Wanda's Picks Special with José Francisco Barroso and Santero

Santero's "El Hijo de Obatala" CD Release Party, Friday, June 26 at the Shattuck Downlow in Berkeley is going to be the PLACE. I've got tickets to give away to the lucky blogger who writes something in the comment section that Santero said which intrigues, motivates or inspires. Joining Santero, whose spiritual name is "Crown of the Father," his dad, Obatala, on this special edition of "Wanda's Picks," is choreographer José Francisco Barroso, whose new work Obokóso debuts Saturday-Sunday, June 20-21 (2 & 8 PM Sat., 2 PM Sun.) at the Ethnic Dance Festival Week 3 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Both men share a tradition more ancient that the African's brief sojourn in this hemisphere, a place marked with tears. Whether it is music or dance, what Barroso and Santero share in these conversations is the African ability to transcend adversity and evidence that art truly is revolutionary and a most powerful, perhaps the most powerful spiritual tool. Obokóso tells the story of Shango, the fifth king of Oyo, Nigeria who was hanged but didn't suffer. Shango represents one's ability to conquer death and he resides in the sky, thunder and lightning aspects of his ashe or life force which is eternal. That term, "everlasting life" is Shango. Shango is "unmatched," Barroso says, "in his mastery of the dance and is the owner of the sacred bata drums." The bata's roar shakes the heavens...its echoes bouncing between the two realms: heaven and earth. Even with one's head buried in the sand, one cannot escape Shango's song. The two: Shango and Obokóso represent, Barroso says, "connection and interdependency between heaven and earth, drum and the dance, dance and the spirit, community and tradition." Santero said he wanted to be like Bob Marley, take Santeria (Ifa) to a level of acceptance and honor it deserves, similar to the way Bob lifted the Rastafarian religion or spiritual practices through his insightful lyrics and music to a place of worldwide respect and admirati