Black Saskatchewan performance project showcases prairie history

An artwork project celebrating Black individuals dwelling in rural Saskatchewan made it’s technique to Regina at this time.

Artist Shayna Jones, one of many performers answerable for creating the project, grew up in a rural dwelling in British Columbia.

“I found myself curious about the lives and experiences of other black individuals who others like myself, have chosen to tuck themselves outside of urban settings.,” Jones mentioned. “That launched this national project of inquiry.”

Jones carried out a sequence of interviews to know the Saskatchewan “Black and rural” expertise.

She spoke with individuals from totally different backgrounds, together with descendants of the primary African Canadian settlers in Saskatchewan, who shared the tales handed down by means of their household.

“They faced the intensity of the task of settling in this land,” Jones defined. “They faced the glaring sun and the mountains of snow. They had to face triumph and tragedy in starting life here in Saskatchewan. Yet at the same time, they had to bear the burden of being the Black ones doing this work.”

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And but the tales obtained from the descendants are tales of their power, kindness, love, and generosity within the face of the racial tensions confronted in Saskatchewan.

Early in 2021, Heritage Saskatchewan reached out to Jones to collaborate on the project and concentrate on Saskatchewan. For the final yr, she has been listening to the tales of Black individuals and Black people from Urban Areas.

With the information of tales from throughout Saskatchewan, Jones created a performance referred to as “Black and Rural Saskatchewan”, which she describes as “a window into a readily overlooked segment of not only prairie life but Black Canadian life in general. To choose to live outside of the urban maze as a Black individual is to live outside of the narrow bandwidth afforded to us by mainstream culture. The aim of this project is to honour these hidden rural Black voices and to challenge the monolith of what matters to Black lives.”

The ultimate performance runs at this time, June 23 at 7 p.m. on the École Monseigneur de Laval Pavillion secondaire des Quatre Vents.