First Women, First Voices – a wicked LFO event

 

First Women, First Voices - poster by Elisha Lim

Ladyfest Ottawa is thrilled to present First Women, First Voices – a night dedicated to showcasing and celebrating the work of aboriginal women in spoken word.
We’ll begin this powerful evening with opening sets by TAQRALIK PARTRIDGE and by MOE CLARK & EMILIE MONNET, who will be debuting an excerpt of their new collaborative project, The BirdSong Prophecies.

TAQRALIK PARTRIDGE http://www.myspace.com/taqralikpartridge
MOE CLARK http://www.myspace.com/moeclarkspokenword
EMILIE MONNET http://www.electriques.ca/filles/artistes.e/m/monnet_em.php

Our featured artist for the evening is Calgary’s Sarah Murphy, who will be presenting her performance piece “when bill danced the war.” In this fierce anti-war critique of colonization, Murphy uses words and music to bear witness to her father’s experiences fighting in three wars as an indigenous man and american soldier. She will be accompanied by Toronto musician and performance artist Cheryl L’Hirondelle.

Here’s what one critic had to say about “when bill danced the war”:

“The prose is shot through with arresting images, wry observation and a clear vision of modern society’s twisted perspective on the world and its past. This is storytelling for grown-ups, an unflinching combination of wry wit, a wide perspective (taking the long view both personally and historically) and fury. Sir Laurence Olivier wrote of the play Saved by Edward Bond: ‘Saved is not a play for children but it is for grown-ups, and the grown-ups of this country should have the courage to look at it.’ This is the quality Sarah presents to us. She stands as a direct polar opposite to the mind-numbing presumptions of daytime TV, as a standard bearer for value and as a signpost toward the truth of the world. She’s like a kind of literary aunt who comes over and tells you stuff your parents don’t want you to know.” ~ Bob Lockwood

SARAH MURPHY http://www.wordhoard.co.uk/bill.htm
CHERYL L’HIRONDELLE http://www.myspace.com/cheryllhirondelle

This all-ages event will be hosted by indigenous feminist activist Jessica Yee.

Friday, October 23rd at The Bronson Centre  (211 Bronson St) 

Doors open at 7pm. Show begins at 8pm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance at Venus Envy (320 Lisgar, near Bank) and Mother Tongue Books (1067 Bank near Sunnyside). You can also get in touch with Agitate! to obtain tickets.