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“This solo work is inspired by the many aspects of how many colours has the sea by Charles Campbell. This piece is a response to the comfort and reflection I received as soon as you entered the exhibit. The environment within the gallery supported the viewer to slow down and reflect. How often do we slow down in our world? How often do we allow grief to be simply what it is?
The themes within this space run deep within my heart. They run through my blood memory. The breath portraits, hanging sculpture and audio meditation, remind me not only of whom I have lost within my family in these recent years, but they are also the echoes of my ancestors.
My ancestors live within this performance work. They guide me through the images and physicality within the dance. They encourage me to move through this world with determination and grace. Thank you to Diana and Nilou for supporting and trusting my artistic voice in this work. Thank you to Charles Campbell for making a space for us to laugh, cry and dance.”
Choreographer, performer: Syreeta Hector
About Syreeta Hector
Syreeta Hector is a dance artist in Toronto, Ontario. Her solo work, Black Ballerina, focuses on the dualities within one's identity and her blackness and indigeneity in classical ballet. This solo gained recognition at the SummerWorks Festival, won the Stratford Festival Lab Award for Research and Creation and was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore award in Outstanding Performance by an Individual. While she continues to tour Black Ballerina, Hector is developing a new dance theatre work, which will be the series' second chapter.
She has been commissioned to make ensemble works for Mocean Dance (Nova Scotia) and ProArteDanza (Ontario). She recently created a new work for Kittiwake Dance Theatre (Newfoundland). Although performance and creation endeavours remain a priority for Hector, she derives an equal measure of inspiration by teaching movement and choreography. She is honoured to be a part of the Department of Dance as an Assistant Professor at York University.
Video Presentation
https://youtu.be/-PlJ3RYHyxw
This video captures Syreeta's response to The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery's how many colours has the sea exhibition by Charles Campbell. Syreeta Hector's performance was then presented in the Harbourfront Centre Theatre on Saturday, February 1 as part of KUUMBA30.
“Connection to culture. Connection to roots. What does it mean to preserve our histories once they are forgotten? This piece speaks to the memories that arrive while we search for something physical to hold on to. To move beyond survival into a place to thrive. Drifting, suspending, living, being.”
Choreographer, performer: Esie Mensah
About Esie Mensah
Esie Mensah is a member of the Canadian Guild of Stage Directors and Choreographers as well as a two-time Dora-nominated artist who has worked with Rihanna, Drake, Janelle Monae, Nelly Furtado and Arcade Fire, along with historic brands like Holt Renfrew, Coca-Cola, TIFF, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto Raptors and more. In theatre, Mensah has worked on Russian Play, Victory, 1837: The Farmers' Revolt (Shaw Festival), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Soulpepper), Dixon Road (Musical Stage/Obsidian), New Monuments (Canadian Stage) and Serving Elizabeth (Theatre Aquarius).
Mensah's original creations include the ZAYO, Dora-nominated Shades and films A Revolution of Love and TESSEL, each a testament to her creativity and innovation in the arts. She was recently commissioned by Canada's National Ballet School for Assemblée International, where she co-choreographed the world premiere of The Call with Robert Binet on a cast of local and international students. Mensah also served as the choreographer for Scott Joplin's Treemonisha: A Musical Reimagining, a production presented by TOLive, Luminato Festival and Volcano Theatre.
Video Presentation
https://youtu.be/XxQ_WEeGdCw
This video captures Esie's response to The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery's Floating Sea Palace exhibition by Lap-See Lam. Esie Mensah's performance was then presented in the Harbourfront Centre Theatre on Saturday, February 1 as part of KUUMBA30.
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[post_excerpt] => Esie Mensah responds through the medium of dance to The Power Plant's Fall 2024 Exhibitions.
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We Are Here is a ballet piece inspired by the complex tapestry of cultural exchange. It reflects on my journey as a dancer, acknowledging the forced displacement of my ancestors due to colonization while celebrating the freedom to express myself through this art form. While I may have discovered dance through different avenues, the influence of European culture on my artistic expression is undeniable. This piece aims to showcase the beauty of this interconnectedness, mirroring the fluidity and vibrancy of Charles Campbell’s exhibition, how many colours has the sea.
Choreographer, performer: Katlyn Addison
About Katlyn Addison
Katlyn Addison was born in Ontario, Canada. At ten, she began her professional ballet training at the National Ballet School of Canada. She continued training at Quinte Ballet School of Canada, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet and the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy.
In 2021, Addison made history when she became the first black female Principal Artist in Ballet West’s 58-year history. That same year, she was awarded the Performing Arts Fellowship Award by the Utah Division of Fine Arts & Museums.
Addison has danced classical, neoclassical and contemporary works, including adaptations from John Cranko’s Romeo & Juliet and Onegin; Adam Sklute’s Swan Lake, Ben Stevenson’s Dracula, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and La Bayadere; and many other ballets. She has also performed in several world premieres, including Christopher Bruce’s Grinning in Your Face; Stanton Welch’s Medieval Babes; Val Caniparoli’s The Lottery and Dances for Lou; Nicolo Fonte’s Rite of Spring and Carmina Burana and Africa Guzman’s Sweet and Bitter.
