Commonwealth Writers Conversations

Women Who Walk With Water

Date & Time
7:30pm, 30 May 2019 - 10:00pm, 30 May 2019
Location
1 Arthur Wint Drive, Kingston, Jamaica
About the event

Through performance and Q&A, the evening will spark a dialogue with attendees on climate issues facing the Caribbean and the role of art in inspiring these urgent conversations. The event will take place on 30 May, 7:30-9pm at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Commonwealth Writers, the cultural initiative of the Commonwealth Foundation, is working with Jamaican artists to produce this one-off performance, helping provide a platform to civil society on vital issues.

The event will feature 45-minute special performances from 4 local poets and Karlo Mila, a poet from the Pacific. It will be followed with a Q&A discussion facilitated by Susan Otuokon, Executive Director of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust, exploring the gendered impact of climate change in the Caribbean and the role of art and creative expression in strengthening and shaping public conversation on these issues.

Event hosts include:

  • Eugene Williams, co-director of the performance, former director of Jamaican School of Drama;
  • Dr. Susan Otuokon, director and MC, executive director of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust;
  • Janet Steel, director, programme manager of Commonwealth Writers.

Performers include:

  • L’ACADCO, Jamaica’s leading contemporary dance company;
  • Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze, leading female Jamaican poet and published writer;
  • A-dZiko Simba, award-winning writer and spoken-word performer of Jamaican and Nigerian heritage;
  • Karlo Mila, award-winning Pacific poet from New Zealand;
  • Mbala Mgabo, innovative musician, artist and poet, originally from Spanish Town;
  • Najuequa Barnes, poet who affirms, ‘there are no boundaries to the spoken word’;
  • Drum Xplosion, traditional African drumming which has accompanied L’Acadco since 1986.

This performance is organised to coincide and enrich a three-day conversation taking place between Caribbean NGOs, artists and activists who are meeting at MONA Campus Unit at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, to discuss the effects of climate change on marginalised and vulnerable communities.

The event is free to all but places are limited. To guarantee a ticket please RSVP.

Discussion
Join the conversation: #CWconvo

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Location
1 Arthur Wint Drive, Kingston, Jamaica
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We support people's participation in democracy and development by providing grants, platforms, and expertise.

Part of the Project:

Convening practitioners to improve understanding of the impact of climate change on women in the Caribbean

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