Langston Hughes: the dreamkeeper

This program combines archival footage, photographs and interviews to present a comprehensive view of the life of poet, Langston Hughes whose work reflected the problems, cares and dignity of black people. The film chronicles his Midwestern childhood, his life in New York as a participant in the Harlem Renaissance and his travels to Paris, Africa and the Soviet Union. Hughes' personal reminiscences are supplemented by those of the late James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks and the poet's biographer Arnold Rampersad who details his youthful involvement with leftist ideology, the impact of the various wars on his work, and his complex relationship with black radicalism in the sixties. The musical and theatrical attributes of Hughes' poetry are illustrated through performances by Dianne McIntyre, Novella Nelson and Roscoe Orman.