Addison has also pursued finding her choreographic voice in several works, including creating new ballets for the Utah Arts Festival (Unnamed), the Ballet West Academy and the University of Utah Dance Department (Saint-George, The Composer, Frenchmen, and Creator). In early 2022, Kansas City Ballet premiered Katlyn’s new work, Sanctuary, and in December of 2022, her work, The Cuban Cavalier, premiered with the Gateway Chamber Orchestra. In May 2023, she created a work for Bayou Ballet (Poem). Her work for Ballet Jorgen, which also premiered in May 2023 (There Were TWO), is currently touring Canada.
Addison has danced and acted in Miu Miu Woman’s Tales, a short film that premiered at the 2017 Venice Film Festival and appeared on the Prada Miu Miu website. She was also featured in an episode of “Let’s Talk Utah,” produced by the Utah Office of Tourism in the fall of 2021, and in an episode of the Conversations in Dance podcast in February 2024.
She is involved in many passion projects and is dedicated to using her platform to give back to her community and to help raise the voices of other minority artists. Addison has volunteered her time for The Redlining Project, an initiative drawing attention to injustices created by redlining voter districts and Ballet West’s I CAN DO Program Curly ME, which supports young girls of colour and Morning Star Middle School and Ridgewood Elementary School, both in Ontario, Canada. She also serves on the board of directors for the Utah Black Artist Collective.
Video Presentation
https://youtu.be/h5Qm5WD9Qqw
This video captures Katlyn's response to The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery's how many colours has the sea exhibition by Charles Campbell. Katlyn Addison's performance was then presented in the Harbourfront Centre Theatre on Saturday, February 1 as part of KUUMBA30.
Nameless Yet Her Heart Is Like the Waters of the Sea imagines one of Lua Shayenne’s ancestors: a forgotten woman taken as an enslaved person from Ghana who perished during the Middle Passage. Through song, dance and the traditional Guinean rhythm of Soko, Shayenne pays tribute to ancestral stories, centring on a tranquil and tumultuous sea, holding the memories of lost spirits.
Commissioned by KUUMBA 365, this work responds to Charles Campbell’s installation how many colours has the sea, a portal into a realm where spirits lost in the Middle Passage find solace. The exhibition features large-scale sculptures, “Breath Portraits,” visualizing the breath of the Black community, and an audio installation that captures the sea’s contrasting calm and chaos.
Choreographer, performer: Lua Shayenne Percussionists: Cécé Haba and Yohance Francis Parsons Costume Designer: Courtney Roy
About Lua Shayenne
As the Artistic Director, choreographer, curator and producer of LSDC, Lua Shayenne’s creative leadership has been recognized with a K.M. Hunter Dance Award nomination and the 2013 BMO Seeds Fund Award for Artists working in the community. She is the creator and interpreter of the dance theatre children’s series Tales and Dances Around the Baobab, of which Yassama and The Beaded Calabash is the fourth tale.
Through LSDC, Shayenne boldly envisioned and launched the YENSA Festival in 2022, a biennial festival highlighting the incredible multiplicity of Black women dance practitioners and nurturing an environment where they can have substantive conversations, take risks and be given due recognition.
Her performing highlights include HOLOSCENES tours in the United States, the UK, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Italy and Toronto. She teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University’s dance program and brings African dance, music, storytelling and culture to grassroots organizations and schools across Canada and Europe.
Video Presentation
https://youtu.be/CmHNhxCf8D0
This video captures Lua's response to The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery's how many colours has the sea exhibition by Charles Campbell. Lua Shayenne's performance was then presented in the Harbourfront Centre Theatre on Saturday, February 1 as part of KUUMBA30.
[post_title] => Lua Shayenne: Nameless Yet Her Heart is Like the Waters of the Sea
[post_excerpt] => Through song, dance and the traditional Guinean rhythm of Soko, Shayenne pays tribute to ancestral stories.
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"This project is an exchange of artistic ideas between artists, and as a poet, my job is to write a poem that reflects whatever I’m feeling or seeing. My chosen piece is a story of revolution and change and the movements that shift the balance of power between the oppressed and the oppressor. What stories are missing? My piece will speak to whose stories we must fight for in the history books. I am digging in to find ourselves in our own stories in history. My hope for people to take away from this piece is to think more deeply about the world and that we’re more connected than we often think."
About Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony
Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony is an award-winning artist, curator, arts educator and creative consultant. Her accomplishments include being featured in When Sisters Speak, co-curating Scarborough: The Backbone as part of Toronto's Year of Public Art, co-producing the Spoken Soul Festival and representing Toronto as a two-time national team finalist in the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. In 2019 she was a TEDx speaker and in 2020 an excerpt of her play How Jab Jab Saved the Pretty Mas was featured as part of Piece of Mine's Black Women in Theatre Festival.
Her work and leadership in the community sector was recognized as she was the recipient of the Toronto Community Foundation Vital People Award and again when she was recognized as one of 150 Black Women Making Herstory (as featured on CBC) for her contribution to building the arts scene in Toronto.
