1 00:00:11,969 --> 00:00:15,089 Greetings, bonjour, wagwan. My name is 2 00:00:15,089 --> 00:00:19,409 Quentin Vercetty Lindsey and I, my field 3 00:00:19,409 --> 00:00:23,309 of studies is In Art education, looking at 4 00:00:23,309 --> 00:00:26,039 creating afrofuturism as a pedagogy, art 5 00:00:26,039 --> 00:00:29,999 pedagogy to be specific. And my field of 6 00:00:29,999 --> 00:00:33,629 work deals with public art, and 7 00:00:33,689 --> 00:00:37,409 reimagining public space to be an 8 00:00:37,409 --> 00:00:39,719 Afrotopia, essentially a safe space for Black 9 00:00:39,719 --> 00:00:42,269 people to exist, and to be representative 10 00:00:42,269 --> 00:00:44,939 in the landscape. And a lot of my work 11 00:00:44,969 --> 00:00:47,429 deals with the realms of speculative 12 00:00:47,489 --> 00:00:52,589 fiction. And so I'm re-mixing ideas of the 13 00:00:52,589 --> 00:00:55,739 past in regards to African history, 14 00:00:55,739 --> 00:00:59,579 culture, knowledge, and traditions, and I 15 00:00:59,579 --> 00:01:01,649 am projecting them forward for the future. 16 00:01:07,739 --> 00:01:11,849 So my relationship between my personal 17 00:01:11,849 --> 00:01:16,919 identity and anti-Black racism work is not 18 00:01:16,919 --> 00:01:19,769 only because I'm Black, but more 19 00:01:19,769 --> 00:01:22,379 specifically, I come from a lineage of 20 00:01:22,409 --> 00:01:25,799 people who believe in unity, and believe 21 00:01:25,829 --> 00:01:28,949 in the betterment for humanity. And so a 22 00:01:28,949 --> 00:01:32,189 part of my identity is being a Rasta. And 23 00:01:32,909 --> 00:01:35,339 coming from a Rasta background and being of 24 00:01:35,339 --> 00:01:37,709 Jamaican descent, and you know, if anyone 25 00:01:37,709 --> 00:01:40,739 knows who Bob Marley is, or if you want to 26 00:01:40,739 --> 00:01:42,269 Google him, you know, one of his popular 27 00:01:42,269 --> 00:01:44,639 songs is "One Love", you know, and a part of 28 00:01:44,639 --> 00:01:47,729 that is looking at this idea that we all 29 00:01:48,089 --> 00:01:50,699 can unite and build with each other. But 30 00:01:50,699 --> 00:01:55,919 on top of that, is removing all types of 31 00:01:55,919 --> 00:01:59,339 systems of oppression. And so, my work 32 00:01:59,339 --> 00:02:02,249 with anti-Black racism, all stems from 33 00:02:02,249 --> 00:02:04,169 this idea that we need to have one love to 34 00:02:04,169 --> 00:02:06,689 move forward. And without that, then we're 35 00:02:06,989 --> 00:02:09,869 gonna be going in circles, or even worse, 36 00:02:09,869 --> 00:02:11,369 we're gonna be going backwards, you know 37 00:02:11,369 --> 00:02:13,529 what I mean, but coming from one Jamaican 38 00:02:13,529 --> 00:02:15,119 background, we say "forward ever and 39 00:02:15,119 --> 00:02:17,879 backwards never." And so that means we 40 00:02:17,879 --> 00:02:20,069 have to keep pushing humanity forward. And 41 00:02:20,069 --> 00:02:21,839 we have to keep pushing the world forward, 42 00:02:21,869 --> 00:02:24,629 for us to continue to grow sustainably, 43 00:02:25,109 --> 00:02:29,519 and in equitable ways. Granted, everything 44 00:02:29,519 --> 00:02:31,739 that's going on in the world, you know, or 45 00:02:31,739 --> 00:02:33,959 as we say, "inna de Earth", some of the 46 00:02:33,959 --> 00:02:36,959 things I feel like is most important in 47 00:02:36,959 --> 00:02:40,049 regards to like, what I consider the 48 00:02:40,049 --> 00:02:43,589 pandemic, and, you know, with anti-Black 49 00:02:43,589 --> 00:02:46,349 racism, and, and, you know, the treatment 50 00:02:46,349 --> 00:02:48,509 of Black women and Trans folks, and 51 00:02:48,509 --> 00:02:51,989 everyone is thinking about the future, you 52 00:02:51,989 --> 00:02:55,979 know, and thinking about how do we think 53 00:02:56,099 --> 00:03:00,509 about African culture, African people, 54 00:03:00,509 --> 00:03:03,719 African resources, which is essentially 55 00:03:04,439 --> 00:03:08,159 sustaining the world at the moment. And 56 00:03:08,159 --> 