Scarborough-based performance art group visit campus for a noon hour concert
On Feb. 13, Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere (R.I.S.E.), performed a spoken word showcase at the University Centre courtyard. This event featured Lul Joseph, Jayda Marley, Levyi-Alexander Love, and Faduma Mohamed. The theme was black girl power and each of these poets covered topics which black women, and black people in general, face as they come of age.
Joseph possesses the rare gift of being able to have a crowd laughing and nodding solemnly almost in the same breath. Wielding her charisma and poetry like a sword, she cut the tension in the room just as easily as she conjured it. Joseph’s poetry focused on the phenomena of white-washing and the clashing of identities which occurs when black women occupy white-dominated spaces.
Marley’s poetry centered around police brutality, fear of law enforcement and black-on-black violence and it is no exaggeration to say that a collective hush fell over the crowd as she took the stage. The fierceness of her words was bolstered by personal anecdotes and a willingness to tackle issues candidly. As she finished speaking, the crowd was poised to leap from their seats and join her in her outrage.
Love waxed lyrics about black women with a sincerity that had the crowd besotted by the second line. The conviction behind his words was strengthened by an endearing support for his fellow poets as they discussed their own experiences as black women.
Love was followed by Mohamed who had the crowd at a stand still as she painted the picture of a strong, aging woman falling in and out love and raising a family. It felt as if the crowd had collectively decided that any movement would break the spell — so captivating and enchanting was her story.
R.I.S.E. is a performance art community movement based in Scarborough. This spoken word showcase was a noon hour concert that was part of the University of Guelph’s Black History Month programming, previously scheduled on Feb. 6, but rescheduled due to a snow day.
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Feature photo by Eliana Sinicropi