Video Presentation
https://youtu.be/aPFB955HnWo?feature=shared
Video Transcript
It all starts with a seed planted Fertilized and watered By unnecessary bloodshed Brutalized bodies Living in brutal conditions When there is nothing left to lose But everything to gain
When the system squeezes everything out of you Day in and day out Takes from you all that you work for Takes from you all that you love For no reason other than to satisfy its own lust for power It is in that last drop of all you have to give That the spark will ignite everything And then it all burns down to the ground
When the people are no longer living in a life In which they are subdued with subtle comforts When they are pushed too far Stretched too thin Persecuted to no ends Tormented with scenes of injustice that suddenly Haunts their every dream And shadows their every waking move
When the land of their forefathers is under threat Where their memories lay buried Where their ancestors lay buried Where the human sacrifice to remain in existence For the sake of generations to come is stronger Than the fear of dying
It will all start with a call First subtle and quiet Whispered in between walls of clandestine meetings Where thoughts and ideas will permeate conversations The seed has now started to sprout Fertilized and watered By the yearning for change
We are after all creatures of evolution Never staying stagnant Never staying silent
The message will spread like wildfire Change is coming It’s just there on the horizon If you are willing to fight And take hold of a future bright enough to Dispel the darkness of the present day They will ride at dawn Or dusk Whichever to catch the enemy surprised
They will be surprised regardless Not knowing where this determined spirit Has come from Little do they know the seed that sprouted Has now grown roots And they are spreading Across the lands Our cries for freedom, For justice Are connected And for a moment When the majority stops fighting each other We become a united force
Until what was once a seed planted Grows to become a jungle Hiding guerilla fighters And clandestine meetings become more than just Places to whisper ideas But rather a space where strangers become synchronized in strategy
Something is coming And it is bigger than all of us It shifts the tectonic plates of our realities Until we can no longer stand still in our subjugation The tremors of change are too strong And they call us with conviction Convince us that another life is calling
And so we go to war Against a system set up to crush us But the masses are too strong The gains are greater than the losses The promises of what is on the other side Are too compelling for us to stay stuck in the mud And so we march on With banners With posters With weapons With our bodies With our voices With our spirits yearning for freedom
The fire is no longer containable The seed has grown into forest The ideas are far beyond our wildest imaginations And they may not even manifest within our life times But they will manifest
And when the oppressors finally fall Be that in 1, 100, or a thousand years Those of us who have been stripped from our land Stripped of our dignity Stripped of a reason worth living Will be vindicated Even if we are ancestors We will smile down on our future generations Living our wildest dreams
Because we decided not to revel in the status quo But to shift it all together And with the strength of thousands We marched We fought We shouted Viva La Revolution! Long Live the Revolution
But who’s revolution is more worthy Who’s life is more important to document, to remember Entrenched in our memories Written in the history books we are allowed to study What colour are the revolutions you have been allowed to learn about
When the winds of change come Who are the changes for Which way do they blow Which stories get swept up in the wind tunnels Get lost in the hurricanes Which stories do we cheer for And which stories do the rest of us work hard to dig up just to find a piece of ourselves in history’s textbooks
When does change move from revolution To rioting and looting When does the definition shift Is it when the colour of bodies melanate into darker hues?
When are our struggles reflected in the art splashed across large institutions Curated by the descendants of those who wish to erase us Erase our stories of struggle To minimize them as footnotes on pages When it is our fights that have made huge dents That have shifted history
When is it a time for change? Who decides? And when do the change makers demand complacency To stay in their newly fought for comforts Afforded to them on the backs of unrecognized, un-legitimized struggles As some revolutions are deemed noble While others are savage We look for our heroes to be etched in stone For those whose bravery began the conquest for freedom For change Only to be met by statues of those who are hero to some Oppressors to the rest of us
We tell stories of injustices With no closure With no support for the PTSD being passed down from generation to generation Just pictures Just stories Just vivid imagination playing on memory we wish to push back But bring up over and over again It burns our throats but we continue to retell them, To remind us that we too sacrificed for the greater good For the change we sought to see in the world For the freedom of people In every colour
Revolutions are the dreams of artists Painting new worlds of possibilities Springing forth from those who dare to dream until the impossible becomes reality
Revolutions give voice to the voiceless Hope to the hopeless Future to the ones who weren’t sure there was even a future worth living for Let alone worth fighting for Worth dying for
Revolution occupies the space that shifts power balances that shifts mindsets That shifts the energies in this world To ensure that oppressive systems cannot crush the people into oblivion Into a world not worth living
And within revolution Within that new energy So many things are created So much art So much life
What is the spark? What is the catalyst for change? Is it in an assassination? Is it in the veins of those who have had enough? The weight of a whip feeling to heavy for the last time The cloud of injustice hanging over one’s head darkening the path The cries of children unjustly murdered To end of tyranny that causes agony in the lives of the many To retain the power of a few
Revolution screams Equality Liberty Fraternity But what if you do not see me as your brother or sister? Is my freedom requiring of you seeing me as worthy Are you of the enlightened Who know what is best for me And present me with an offer that only you stand to gain from Am I even really included in your thoughts of Equality Liberty Freedom
Life Liberty And the Dream
What if our dreams collide Clash What if me giving up my dream is the requirement for you to live yours What if you didn’t want to risk it What if your revolution doesn’t even consider me in the first place Is it still an upset of power Or just a changing of the hands of power Between bodies that are not coloured into submission Into savage into unworthiness of another thought And so what was once a call for freedom becomes A call for treason
Viva La Revolution! Long Live the Revolution!
But who’s revolution is more worthy Who’s life is more important to document, to remember Entrenched in our memories Written in the history books we are allowed to study What colour are the revolutions you have been allowed to learn about
When the winds of change come Who are the changes for Which way do they blow Which stories get swept up in the wind tunnels Get lost in the hurricanes Which stories do we cheer for And which stories do the rest of us work hard to dig up just to find a piece of ourselves in history’s textbooks
[post_title] => Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony
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"I don’t want people to hear my work. I want people to feel the work. I hope when people listen to my spoken word piece, that it’s something they take with them – that it becomes a part of them. It’s meant to challenge you and make you think about how you live and what you value. It’s about creating an internal conversation that lives on with people, and I think that’s how art becomes this living thing within us; that’s always the hope I have when I create my work."