00:03:12,899 what I mean by that, is, there is an ongoing, 57 00:03:13,649 --> 00:03:17,339 mis-information, and uneducated or 58 00:03:17,339 --> 00:03:20,549 ignorant in a way, projection about 59 00:03:20,549 --> 00:03:23,279 African people across the globe, you know, 60 00:03:23,279 --> 00:03:27,959 across the diaspora. And this projection 61 00:03:28,289 --> 00:03:32,219 continues to perpetrate negative ideas and 62 00:03:32,219 --> 00:03:34,469 negative connotations while also continue 63 00:03:34,469 --> 00:03:37,679 to create disservices to nations around 64 00:03:37,679 --> 00:03:39,149 the world, but also people in those 65 00:03:39,149 --> 00:03:42,749 nations. And so everything intersects, you 66 00:03:42,749 --> 00:03:44,999 know, and for me, I'm highly informed by 67 00:03:44,999 --> 00:03:47,129 Kimberle Crenshaw’s work about 68 00:03:47,129 --> 00:03:51,329 "Intersectionality." Where you can't, you 69 00:03:51,329 --> 00:03:56,429 can't, you can't separate the systems of 70 00:03:56,429 --> 00:03:58,529 oppression of how it affects Black people, 71 00:03:58,679 --> 00:04:01,559 and specifically Black women, and even 72 00:04:01,589 --> 00:04:05,039 more on another level, Queer folks, and 73 00:04:05,039 --> 00:04:07,679 Trans folks. And so we have to think about 74 00:04:07,679 --> 00:04:11,849 the future because the the present time 75 00:04:11,849 --> 00:04:13,499 that we're in right now is full of 76 00:04:13,499 --> 00:04:15,989 misinformation, and full of propaganda and 77 00:04:15,989 --> 00:04:19,199 full of media feeding us what they think 78 00:04:19,199 --> 00:04:20,909 we should know. And the reason I'm 79 00:04:20,909 --> 00:04:23,579 bringing this up is because as it relates 80 00:04:23,579 --> 00:04:27,419 to COVID-19, and everything, what we're 81 00:04:27,419 --> 00:04:29,489 seeing is the statistics - it's 82 00:04:29,549 --> 00:04:32,369 it's affecting those who are who are in 83 00:04:32,399 --> 00:04:35,939 the margins the most. And so, when we 84 00:04:35,939 --> 00:04:39,629 think about places of poverty, when we 85 00:04:39,629 --> 00:04:41,579 think of all these places of violence, 86 00:04:42,059 --> 00:04:43,829 these are the most vulnerable people in 87 00:04:43,829 --> 00:04:46,349 the globe, you know, and the people who 88 00:04:46,349 --> 00:04:49,169 get affected the most often mothers of 89 00:04:49,199 --> 00:04:52,049 Black women, often Trans folks, you know, 90 00:04:52,049 --> 00:04:56,609 and so we see COVID, actually being almost 91 00:04:56,609 --> 00:04:58,439 Like a racist disease in a lot of ways. You 92 00:04:58,439 --> 00:04:59,969 know, if you look at the statistics in the 93 00:04:59,999 --> 00:05:03,929 America and also rising statistics in 94 00:05:03,929 --> 00:05:06,479 Canada as well in specifically in Toronto, 95 00:05:06,479 --> 00:05:08,279 and Montreal. And so 96 00:05:08,970 --> 00:05:10,680 this relates to the future because we need 97 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:12,360 to start thinking about how can we work 98 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,430 towards a better future. And the only way 99 00:05:14,430 --> 00:05:16,110 that can happen is through a process I 100 00:05:16,110 --> 00:05:19,200 call Sankofanology, and Sankofanology 101 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:21,720 is learning about the past, but 102 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:23,970 specifically with an African lens. So 103 00:05:23,970 --> 00:05:26,460 learning about the African histories, and 104 00:05:26,460 --> 00:05:29,370 learning about the African cultures, with 105 00:05:29,370 --> 00:05:32,820 specific intent, and obviously, through 106 00:05:32,820 --> 00:05:37,230 guidance, and using those things, using 107 00:05:37,230 --> 00:05:38,970 those positive things, using those things 108 00:05:38,970 --> 00:05:41,190 that we can we can utilize in the present, 109 00:05:41,370 --> 00:05:43,830 to build towards a better future. And so 110 00:05:43,860 --> 