Overview
Rahyne (2021) is a short, animated film in the style of a motion-comic. It follows a young Afro-Indigenous (Bajan and Mohawk), non-binary youth who turns to the water to guide them through the turmoil highlighted by the pandemic, political unrest and trauma experienced by Black and Indigenous peoples.
This film delves into Indigenous and African/Caribbean folk tales surrounding water that conceives it as a spirit, a guardian, a life force and a holder of memories and history. Viewers will join Rahyne as they visit the Toronto waterfront guided by the desire to quell the turmoil of the last few months, in search of a teacher to share a new way to approach the world they find themselves in. The ultimate goal is to inspire conversations on collective forms of healing and what that looks like using water as a creative instructional tool.
This film was created by the BSAM Canadian partnership with filmmaker Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore for Earthseeds: Space of the Living, the inaugural Toronto Waterfront Artist Residency. It was developed with the support of the Waterfront Toronto, Waterfront BIA and Harbourfront Centre.
About Queen Kukoyi
Queen Kukoyi (they/she) is a Black Bajan of Igbo and Lokono Ancestry, Queer, femme presenting, mother, author, educator, activist, award-winning scholar, international artist and the Executive Director of Operations for BSAM Canada. As a creative, Kukoyi explores spoken word poetry, digital collage and animations along with installation work that touches on concepts surrounding the Afrofuturistic meditative space.
About Nico Taylor
Nicole “Nico” Taylor (she/her) is the Executive Director of Communications for BSAM Canada. Taylor is a writer, scholar, dancer, cosplayer and activist who uses feminism and critical race theory to dissect social constructions surrounding race and representation, especially as they pertain to making sense of our images. As a trained performer in Afro-Caribbean folk dance, she has participated in many events showcasing the beauty and vibrancy of Caribbean culture, including the Opening Ceremony for the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.
About Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore
Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore (she/her) is a Kanien’kehàka (Mohawk) storyteller, media maker, Kanyen’kehà:ka language speaker, educator, Auntie and an enrolled member of Six Nations of the Grand River territory, where she is based. Moore’s work focuses on restoring spiritual, physical and economic balance at the place where Indigenous ways of knowing and being meet our modern experience. Moore is co-founder of The Aunties Dandelion, a media collective focused on revitalizing communities through stories of land, language and relationships.