About Dwayne Morgan
Dwayne Morgan is a two-time Canadian National Poetry Slam Champion. He began his career as a spoken word artist in 1993. In 1994, he founded Up From The Roots to promote the positive artistic contributions of African Canadian and urban-influenced artists.
Morgan is the 2022 winner of the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Celebration of Cultural Life award, the 2018 winner of the Sheri-D Wilson Golden Beret Award for Career Achievement in the Spoken Word and the 2016 finalist for the Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. In 2013, Morgan was inducted into the Scarborough Walk of Fame. He has received the African Canadian Achievement Award and the Harry Jerome Award for Excellence in the Arts.
Morgan has performed for the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, the former Governor General of Canada, Michaelle Jean and the late leader of the NDP, Jack Layton. He has shared the stage with many of Canada’s top artists, including Russell Peters, while opening for international artist Alicia Keys and recording with Canadian artists, including Drake.
Morgan has published fourteen collections. In 2009, his work was translated into French, culminating in the book Le Making of d’un Homme. He also has nine albums of his work to his credit.
Video Presentation
https://youtu.be/9IOafZFZhl8?feature=shared
Video Transcript
Have you ever wondered What is the colour of freedom? Is it red, white and blue? Is it the hues of orange As rockets fly past the moon? Does it smell like gun powder And burnt flesh? Does it look like Limp limbs on cement, Like a child’s Mr. Potato Head, Except they can’t be pieced back together. I’ve often wondered If it is possible for you to be too dark for an amber alert; Too insignificant for anyone To say a word, Too Congolese or Sudanese Too African, Too Black for anyone to care. I mean, How dare you want, What most take for granted? How dare you believe That the world believes in peace, Too naive to see That that’s just a marketing scheme That comes easily Like bless you’s, Automatic, Without any real thought or meaning. Have you ever wondered, What is the colour of suffering? Does this come in white? I remember the Russian invasion Of Ukraine, And how many news reports Were caught saying How hard it was To see suffering on white faces, Blonde hair and blue eyes, Looking just like us; Well, not me, You see, I have lived in a world that turns a blind eye To people of colour; Since world war 2, The world’s suffering has been hued, so I get people being confused when they’re so used to their suffering being melanated; Almost as though we deserve it, Almost as though it is synonymous With our existence. Have you ever wondered who is allowed to be free, to live with dignity, to have peace? Ask a Haitian about the price of freedom; I’m sure they still have the receipt. You see, being oppressed Is like being forced to live In a carbonated bottle, Where it’s only a matter of time Before you blow your lid, Where you will destroy Everything and everyone So that your future Has more options and opportunities Than your life ever did, So that they’ll have the chance To actually live, And not just exist As the scorn of the earth, The mold in the places Where no human should ever go; displaced, In the same way That our indigeneous are today, But probably even worse, When you can no longer call home Land that has been historically yours, So you find yourself scattered, Wherever the wind blows you, Landing where squatters dictate Whether or not you belong, Whether you can stay, And what life for you will look like Should you remain on land You aren’t allowed to claim. While here, We Daily acknowledge land That we have no plans to give back. We complain about refugees, As though it was their life long dream To be here, But if we asked, We would learn That they would much rather enjoy The comforts of home, The language, food, and culture That they know, The peace that comes with Not feeling like a burden, The desire to live life on their own terms, But it turns out That there are people whose culture Is the stealing of other cultures, Yet we expect them To have empathy and compassion For things they have been isolated against; Drunk on comfort, Constantly throwing up judgements. We, as people, are so smart, That we forget that we are also animals, Domesticated by governments To follow rules and stay in line, To obey and abide by guidelines That often deny us of our right to live; But look at a woman desperate to protect her kids, Look at the ease with which She can become a savage beast. Any model citizen can easily become a thief If he needs food For his children to eat, So actions aren’t always As simple as they may seem Especially When we try to rationalize And define wrong and right, And this, creates a landscape, Ripe, For the harvesting of lies, Blurring the lines Between fiction and fact. The medium is the message, And power now lies in the hands of the people, reporting their lived realities, Onto our screens, Which often contradicts what we see and are told to believe, By propaganda machines masquerading as journalists, Influenced by governments, sponsored by corporations and lobbyists. And Malcolm x warned us; He told us that if we weren’t careful The media would have us Hating the people being oppressed, And loving those Doing the oppressing; Media providing window dressing For a Global village Whose windows have been blown out. We become narcissists, Completely in love With our view of the world, Tearing things down To rebuild them in our own image. We are the unlikely audience To this global theatre of bad actors; Propped up puppets, pretending to be politicians of the people on the world stage. People say that the killing doesn’t make any sense, But it’s not supposed too; it makes dollars. So before anything can happen, governments must ready their people for war, create a cause So they know what their sons are dying for, give the rich enough time to move their money offfshore or to invest in stocks that will rise in value for sure. After these criteria are met, it is ok for the war machine to go ahead. Everything will be fine, As long as the wrong blood doesn’t stain Corporate bottom lines, So CEO’s look to align themselves With the winning team, Or the one that seems most prepared to declare victory. Visions of destruction and despair Fight for space in our minds, So we can’t figure out why, Or how many die in mines So that we can have our iPhones, Or cheap access to gas. We never question How many die For us to have the things that we have. So in a way, We all have blood on our hands, So be careful where and when You decide to