00:05:46,920 Sankofanology recognizes that the past 111 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,070 present or future are all connected. And so, 112 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:53,280 what do I mean by that? So we see that 113 00:05:53,280 --> 00:05:54,960 there's a lot of resources coming out of 114 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,260 Africa. This is herbal resources, a lot of 115 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:01,530 there's a lot of medicine, that are 116 00:06:01,530 --> 00:06:03,420 extracted from African plants that can 117 00:06:03,420 --> 00:06:06,090 only grow in a continent. There's so many 118 00:06:06,090 --> 00:06:08,460 that I can name if you were to look up Dr. 119 00:06:08,460 --> 00:06:13,830 Sebi with his alkaline diet, you know, 120 00:06:13,830 --> 00:06:16,260 he really, he's a really, he was a really 121 00:06:16,260 --> 00:06:18,390 strong advocate still is, even though he's 122 00:06:18,390 --> 00:06:22,230 now transitioned to be an ancestor. You 123 00:06:22,230 --> 00:06:24,480 know, and so many people who have 124 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:28,740 advocated for natural medicines, you know, 125 00:06:28,770 --> 00:06:30,660 and holistic practices of medicine, 126 00:06:31,110 --> 00:06:32,640 because what we find now is 127 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,670 pharmaceuticals are not really, in the 128 00:06:35,670 --> 00:06:38,370 business of healing people, is this really 129 00:06:38,370 --> 00:06:41,250 a bandage practice. And so if we look at 130 00:06:41,310 --> 00:06:44,640 some of these holistic methods, we'll 131 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,590 see that there are a lot of African 132 00:06:46,590 --> 00:06:50,100 practices that are, that has a lot of 133 00:06:50,100 --> 00:06:52,920 strong antiviral components, you know, and 134 00:06:52,980 --> 00:06:54,990 I come from a culture where they say, it's 135 00:06:54,990 --> 00:06:57,000 better to prevent, prevention is 136 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,450 better than cure. And so, there's a lot of 137 00:07:00,450 --> 00:07:02,640 holistic practices that we see coming up 138 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:04,110 from the African continent, and the world 139 00:07:04,110 --> 00:07:06,390 has sent to adapt. So a lot of like vegan 140 00:07:06,390 --> 00:07:09,900 practices, you know, in Rastafari we say 141 00:07:10,710 --> 00:07:13,860 "ital, ital is vital", you know, and 142 00:07:13,860 --> 00:07:18,840 so, a lot of the things are important to 143 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,900 learn about. And a lot of these herbes are 144 00:07:21,930 --> 00:07:23,340 important to learn about because a lot of 145 00:07:23,340 --> 00:07:25,710 the things we can use, and bring it 146 00:07:25,710 --> 00:07:27,630 forward into the future, into the future 147 00:07:27,630 --> 00:07:30,270 and use in the present. So again, Sankofranology 148 00:07:30,270 --> 00:07:32,820 but more specifically in 149 00:07:32,820 --> 00:07:35,160 education. And then for me, I look at art, 150 00:07:35,580 --> 00:07:38,040 what are the visuals that we are seeing in 151 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,010 society, that are making us become 152 00:07:41,010 --> 00:07:43,170 informed about how we think about our 153 00:07:43,170 --> 00:07:45,690 future, right now, in this present time, 154 00:07:45,690 --> 00:07:47,280 as I speak to you in this contemporary 155 00:07:47,940 --> 00:07:52,920 epoch, there's a lot of imagery, of seeing 156 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:55,050 Black people being battered and beaten, 157 00:07:55,380 --> 00:07:58,380 and being oppressed or being violent. 158 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:03,330 And a lot of negative visualization of 159 00:08:03,330 --> 00:08:04,950 Black people right now that we see in the 160 00:08:04,950 --> 00:08:05,370 media. 