Our Main Building and galleries will not be open to the public for Nuit Blanche. Access to “Hopes and Fears Assembly” will be on the northwest side of the Main Building.

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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."

Presented by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment.

https://youtu.be/aPFB955HnWo?feature=shared

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 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

Harbourfront Centre’s KUUMBA 365 is a new initiative celebrating Black cultures all year long. In partnership with The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, the annual program invites three new artists each February to explore and create works through the Black cultural lens, with commissions centred on the disciplines of literary, spoken word, dance and theatre arts. Committed to investing in Black futures, KUUMBA 365 proudly supports the transformative work and achievements of Afro-Canadian artists today, tomorrow and always.  

Learn more

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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."

Presented by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment.

https://youtu.be/9IOafZFZhl8?feature=shared

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 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.

Harbourfront Centre’s KUUMBA 365 is a new initiative celebrating Black cultures all year long. In partnership with The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, the annual program invites three new artists each February to explore and create works through the Black cultural lens, with commissions centred on the disciplines of literary, spoken word, dance and theatre arts. Committed to investing in Black futures, KUUMBA 365 proudly supports the transformative work and achievements of Afro-Canadian artists today, tomorrow and always.  

Learn more

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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."

Presented by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment.

https://youtu.be/oUcyU2iSgDc?feature=shared

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 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.

Harbourfront Centre’s KUUMBA 365 is a new initiative celebrating Black cultures all year long. In partnership with The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, the annual program invites three new artists each February to explore and create works through the Black cultural lens, with commissions centred on the disciplines of literary, spoken word, dance and theatre arts. Committed to investing in Black futures, KUUMBA 365 proudly supports the transformative work and achievements of Afro-Canadian artists today, tomorrow and always.  

Learn more

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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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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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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.

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The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff

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Descriptive tag
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About

A North American Premiere!

Hailed by The Guardian as “the astonishing true story of a working-class hero!” and “A paean to youthful idealism.” by The Times.

In a timely, touching and often hilarious musical adventure, follow the footsteps of a working-class hero who chose not to look the other way when the world needed his help and took part in some of the momentous events of the 1930s.

KUUMBA 2025 EVENTS

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KUUMBA 365

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.  

Full festival lineup coming soon.

2025

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.

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.

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.

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.

2024

Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony

Dwayne Morgan

Randell Adjei