throw stones, Because the houses we tear down, Might end up being our own. In times of war and hardships, There is an unwritten rule That we must always protect women, children, and the elderly, but the men, the men are always disposable; Firewood burnt to keep others warm, Pawns sacrificed To maintain the power of kings, The powerful and rich, Who often have so much blood on their hands, That it forms calluses, Dried on so thick That they no longer have fingerprints Making it easy to say that they did nothing, And weren’t involved, No forensics at the scene Of the genocide, So they wipe their hands clean Of any blame, the blood stains never go away, But they have learnt to accept or deny it As a part of who they are. The pawns, Are simply casualties of war, Fighting for castles they’ll never be invited to enter, Queens they’ll never meet, And kings that they’ll never be. They sacrifice themselves like knights, Thick skin like body armour, Doing what they are told, Noble in their ignorance, Brainwashed to sacrifice their own and take other human lives. The first rule of the fight, Is that you must dehumanize the other side, To not see the fear or humanity In another human’s eyes, This way, There can be no violation of human rights, Just an onslaught of human wrongs, And throngs of mothers, Whose wombs are now tombs, Carrying memories of what was, Being told that their sons are no longer with us, Moved off of the board, Discarded to clear a path, Wrapped in a flag And sent back home like cargo to be disposed of. And if you’ve ever played chess, Then you know how hard it is to kill a king, how hard it is to get him to be accountable, to have a heart, to see beyond his own desires and potential legacy. He will sacrifice his queen, And everything there to protect him; fight out of every corner before laying down; Heavy is the head That wears the crown, And these pawns are canaries underground, A choir of mimes Sounding alarms That no-one will ever hear, As the kings move with impunity, As though death will never be near. Article 1.2 says That the white piece makes the first move In the game of chess, with the black piece going next, coincidence I guess, or a historic metaphor of offence and Defense; The personal is political, what happens outside of us affects what’s inside of us and vice versa; There is no evolution Without revolution; No victory without loss, No growth without resistance. If what happens externally Also affects us on the inside, Who has to be oppressed In order for us to afford our lives? To whose plight Will we turn a blind eye, If it means that we can have More than we need. We wear orange tees to remind us of genocide, ignorant to the fine print that reads, depending on where they reside. We are too blind to see the signs of genocides happening Right before our eyes, conflicts layered like lasagnas, like buildings that collapse into rubble like the hopes of the oppressed; what colour shirts will we wear next? Whose bodies will accessorize our conscience; Dead, with no names, no histories, no dreams or aspirations, they only exist as numbers on a spreadsheet, as extras in the background of news reports. There is no evolution without revolution. We’ve been here before. This reminds me of Berlin, The European sin Of cutting up Africa with no care for who was already there; Borders defined by arbitrary lines Drawn in crayon, Debated by the people, While their resources are pillaged, Leaving them piss poor And poverty stricken. Heads of state Beheading populations with policy as guillotines. The grass is always green where it hasn’t been bombed, But not everyone is lucky enough to even have a lawn. Isn’t it odd, How there is always money for war, but never enough for peace, How the media is used To manufacture the belief That you can Kill a leader, And the people will be free, but you can never kill an idea, the human desire for dignity, freedom and self-determination, So they keep you distracted, The revolution will not be televised, but the propaganda will. We are the victims Of the evil that lives amongst us, Who expect us to trust, Who they say The enemy and terrorist is, But never forget That Nelson Mandela And Martin Luther King, We’re both on that list, Before becoming iconic heroes, So who controls the narrative? Who has the power to name things, And narrate public opinion, Like a war time David Attenborough, Showing us how easily Hate can overshadow our humanity. Our values are created by those in power, then are redefined by those who are oppressed. If the medium is the message Could we be giving The power to the people through cell phones, social media, and personal reports, Or do we discredit it, And use it to distort; Radicalizing people With the evening news; I saw it on my phone so it has to be true, And with the people confused, We look to those in power For the truth, But they are consumed With what matters to them, So they choose What we need to know And when. In this way, Peace of mind Stays as elusive as peace, Because you’ll never have All of the pieces To have a fair shot at the game; There is no evolution Without revolution, And you’ll always find yourself scrambling, Simply trying to make change.
[post_title] => Dwayne Morgan
[post_excerpt] => "I don’t want people to hear my work. I want people to feel the work."
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"Poets have always been philosophers and revolutionaries – they think outside the box, speak truth to power, and speak truth in general. And the beauty of art is that you interpret it based on who you are as a person. This video piece is so visceral – it’s hard to forget. Like you feel something, you can’t help but feel. I think if you don’t feel something, I wonder, you know, I wonder. I hope people realize that an animal’s death may not hold the same value as a human death, but death is death nonetheless. And we can be more mindful of the unethical practices that are happening when it comes to our over-consumption of meat."
About Randell Adjei
Randell Adjei is an entrepreneur, speaker, author and spoken word practitioner who, in April 2021, was named as the first Poet Laureate of Ontario. He uses his talents to empower and transform thought all over the world. Adjei performed the opener for former President Barack Obama at the Economic Club of Canada in 2020.
An arts educator, Randell founded Toronto’s largest youth-led initiatives, Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere (R.I.S.E Edutainment), which seeks to create safe and inclusive spaces for youth to express themselves in positive ways. In 2018, R.I.S.E received the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Mayor’s Youth Award.