161 00:08:06,089 --> 00:08:09,539 And, and this makes, this affects the 162 00:08:09,539 --> 00:08:12,299 psyche on so many multiple levels. And 163 00:08:12,299 --> 00:08:14,579 then our next level we right now are seeing a 164 00:08:14,579 --> 00:08:18,149 phenomenon of monuments of colonial 165 00:08:18,149 --> 00:08:21,689 monuments collapsing. But now the question 166 00:08:21,689 --> 00:08:23,429 is, what are going to replace those 167 00:08:23,429 --> 00:08:26,549 monuments? What type of images can heal 168 00:08:26,549 --> 00:08:29,459 the psyche of the Black diaspora? and 169 00:08:29,459 --> 00:08:32,339 African Diaspora? And so for me, the 170 00:08:32,339 --> 00:08:35,219 answer to that is Afrofuturism. And so 171 00:08:35,219 --> 00:08:37,919 Afrofuturism is really again, looking at 172 00:08:38,129 --> 00:08:40,199 ancient and not even just ancient, we're 173 00:08:40,199 --> 00:08:42,329 looking at the history from the continent, 174 00:08:42,329 --> 00:08:44,159 looking at the history of the diaspora, 175 00:08:44,579 --> 00:08:47,309 and taking things from that, and, and 176 00:08:47,339 --> 00:08:49,739 moving it forward, you know, and building 177 00:08:49,739 --> 00:08:53,069 upon little things. And so one of those 178 00:08:53,069 --> 00:08:54,989 examples is Black Panther and rest in 179 00:08:54,989 --> 00:08:58,739 peace to Chadwick Boseman. And that took 180 00:08:58,739 --> 00:09:00,419 the world by storm, you know, it's one of 181 00:09:00,419 --> 00:09:03,359 the tops all time selling, grossing films. 182 00:09:03,749 --> 00:09:08,189 And still, it's still highly being, being 183 00:09:08,189 --> 00:09:10,379 highly revered. And that's because we are 184 00:09:10,379 --> 00:09:13,199 seeing images based on African culture, 185 00:09:13,199 --> 00:09:14,789 based on African people that have never 186 00:09:14,789 --> 00:09:18,179 been seen before. And so we're now seeing 187 00:09:18,239 --> 00:09:20,819 what a green city could look like, you 188 00:09:20,819 --> 00:09:23,519 know, environmentally friendly, 189 00:09:23,549 --> 00:09:25,829 economically friendly city could look 190 00:09:25,829 --> 00:09:28,109 like. And so it brings questions into 191 00:09:28,109 --> 00:09:30,119 like, what are, what are the things that we 192 00:09:30,119 --> 00:09:32,849 are doing in the present, to make our 193 00:09:32,849 --> 00:09:34,829 cities more sustainable as it relates to 194 00:09:34,829 --> 00:09:39,119 the earth? You know, and, and also, like, 195 00:09:39,149 --> 00:09:40,859 with going back to this reference in Black 196 00:09:40,859 --> 00:09:43,019 Panther, again, we see like, you know, the 197 00:09:43,019 --> 00:09:45,899 heart shape herb, you know, as the thing 198 00:09:45,899 --> 00:09:47,699 that empowers the Panther, and that 199 00:09:47,699 --> 00:09:49,799 empowers the people, you know, and so 200 00:09:49,799 --> 00:09:51,809 again, we're looking at vegetation and 201 00:09:51,839 --> 00:09:54,029 agriculture and cetera, et cetera. We're 202 00:09:54,029 --> 00:09:56,519 now in this moment in time it's so 203 00:09:56,519 --> 00:10:01,229 important because any type of antidote or 204 00:10:01,229 --> 00:10:03,329 vaccine, that's going to be pushed 205 00:10:03,329 --> 00:10:06,539 forward it has to have natural remedies 206 00:10:06,539 --> 00:10:08,099 in it, you know, it's gonna have to have 207 00:10:08,399 --> 00:10:10,259 natural extracts in it, you know, what is 208 00:10:10,259 --> 00:10:11,819 vitamin C come from? you can't get that 209 00:10:11,819 --> 00:10:14,999 from me, you get the only from the earth, 210 00:10:15,089 --> 00:10:19,049 you know. But anyway, this is not an 211 00:10:19,049 --> 00:10:21,659 advocacy for veganism! This is more about 212 00:10:21,659 --> 00:10:24,269 education. And for me, it's about the 213 00:10:24,269 --> 00:10:25,979 visuals, right? The education starts with 214 00:10:25,979 --> 00:10:28,319 the visuals, if you look at what we call 215 00:10:28,319 --> 00:10:30,749 the classical time period, within european 216 00:10:30,749 --> 00:10:33,809 art, and even before that, if you 217 00:10:33,809 --> 00:10:36,719 even go back to ancient Africa, places 218 00:10:36,719 --> 00:10:38,609 Like Comet, places like ancient Congo, 219 00:10:38,609 --> 00:10:42,299 places like ancient great Zimbabwe, places 220 00:10:42,299 --> 00:10:46,349 like ancient Aksum, Abyssinia, etc, etc, 221 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:48,749 they use visuals to educate the people. 