INTERVIEW: Darrel Alejandro Holnes will take audiences on an ‘Afro-Panamanian Odyssey’
Image courtesy of artist / Provided by Emily Owens PR with permission.
Audience members at Joe’s Pub in New York City will be in for a special treat Monday, April 14, when Darrel Alejandro Holnes and a talented assortment of musicians and singers take the stage to present Music From Bayano: An Afro-Panamanian Odyssey. Holnes has been developing this musical project at the National Black Theatre, and it’s set to premiere officially at the True Colors Theatre in Atlanta. But before that engagement, New York City audiences will receive a special celebration of the show’s music, which is part of Carnegie Hall’s Nuestros Sonidos (Our Sounds) program, according to press notes.
The evening will feature Holnes’ original compositions, expertly paired with Afro-Panamanian folkloric music. Songs will be sung in both English and Spanish, and the performers helping him bring this vision to life are various Grammy Award winners and Broadway singers. On the bill will be: Nicole Vanessa Ortiz (Smokey Joe’s Cafe and Footloose), Garrett Turner (Thoughts of a Colored Man and Tina), Luis Augusto Figueroa (42nd Street and Wicked) and Deezle (Grammy Award winner for Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” and Tha Carter III”). True Colors Theatre founder Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Artistic Director Jamil Jude will also be on hand to introduce the evening, according to an official news release.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Holnes, who is a writer, poet, producer and director. His poetry books are Stepmotherland and Migrant Psalms. His plays Franklin Ave and Starry Night have won accolades, and he directed Laughs in Spanish by Alexis Scheer at the Kitchen Theater Company. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
Where did the idea for Music From Bayano come from? What inspired you to put pen to paper?
Music from Bayano was born from a desire to honor the legacy of resistance that exists within the African Diaspora. Bayano’s story isn’t just history — it’s a blueprint for survival and self-determination. We are living in a moment where fundamental freedoms are being questioned, where the rights of marginalized communities are under threat. But if history teaches us anything, it’s that the foundation stone for freedom is hope. Without hope, we can’t even begin to dream, let alone achieve a better future.
I wanted to create something that carries that message forward. Music has always been a way for oppressed peoples to keep the fire of hope alive, to remind us that no matter how dire things may seem, we have the power to resist, to transform and to build anew.
Was it difficult to blend your original music with the folkloric music that is also featured?
In many ways, blending the old with the new felt natural — because that’s what culture does. It evolves, it absorbs, it reinvents itself to meet the needs of the present moment. The music of the African Diaspora is built on survival. It’s a soundscape of resistance, of joy in the face of struggle, of communities holding onto their humanity even when the world tried to strip it away.
Today, we are witnessing attempts to erase or rewrite history, to silence voices, to suppress movements. But these musical traditions remind us that the past lives within us, that we are part of an ongoing fight for justice. By weaving the folkloric elements with my original compositions, I’m participating in that continuum — proving that these stories, this music and this resilience are still alive.
What’s it like to partner with True Colors?
Working with True Colors feels urgent and necessary in this moment. They are committed to amplifying stories that challenge, inspire and push us toward a more just world. In a time when diversity in storytelling is being met with backlash, when artists of color are being told that their narratives are “too political” or “too much,” True Colors stands firm in saying that our stories matter.
We need institutions that are willing to support work that isn’t just entertainment but a form of cultural resistance. That’s what Music from Bayano is — it’s about reclaiming history, reclaiming identity and refusing to be erased.
What exactly will be featured at the Joe’s Pub concert? How will your collaborators help out?
The Joe’s Pub concert is not just a performance — it’s a gathering, a collective act of remembering and envisioning. The music, the poetry, the storytelling — they’re all tools for keeping our histories alive, for reminding us of what we’ve survived and what we’re still fighting for.
My collaborators bring their own lived experiences, their own connections to the Diaspora, and together, we’re creating something that speaks to this moment. We are facing a time of great uncertainty, but art has always been a refuge and a rallying cry. This concert will be both — a space to celebrate our resilience and to remind ourselves that the fight isn’t over.
When did you first express yourself using poetry?
I started writing poetry as a way to process the world around me, and over time, I realized that poetry is an act of preservation. When systems try to erase our stories, poetry writes them back into history. When institutions refuse to listen, poetry makes us heard.
We are living in a time when so many voices are being silenced, when so many people feel hopeless. But poetry — and art in general — gives us a way to push back. It reminds us that our stories are worth telling, that our dreams are worth fighting for. That’s why I keep writing, keep speaking, keep making. Because silence is not an option.
How rich and beautiful is the music of the African Diaspora?
The music of the African Diaspora is proof that you cannot kill the spirit of a people. It is music that was born in the face of brutality, yet it pulses with life. It carries sorrow, but also joy. It remembers the past while demanding a future.
Right now, in this country and around the world, we are seeing a major shift — one that is forcing us to reckon with who we are and who we want to be. In moments like this, the worst thing we can do is lose hope, because that is when all will be lost. The music of the Diaspora teaches us that hope is not just a feeling; it is an action. It is a beat that refuses to stop. It is a melody that refuses to be forgotten.
This music is a reminder that we have always found ways to survive, to resist and to dream beyond the limits placed on us. And we will continue to do so.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Music From Bayano: An Afro-Panamanian Odyssey will be presented Monday, April 14, at Joe’s Pub on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