A Scarborough Walk of Fame inductee (2022), Adjei also holds CBC Metro Morning’s Torontonian of the Year award (2015) and NOW Magazine’s Local Hero award (2017).
Video Presentation
https://youtu.be/oUcyU2iSgDc?feature=shared
Video Transcript
There are boundaries in our society that are unspoken Systems of life benefitting from death that are broken. Ways in which we justify unjust practices to keep capitalism going to keep industries growing and profits flowing even if it comes at a cost to our health. It’s like our lives are a subsidiary to building wealth.
But who are these boundaries meant to protect? The lack of Industry regulations will harm the earth’s resources and suck all the oxygen until our last breath.
It seems we would rather sacrifice our beloved planet to produce a pound of flesh? Than to leave the earth better for our kin a foundation towards the right step.
I have no issues with Abattoirs themselves But there is a better way to do things These industries have me questioning What it means to be human, so I often wake up each day and feel like the Truman show Our society is in a rat race A cycle of ignorance On a hamster wheel going nowhere beneficial.
Imagine if slaughterhouses were opened and made of glass. I’m sure there would be thousands of questions we’d have to ask. In fact, behind closed doors, many industries thrive off of the death of millions of lives. Gives a new definition to the term ‘making a killing’. Capitalism continues to Kill to live putting profits over our mere existence.
The Western World is built on the idea of exploiting people and animals to make money. Even if it means monopolizing in other countries.
They put profit over people Power over justice And when we call them out They bribe and lobby to politicians And use the same laws to insult us.
It’s funny how “the best nation” in the world Happily partakes in animal cruelty, exploitation and private prisons to keep itself living. With remnants of dried Indigenous blood Still stained on their hands since the beginning.
But they’ve learned to justify the games they play to stay winning. It’s interesting how society tries to “protect” us from the concept of death Hides the truth only then to run back and advocate for our mental health. A cynical system in the rat race for wealth.
As a society, many of us have become desensitized to death So long as the consequences don’t directly affect us. They’ll hide the truth in plain sight to perplex us. Then propel the system as the nexus But so long as the profits keep flowing The death toll will keep growing.
We’ve become unconscious consumers buying into a cycle of violence. A system of silence packaged as consumer goods. Its like buying a new car, without looking under the hood. As long as it is under the pretense of patriotism America won’t bother to look.
The first public slaughterhouse was invented in France at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Essentially, the French word abattoir was introduced to refer to a specific place where animals are slaughtered for human consumption. Today, these slaughterhouses are full of corruption. From inhumane practices, greenhouse gasses to unsanitary meat being fed to the masses.
What I’ve learned through this research Is that we must question where our food is coming from. question the system, What other injustices take place that we are ignorant of? It begs the question, ‘what else is hidden in plain sight?’ What other dark industries refuse to meet the light?
In the USA alone, approximately 25.3 million animals are slaughtered daily. That is nearly 9.5 billion animals slaughtered annually. Sad that half of that meat goes to waste Yet they continue killing millions the next day.
If we had to kill our own food Would we eat as much meat as we consume? Could we meet the same demand to fulfill our taste for our favorite foods?
An average slaughterhouse contains a slaughter floor a lairage to the hold livestock prior to slaughter a chiller to preserve after death a tripe room for cleaning of the insides and a room to cut the meat and process.
There are conveyor belts of carcasses and cascading hooks tearing through flesh with outdated regulations How can we guarantee our meat is fresh? pools of blood flowing on industrial rubber mats Greenhouse gas impact animal waste finding its way into our water streams Just to enjoy a full plate of meat.
Like some American Police Officers Society hires slaughterhouse workers to serve and protect But sometimes both brutalize mammalian flesh.
The traumatizing nature of their work can cause anxiety, depression, and stress, and can lead workers to emotionally detach, self-medicate, or express their feelings through violence or workplace sabotage. The trauma is hidden in plain sight, I remind myself that this is babylon But this is not life.
For Slaughterhouse Workers, Physical Injuries are only the beginning According to onlabor.org, slaughterhouse work has been linked to higher levels of aggression, violent dreams, anxiety, and hostility.
The purpose of slaughterhouses Is to kill as many animals as plausible in as little time as possible to maximize profits is inherently in opposition to animal welfare.
Not to mention that slaughterhouses get a free pass to pollute America’s waterways with nitrogen, phosphorus and other oxygen-depleting substances We are literally eating our own environmental deathWith little improvement I had to step back and ask.. What the health are we doing?
The Amazon has lost 70% of its ecosystem due to the production of slaughterhouses and cattle. Is this even sustainable? We are losing more of our rainforests to fulfill our greed and need to eat But in the process losing our trees The source of life that helps us breathe.
They say we are what we eat, At this rate, the climate crisis will turn us all into dead meat.
Slaughter has become the cornerstone of modern life No ethics, no morals, no questions of why Most would just say, “that is life”.
If that is life, Then what justifies all of this death? Martyrs being slaughtered for their flesh Genetically modified to enlarge the harvest Hormones injected to reproduce And meet greedy targets Then feeding GMO meat to the market?
We must learn to question these systems They profit off our ignorance and benefit from our silence You vote with every dollar used to buy in To this capitalistic system.
Our planet relies on us to wake up and listen to its cries for help Our overconsumption is contributing to the global warming crisis Our glaciers de-icing Our ozone layer thinning If that is not enough Look at all the floods hitting different corners of the earth. We need to be in harmony with the planet to make it work.