222 00:10:49,019 --> 00:10:51,149 And so what we don't realize is that the 223 00:10:51,149 --> 00:10:53,579 media is using visuals to educate people 224 00:10:53,579 --> 00:10:55,649 to make us think about ourselves in certain 225 00:10:55,649 --> 00:10:57,329 ways, and make people think about us in 226 00:10:57,329 --> 00:10:59,309 certain ways. And so we need to challenge 227 00:10:59,309 --> 00:11:01,649 that in this moment in time. And we really 228 00:11:01,649 --> 00:11:04,319 need to push alternative narratives that 229 00:11:04,319 --> 00:11:07,049 are empowered, but also creating unity. 230 00:11:07,049 --> 00:11:09,269 And again, speaking to this idea of one love 231 00:11:09,269 --> 00:11:13,949 and humanity. And so for me, I, I embed 232 00:11:13,949 --> 00:11:16,319 that into my work, I embed that into my 233 00:11:16,319 --> 00:11:18,059 work as much as I can I have an art piece 234 00:11:18,059 --> 00:11:20,939 called "Dance for Her Pride." And that art 235 00:11:20,939 --> 00:11:24,089 piece was inspired by my great, by my 236 00:11:24,089 --> 00:11:25,469 grandmother, and my great grandmother, 237 00:11:25,619 --> 00:11:29,669 they love to dance, and they're very 238 00:11:30,389 --> 00:11:34,439 religious, or pious in a lot of ways. And 239 00:11:34,589 --> 00:11:36,959 they were Baptists, and, and they get into 240 00:11:37,019 --> 00:11:39,449 what they call the Spirit, they jump up and ha! ha! Hey, ha! 241 00:11:39,449 --> 00:11:42,839 And you know, and it was, it was 242 00:11:42,839 --> 00:11:44,549 interesting, because when I went to Ghana, 243 00:11:44,579 --> 00:11:47,579 to South Africa, I saw what that meant to 244 00:11:47,579 --> 00:11:50,159 be in the Spirit, and I just met, you are 245 00:11:50,159 --> 00:11:51,599 now connected to something bigger, 246 00:11:51,599 --> 00:11:55,289 to something deeper, and, and in that moment, 247 00:11:55,289 --> 00:11:57,539 your body moves your body, your body is 248 00:11:57,539 --> 00:11:58,829 freed, there's a there's a sense of 249 00:11:58,829 --> 00:12:01,319 liberation that comes with that. And we're 250 00:12:01,319 --> 00:12:03,989 seeing that right now, you know, as art is 251 00:12:03,989 --> 00:12:06,119 a thing that it's helping people deal with 252 00:12:06,119 --> 00:12:07,919 the depression of the lockdown and 253 00:12:07,919 --> 00:12:10,229 quarantine, art in so many ways are 254 00:12:10,229 --> 00:12:12,929 uplifting people's spirits, on so many 255 00:12:12,929 --> 00:12:17,549 levels, and so "Dance for Her Pride" is me 256 00:12:17,579 --> 00:12:20,189 imagining my great grandmother and my 257 00:12:20,189 --> 00:12:22,859 grandmother, being able to feel free 258 00:12:22,859 --> 00:12:26,039 enough, liberated enough, safe enough to 259 00:12:26,039 --> 00:12:29,789 dance in public, and be in the spirit in 260 00:12:29,789 --> 00:12:32,309 the public, you know, and so that's 261 00:12:32,309 --> 00:12:34,079 something I would like to see for the 262 00:12:34,079 --> 00:12:37,229 future, you know, and so in that art piece, I 263 00:12:37,229 --> 00:12:39,479 had different grandmother's who I’ve met 264 00:12:39,479 --> 00:12:42,089 in my travels. So I didn't have my actual 265 00:12:42,089 --> 00:12:44,699 grandmother in my art piece. But I had a grandmother 266 00:12:44,699 --> 00:12:47,069 who I met in Haiti, I had a grandmother 267 00:12:47,069 --> 00:12:49,859 who I met in Belize, I had a 268 00:12:49,859 --> 00:12:52,559 grandmother who I met in South Africa, and 269 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:54,929 I had a grandmother who I met in, in 270 00:12:54,929 --> 00:12:55,559 Montreal. 