Silence. Wind. Heat steam from the radiator. Warm electric blanket. Winter. Song. Dance. Rituals. Growth. Filling the body with space, nourishment, yarn, leather hides, sky is darkened. Giggles.
On the verge of the eternal. The journey is also a ritual. Repetition, a practice and renewal.
Let’s talk about moving the body. Let’s talk about Afro-Indigenous owned land - cultivate a warm bowl of callaloo soup. Eat, backbend, fast, warmed sleep again. Sleep. The seeds of the earth dormant. Backbend. The singing. Fast. Clapping hand for the rains. Side-bend. The dance of today is the future language of tomorrow.
Planting seeds in land owned by us, appoints you and I as judges once again of: sun, wind and soil. Determining destiny. Focused on freedom, laughter and new languages. Can you hear them? New sounds are heard.
No books, just nourishment. No films, just sunlight. No vibration other than toil and love. No vibration other than toil and love. Again Earth (not sure why I capitalized Earth, but I dig it) spins, backbends like a ritual. Like a dance. Like a movement. Fleeting.
Ask questions, stay curious, stay vulnerable - resolve problems today for the future. Future. Sleep. Future. Backbend. Moments. They are Fleeting. Performance. Feed. Nourish. Us. Forever.
The text above discusses new land acquisition practices for Afro-Indigenous folks, who want to dance with all peoples invited to the table - a practice of abundant and sacred movements. Singing on that very land. Reclaiming space - decolonizing land ownership. Forging new territory for a better future- for all peoples. Sharing resources from privileged communities. Beginning Afro-Futuristic villages of hope, nourishment, art, space, land ownership - a reclamation. A new reckoning. Grace. Grateful. Strengthened. Onward. A better day.
Resources + Books:
Contemporary Danse Performances and workshops: The LVMB Collective
Theaster Gates Phaidon Contemporary Artist
Working Together: Louis Draper and the Kamoinge Workshop
Leah Penniman: Farming While Black
Chef Marcus Samuelsson: The Rise
Photo: Genevieve Marie