There are countries around the world who lack clean drinking water to survive Yet, meat processing facilities are responsible for 29% of the agricultural sector’s total freshwater consumption worldwide.
The environmental impacts are disproportionately borne by low-income communities, particularly Black communities and other communities of color. Federal data shows that almost half of the slaughterhouses in the United States are in communities with more than 30 percent of their residents living beneath the poverty line.
It directly affects their communities Exposing nearby residents to chemical-laden toxic sludges and air pollution their drinking water is jeopardized, Some can’t even open their windows For fresh air for fear the chemicals may cause them to die It also impacts neighboring wild animals who depend on clean water to survive.
The U.S. government spends about $38 billion in tax money each year to subsidize the meat, egg, and dairy industries, But Flint Michigan is still dealing with a water crisis.
America, how can you stomach the fact that there is blood on your hands You may call yourself the best nation in the world But have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? Do you not see the hypocrisy? the lies you’ve told yourself and regurgitated to your citizens It is true that life and death are imminent You can’t take the money with you but karma is infinite. You take pride in being militant Then justify to the American people That you are doing it for their own good. Look at the Insolent stunts you’ve pulled.
You’ve turn countries like Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan Into slaughterhouses. Set up boundaries to slaughter the planet and humans Then turn a blind eye Greedily extracting flesh and the earth’s resources
Unpropotionately then bask in your own lie
Here is some food for thought Slaughterhouses are synonymous to the way your society is run Herd people in like sheep Feed them green Then make them fear the gun.
Your love of money outweighs all else You regulate your own regulations For the sake of “success” You’ve made more billionaires Byway of death.
You can keep people and animals in captivity and profit all you want Kill the herds until all life is gone But we see right through your schemes and tricks Your slaughterhouses have become glass walls We will advocate and make it stick Because there is a better way to do things than to purely profit off the life and death of animals and humans.
Abattoir USA When will you wake up to the truth? You can slaughter a billion lives and never be satisfied that the real problem is you.
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“This solo work is inspired by the many aspects of how many colours has the sea by Charles Campbell. This piece is a response to the comfort and reflection I received as soon as you entered the exhibit. The environment within the gallery supported the viewer to slow down and reflect. How often do we slow down in our world? How often do we allow grief to be simply what it is?
The themes within this space run deep within my heart. They run through my blood memory. The breath portraits, hanging sculpture and audio meditation, remind me not only of whom I have lost within my family in these recent years, but they are also the echoes of my ancestors.
My ancestors live within this performance work. They guide me through the images and physicality within the dance. They encourage me to move through this world with determination and grace. Thank you to Diana and Nilou for supporting and trusting my artistic voice in this work. Thank you to Charles Campbell for making a space for us to laugh, cry and dance.”
Choreographer, performer: Syreeta Hector
About Syreeta Hector
Syreeta Hector is a dance artist in Toronto, Ontario. Her solo work, Black Ballerina, focuses on the dualities within one's identity and her blackness and indigeneity in classical ballet. This solo gained recognition at the SummerWorks Festival, won the Stratford Festival Lab Award for Research and Creation and was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore award in Outstanding Performance by an Individual. While she continues to tour Black Ballerina, Hector is developing a new dance theatre work, which will be the series' second chapter.
She has been commissioned to make ensemble works for Mocean Dance (Nova Scotia) and ProArteDanza (Ontario). She recently created a new work for Kittiwake Dance Theatre (Newfoundland). Although performance and creation endeavours remain a priority for Hector, she derives an equal measure of inspiration by teaching movement and choreography. She is honoured to be a part of the Department of Dance as an Assistant Professor at York University.
Video Presentation
https://youtu.be/-PlJ3RYHyxw
This video captures Syreeta's response to The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery's how many colours has the sea exhibition by Charles Campbell. Syreeta Hector's performance was then presented in the Harbourfront Centre Theatre on Saturday, February 1 as part of KUUMBA30.
Syreeta Hector is a dance artist in Toronto, Ontario. Her solo work, Black Ballerina, focuses on the dualities within one’s identity and her blackness and indigeneity in classical ballet. This solo gained recognition at the SummerWorks Festival, won the Stratford Festival Lab Award for Research and Creation and was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore award in Outstanding Performance by an Individual. While she continues to tour Black Ballerina, Hector is developing a new dance theatre work, which will be the series’ second chapter.
She has been commissioned to make ensemble works for Mocean Dance (Nova Scotia) and ProArteDanza (Ontario). She recently created a new work for Kittiwake Dance Theatre (Newfoundland). Although performance and creation endeavours remain a priority for Hector, she derives an equal measure of inspiration by teaching movement and choreography. She is honoured to be a part of the Department of Dance as an Assistant Professor at York University.
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Esie Mensah is a member of the Canadian Guild of Stage Directors and Choreographers as well as a two-time Dora-nominated artist who has worked with Rihanna, Drake, Janelle Monae, Nelly Furtado and Arcade Fire, along with historic brands like Holt Renfrew, Coca-Cola, TIFF, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto Raptors and more. In theatre, Mensah has worked on Russian Play, Victory, 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt (Shaw Festival), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Soulpepper), Dixon Road (Musical Stage/Obsidian), New Monuments (Canadian Stage) and Serving Elizabeth (Theatre Aquarius).