271 00:12:56,549 --> 00:12:59,819 And I put these four queens, these 272 00:12:59,819 --> 00:13:02,039 matriarchs into this, into this picture, 273 00:13:02,039 --> 00:13:04,289 and they're all dancing, and then they're 274 00:13:04,289 --> 00:13:07,589 standing beside this lioness. And, for me, 275 00:13:07,589 --> 00:13:09,269 it speaks to this idea, again, of this 276 00:13:09,269 --> 00:13:11,429 intersectionality on so many different 277 00:13:11,429 --> 00:13:14,219 levels. But again, this idea of unity, and 278 00:13:14,219 --> 00:13:18,839 Afrotopia, and showing an image that I 279 00:13:18,839 --> 00:13:21,149 would like to see for the future that I 280 00:13:21,149 --> 00:13:22,649 would like to work towards, how can we 281 00:13:22,649 --> 00:13:26,219 make society a safer place? and, and a 282 00:13:26,219 --> 00:13:28,619 place that people feel safe, you know, 283 00:13:29,099 --> 00:13:30,959 because right now, in this moment in time, 284 00:13:30,959 --> 00:13:32,909 my grandmother would never feel safe to 285 00:13:32,909 --> 00:13:34,889 just dance freely, you know, for all 286 00:13:34,889 --> 00:13:36,689 different types of reasons, again, 287 00:13:36,689 --> 00:13:37,619 speaking to this idea of 288 00:13:37,619 --> 00:13:42,719 intersectionality. And so I try to embed 289 00:13:42,719 --> 00:13:45,119 these ideas into my work. And so another 290 00:13:45,119 --> 00:13:49,919 example of that, that that's coming to 291 00:13:49,919 --> 00:13:52,499 mind at this moment, is the "Library of 292 00:13:52,529 --> 00:13:58,619 Unlearning." And so for me, I've never been 293 00:13:58,619 --> 00:14:02,669 a fan of post secondary, like being, 294 00:14:03,929 --> 00:14:07,139 doing my masters. But because I recognize 295 00:14:07,139 --> 00:14:09,269 that for a very long time, especially in 296 00:14:09,269 --> 00:14:11,999 Canada, despite what people want to think 297 00:14:12,509 --> 00:14:15,389 that we, as Black people who came to this 298 00:14:15,389 --> 00:14:17,999 country weren't allowed to be educated in 299 00:14:17,999 --> 00:14:19,859 this country. My parents came here in the 300 00:14:19,859 --> 00:14:22,409 60s, and they weren't able to, to go 301 00:14:22,409 --> 00:14:25,229 to school, because there was all these 302 00:14:25,349 --> 00:14:28,289 legislations and restrictions 303 00:14:28,289 --> 00:14:31,499 that were put on them as immigrants. But 304 00:14:31,499 --> 00:14:32,939 then on top of that, they recognized that 305 00:14:32,939 --> 00:14:34,739 Black people were being pushed to a very 306 00:14:34,739 --> 00:14:37,229 specific place and to a very specific 307 00:14:37,229 --> 00:14:39,749 pipeline. Even if you were here before, 308 00:14:39,989 --> 00:14:42,569 you know, even if you identify as a part 309 00:14:42,569 --> 00:14:44,999 of being the lineage of loyalists, Black 310 00:14:44,999 --> 00:14:46,829 Canadians, or even if you go further back 311 00:14:47,069 --> 00:14:49,829 to Arcadians, who came from France, or 312 00:14:49,829 --> 00:14:52,709 even if you go further back the Africans who 313 00:14:52,709 --> 00:14:55,379 came here before Samuel de Champlain and 314 00:14:55,379 --> 00:14:58,889 before Cartier, you know, and if you don't 315 00:14:58,889 --> 00:15:00,929 believe me, feel free to google, that 316 00:15:00,929 --> 00:15:02,429 there were Black people who came here with 317 00:15:02,429 --> 00:15:06,899 Indigenous folks. But like a lot of them 318 00:15:06,899 --> 00:15:11,189 still faced the systemic barriers 319 00:15:11,219 --> 00:15:13,649 that prevented them from achieving certain 320 00:15:13,649 --> 00:15:15,869 levels of education, because they were 321 00:15:15,869 --> 00:15:19,319 seen as only being able to go so far, 322 00:15:19,529 --> 00:15:22,109 because going into post-secondary 323 00:15:22,259 --> 00:15:25,829 institutions for a very, very long time, 324 00:15:25,949 --> 00:15:28,649 