40 Nights of the Voice: in memory of Kamau Brathwaite
Kamau Brathwaite has left us all an extensive and generous inheritance. His work reaches back to our collective past. He tended to that in his role as historian and cultural critic but he was also never afraid of innovation.
Beginning on the occasion of his 90th born day (May 11), we honour his gifts for 40 nights (May 11th - June 19th). We have invited writers and scholars to share in the spirit of the word and give voice to portions of his incredible body of work. We hope that this collective celebration will serve both as commemoration of his legacy and a way to commune together during this time of quarantine.
Brathwaite was a pioneer in imagining collective futures, communities of the word and new literary forms. He wrote of our mythic and submerged histories, re-imagined island geographies, theoretically innovated Caribbean studies, aesthetically contributed to Caribbean language, voice, text, and carved out a space for Caribbean literature and studies to grow collectively.
Brathwaite also connected us in diaspora and his work became a space of encounter for all of us. It helped us to think about who we are and to understand the forces that brought us to different places around the world.
We felt that Kamau Brathwaite would appreciate the significance of the number 40. The etymological root of quarantine is 40 (quaranta). ‘Forty days night’ is also one of our Caribbean mourning traditions. The timing of this celebration and remembrance will not only mark his day of birth but will also carry us into the spirit of Juneteenth (June 19th -- Emancipation Day in the United States). Together we will share in the emancipatory power of his words, in a slow release over 40 nights.
life & death shall here be voice.
--------------------------
Please follow us on twitter @Kamauremix for a new video released nightly, 6pm (EST/AST) .
The first week of readings by Kwame Dawes, Dionne Brand, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Opal Palmer Adisa are available at https://twitter.com/KamauRemix
A weekly schedule of readers will be announced each Monday.
We also invite you to join us by uploading your own videos.
Please share widely with the hashtags: #KamauBrathwaite #40nightsofTheVoice
________________________________
########################################################################
To unsubscribe from the CARIBBEAN-STUDIES list, click the following link:
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=CARIBBEAN-STUDIES&A=1
|