Blossom (“Ka Pua Mohala”), who escaped slavery in the United States - and, against the odds, became an important advisor to the Hawaiian royal family (with their children referring to him as “uncle”) as well as a member of the royal court in the late 1800s.

With representation at the core of ‘Pōpoloheno,’ a powerful embodiment to that idea comes in the form of “A Lei For Revered King” - which explores Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s deep connection to the Hawaiian people during the Civil Rights Movement - and King’s decision to wear a Hawaiian lei as he marched from Selma to Montgomery. Listen to “A Lei For Revered King” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMB-gcjk1xo 

“In Hawai‘i, there is a sense that what was really missing were the songs about the life and times of these individuals,” continues Uchiyama. “As a hula dancer I know how important the mele (song) is to the continuation of culture and perpetuation of what is considered worth knowing.” With this sentiment in mind, the music on ‘Pōpoloheno’ spans into the present day - including “I Am Where I Belong,” a poignant autobiographical ode from Azure McCall - chronicling her journey from growing up in the Bay Area to being embraced as Hawai‘i’s “First Lady Of Jazz.” Elsewhere, Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award (the equivalent of a GRAMMY in Hawai‘i) winner Patrick Landeza honors President Barack Obama’s Hawaiian upbringing with a ‘mele inoa’(name song) on “Ka Momi Hiwahiwa.” And four-time GRAMMY winner Kalani Pe’a pays tribute to a dear friend of his - musician Kamakakēhau Fernandez - an African American who was adopted as a baby from Little Rock, Arkansas into a Hawaiian family.

Watch Kalani Pe’a and Māhealani Uchiyama deliver a riveting performance of “Kamakakēhau” from Honolulu’s Hawai‘i Theatre here, at a recent Lei Day concert hosted by Pe’a: https://youtu.be/JhaYgWLilHE

The music and message of ‘Pōpoloheno’ will continue to be celebrated throughout the summer, including in concert at San Francisco’s Blue Shield of California Theatre at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on August 1, and the Leeward Community College Theatre in Pearl City, Hawai‘i on August 16. As these songs and stories continue to spread, a group of Americans who have been largely erased from the history books will finally get their due for their profound societal contributions: as physicians, lawyers, artists, scholars, teachers, public servants, activists and everyday citizens. As such, this project is a powerful testament to embracing voices from throughout all corners of the American experience - especially those that have been historically and systematically diminished - in order to truly understand who we are when we're at our best. 

‘Pōpoloheno’ Tracklist

1. Kamakakēhau 

2. Ka Pua Mohala 

3. A Lei For Reverend King 

4. Pua Laulele 

5. Wahine Hōʻola 

6. Kumuniu Cumbia 

7. He Mele Awaiaulu Nō Hawaiʻi Haʻaheo 

8. Ka Momi Hiwahiwa 

9. Māhealani 

10. I Am Where I Belong

‘Pōpoloheno’ Live Performances 

August 1 - Blue Shield of California Theatre at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts - San Francisco, CA

August 16 - Leeward Community College Theatre - Pearl City, HI