society saw that as useless. And so the 325 00:15:28,649 --> 00:15:32,909 reason why I'm mentionning this because for 326 00:15:32,909 --> 00:15:34,859 a very long time, I felt like, the only 327 00:15:34,859 --> 00:15:37,169 way I could educate people is 328 00:15:37,169 --> 00:15:40,709 through art and not through theory, you know, and so now, I'm 329 00:15:40,709 --> 00:15:42,959 in an interesting place where I'm finally, 330 00:15:42,959 --> 00:15:44,939 being able to put the theory to my 331 00:15:44,939 --> 00:15:49,769 practice, and to my art. And so a lot of 332 00:15:49,769 --> 00:15:51,929 the things that I'm bringing forward are 333 00:15:51,929 --> 00:15:53,489 not necessarily the things that I've 334 00:15:53,489 --> 00:15:55,289 created, but the things I've cultivated 335 00:15:55,589 --> 00:15:56,909 through the knowledge that I gained from 336 00:15:56,909 --> 00:15:58,649 my elders and through the research. And I 337 00:15:58,649 --> 00:16:02,399 feel like the biggest gap right now is the 338 00:16:02,399 --> 00:16:05,669 gap of the knowledge of the past, and 339 00:16:05,669 --> 00:16:07,739 those who are the elders, and those who 340 00:16:07,739 --> 00:16:10,499 have been doing the practice, and 341 00:16:10,949 --> 00:16:12,719 disseminating that knowledge to the 342 00:16:12,719 --> 00:16:16,859 masses. And so I feel like that's one of 343 00:16:16,859 --> 00:16:19,619 the things I've, I believe, we need to 344 00:16:19,619 --> 00:16:22,019 focus on moving forward, how to bridge 345 00:16:22,019 --> 00:16:24,029 that gap, and how to start thinking more 346 00:16:24,059 --> 00:16:26,249 about what are we doing, to make the 347 00:16:26,249 --> 00:16:31,769 future that we all want to see. So I have 348 00:16:32,189 --> 00:16:35,129 many recommendations, and in terms of what 349 00:16:35,129 --> 00:16:37,379 people can do to be a part of this change, 350 00:16:38,729 --> 00:16:41,969 to make things better, and what I consider 351 00:16:41,969 --> 00:16:46,169 to be the change reaction. And one of the 352 00:16:46,169 --> 00:16:49,829 things is doing due diligence, with 353 00:16:49,889 --> 00:16:52,379 learning more about the history of this 354 00:16:52,379 --> 00:16:56,249 land, and some of the documentation about 355 00:16:56,249 --> 00:16:59,309 it. So that goes all the way from the 356 00:16:59,309 --> 00:17:01,529 treaties, to again, like what I referenced 357 00:17:01,529 --> 00:17:03,329 some of the Black Arcadian, some of them 358 00:17:03,329 --> 00:17:05,549 Black Indigenous people who were here, who 359 00:17:05,549 --> 00:17:07,199 were allies to Indigenous people here, 360 00:17:07,499 --> 00:17:09,809 learning about people like Matthew de Costa, 361 00:17:10,229 --> 00:17:14,309 you know, and so many others that, that, 362 00:17:14,309 --> 00:17:15,599 you know, again, I don't want to give 363 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:17,219 everything away, because you know, I don’t 364 00:17:17,219 --> 00:17:18,929 believe in spoon feeding people, I’d rather 365 00:17:19,349 --> 00:17:21,179 show people how to catch the fish and let 366 00:17:21,179 --> 00:17:23,969 them learn how to fish themselves. And so, 367 00:17:24,539 --> 00:17:26,879 essentially, there's a lot of work out 368 00:17:26,879 --> 00:17:29,099 there that I feel like people are just 369 00:17:29,099 --> 00:17:32,369 lazy in a lot of ways, and don't want to 370 00:17:32,369 --> 00:17:35,099 look for it. And so, a book that's coming 371 00:17:35,099 --> 00:17:37,769 out that I helped to co-edit with the 372 00:17:37,769 --> 00:17:40,289 great Dr. Audrey Hudson is called 373 00:17:41,189 --> 00:17:42,959 "Cosmic Underground North Side 374 00:17:43,049 --> 00:17:47,009 Incantations of Black Canadian Discourse 375 00:17:47,189 --> 00:17:51,629 and Discontent." And this book is going to 376 00:17:51,629 --> 00:17:53,789 be Canada's first Afrofuturism book is 377 00:17:53,789 --> 00:17:56,549 coming out in the fall of 2020. And 378 00:17:57,539 --> 00:18:00,599 essentially speaks about coexistence. For 379 00:18:01,319 --> 00:18:05,099 for the future, you know, Black futurism 380 00:18:05,099 --> 00:18:07,919 and afrofuturism is Indigenous futurism. 