Mensah’s original creations include the ZAYO, Dora-nominated Shades and films A Revolution of Love and TESSEL, each a testament to her creativity and innovation in the arts. She was recently commissioned by Canada’s National Ballet School for Assemblée International, where she co-choreographed the world premiere of The Call with Robert Binet on a cast of local and international students. Mensah also served as the choreographer for Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha: A Musical Reimagining, a production presented by TOLive, Luminato Festival and Volcano Theatre.
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[title] => Katlyn Addison: We Are Here
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Katlyn Addison was born in Ontario, Canada. At ten, she began her professional ballet training at the National Ballet School of Canada. She continued training at Quinte Ballet School of Canada, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet and the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy.
In 2021, Addison made history when she became the first black female Principal Artist in Ballet West’s 58-year history. That same year, she was awarded the Performing Arts Fellowship Award by the Utah Division of Fine Arts & Museums.
Addison has danced classical, neoclassical and contemporary works, including adaptations from John Cranko’s Romeo & Juliet and Onegin; Adam Sklute’s Swan Lake, Ben Stevenson’s Dracula, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and La Bayadere; and many other ballets. She has also performed in several world premieres, including Christopher Bruce’s Grinning in Your Face; Stanton Welch’s Medieval Babes; Val Caniparoli’s The Lottery and Dances for Lou; Nicolo Fonte’s Rite of Spring and Carmina Burana and Africa Guzman’s Sweet and Bitter.
Addison has also pursued finding her choreographic voice in several works, including creating new ballets for the Utah Arts Festival (Unnamed), the Ballet West Academy and the University of Utah Dance Department (Saint-George, The Composer, Frenchmen, and Creator). In early 2022, Kansas City Ballet premiered Katlyn’s new work, Sanctuary, and in December of 2022, her work, The Cuban Cavalier, premiered with the Gateway Chamber Orchestra. In May 2023, she created a work for Bayou Ballet (Poem). Her work for Ballet Jorgen, which also premiered in May 2023 (There Were TWO), is currently touring Canada.
Addison has danced and acted in Miu Miu Woman’s Tales, a short film that premiered at the 2017 Venice Film Festival and appeared on the Prada Miu Miu website. She was also featured in an episode of “Let’s Talk Utah,” produced by the Utah Office of Tourism in the fall of 2021, and in an episode of the Conversations in Dance podcast in February 2024.
She is involved in many passion projects and is dedicated to using her platform to give back to her community and to help raise the voices of other minority artists. Addison has volunteered her time for The Redlining Project, an initiative drawing attention to injustices created by redlining voter districts and Ballet West’s I CAN DO Program Curly ME, which supports young girls of colour and Morning Star Middle School and Ridgewood Elementary School, both in Ontario, Canada. She also serves on the board of directors for the Utah Black Artist Collective.
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[title] => Lua Shayenne: Nameless Yet Her Heart is Like the Waters of the Sea
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As the Artistic Director, choreographer, curator and producer of LSDC, Lua Shayenne’s creative leadership has been recognized with a K.M. Hunter Dance Award nomination and the 2013 BMO Seeds Fund Award for Artists working in the community. She is the creator and interpreter of the dance theatre children’s series Tales and Dances Around the Baobab, of which Yassama and The Beaded Calabash is the fourth tale.
Through LSDC, Shayenne boldly envisioned and launched the YENSA Festival in 2022, a biennial festival highlighting the incredible multiplicity of Black women dance practitioners and nurturing an environment where they can have substantive conversations, take risks and be given due recognition.
Her performing highlights include HOLOSCENES tours in the United States, the UK, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Italy and Toronto. She teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University’s dance program and brings African dance, music, storytelling and culture to grassroots organizations and schools across Canada and Europe.
Multi-disciplinary artist Machine Dazzle is debuting his first major solo exhibition in Canada and exclusively at Harbourfront Centre. Showcasing one of the most extensive collections to date of his fantastical costume designs and experimental creations for the stage and film, Art and Intention will share a retrospective look into his explosive queer maximalist aesthetic and creative process through photography, video, found object, ephemera and his trademark volume of glitter.
Harbourfront Centre’s KUUMBA Festival, presented by TD Bank Group through the Bank's Corporate Citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, is Toronto’s largest and longest-running Black Futures Month Festival. This year, KUUMBA celebrates a legacy milestone: its 30th anniversary. For decades, the festival has been a vital platform for celebrating Black futures, embodying joyful expression through the vibrant integration of artists, creators, and audiences in the multidisciplinary fields of music, theatre, dance, spoken word and more.
We look to transcend historical narratives of trauma and repression, uniting the community and sparking exchange around the creative and intellectual achievements of the Black diaspora. Cultivating an inclusive atmosphere that centres on meaningful dialogues and celebratory expressions, KUUMBA recognizes the paramount contributions of Black creators shaping the future of art, culture and society.
KUUMBA, le plus grand et le plus ancien festival du Mois de l'avenir des Noirs à Toronto, est une plateforme essentielle pour célébrer l'avenir des Noirs grâce à l'intégration dynamique d'artistes, de créateurs et de spectateurs dans les domaines multidisciplinaires de la musique, du théâtre, de la danse, de la parole et bien plus encore.
https://youtu.be/2fuLLvWl41M
2025
Syreeta Hector: Untitled
Esie Mensah: To The Sea
Katlyn Addison: We Are Here
Lua Shayenne: Nameless Yet Her Heart is Like the Waters of the Sea