381 00:18:07,919 --> 00:18:09,779 They go hand in hand, because it's about 382 00:18:09,779 --> 00:18:11,939 the earth is about how have we created 383 00:18:11,939 --> 00:18:14,909 sustainable practices. And so I would 384 00:18:14,909 --> 00:18:16,319 encourage people to look out for that 385 00:18:16,319 --> 00:18:17,849 book, not just because it's my book, but 386 00:18:17,849 --> 00:18:19,949 because we have writers who are Afro- 387 00:18:19,949 --> 00:18:22,229 Indigenous, and we have all different 388 00:18:22,229 --> 00:18:24,659 types of folks who are from the different 389 00:18:24,659 --> 00:18:26,699 parts of the diaspora and are from across 390 00:18:26,699 --> 00:18:29,009 Canada all sharing their views on how can 391 00:18:29,009 --> 00:18:31,229 we work towards a more sustainable future. 392 00:18:31,229 --> 00:18:33,809 And so that's something I would suggest to 393 00:18:33,809 --> 00:18:36,509 people to look at because in that there 394 00:18:36,509 --> 00:18:38,009 are also resources, you know, one of the 395 00:18:38,009 --> 00:18:41,039 things I've learned in post-secondary was 396 00:18:42,990 --> 00:18:46,380 essays, and academic work and scholarly 397 00:18:46,380 --> 00:18:49,500 work, is a conversation. And so one of the 398 00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:52,770 great things about this book is that you 399 00:18:52,770 --> 00:18:54,720 can see some of the references and the 400 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:56,640 resources of the conversations that these 401 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:58,860 people are referring to. So it helps with 402 00:18:58,860 --> 00:19:04,140 doing deeper research, in my opinion. I hope 403 00:19:04,140 --> 00:19:05,820 people start thinking about themselves as 404 00:19:05,850 --> 00:19:09,150 ancestors. That will be my, my main 405 00:19:09,150 --> 00:19:09,720 message, 406 00:19:09,780 --> 00:19:10,290 you know, 407 00:19:10,350 --> 00:19:11,550 'cause when you think of yourself as the 408 00:19:11,550 --> 00:19:13,170 ancestor, you recognize that you have an 409 00:19:13,170 --> 00:19:15,330 accountability, you know, you have an 410 00:19:15,330 --> 00:19:17,250 accountability not just to the present, 411 00:19:17,730 --> 00:19:19,530 or to those who come after you, but also 412 00:19:19,530 --> 00:19:20,970 you're accountable for those who came 413 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,150 before you. So for me, I think about the 414 00:19:24,150 --> 00:19:27,090 sacrifices of my, my grandfather, you 415 00:19:27,090 --> 00:19:30,720 know, my great grandfather, Baba, who, 416 00:19:30,900 --> 00:19:33,390 who's of Ewe descent and all he had to go 417 00:19:33,390 --> 00:19:36,000 through to, to allow me to be here, you know, 418 00:19:36,060 --> 00:19:38,010 and my great grandmother, as I, who I referenced 419 00:19:38,010 --> 00:19:40,500 earlier, Mama-Sue and so I have 420 00:19:40,500 --> 00:19:43,740 accountability to take their sacrifices 421 00:19:43,740 --> 00:19:45,540 and the privileges that I was able to gain 422 00:19:45,930 --> 00:19:49,530 from the work and their survival, to now 423 00:19:49,620 --> 00:19:51,420 elevate it for those who come after, you 424 00:19:51,420 --> 00:19:54,990 know, and, and give the necessary tool 425 00:19:54,990 --> 00:19:58,080 sets, to, to the future, you know, to to 426 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:00,210 continue to build and continue to push 427 00:20:00,210 --> 00:20:03,030 forward, you know, and so, I want to 428 00:20:03,030 --> 00:20:04,710 encourage people to also think of 429 00:20:04,710 --> 00:20:06,480 themselves in that same manner, you know, 430 00:20:06,660 --> 00:20:08,340 recognizing that you are not separated 431 00:20:08,340 --> 00:20:10,140 from your past or the future.