"WhereWeStand" National Project
Edmonton- Winnipeg
It was an honor to be invited to be part of the WhereWeStand Project again and to be with amazing storytellers from all over Canada.
On Nov 14th ,II traveled to Edmonton with my brother Aaron Mckay to share our stories and imagery with the public. A second premiere was held in Winnipeg at the CMHR on Nov 17th.
For Mckay, the project will focus on the theme of displacement and being the walking shadow on his homeland and how he found himself through connecting with the land, culture, family, and ancestors. For me, the project offered a chance to share about the Palestinian, as it extends in its concept and comprehensiveness to the geopolitical vocabulary and the divided and violated reality. Through my poetry, i hope to share the human face of my land and how our attachment to our land is flexible but solid, branching from the heart to the limbs .. It is, as the ancestors taught us, our word against the occupation. This is something we hope to continue to take on the road and keep sharing our story.
About:
WhereWeStand pairs an Indigenous participant with a newcomer participant and supports their process towards creating a story that will be widely shared with a public audience. Participants may choose any form of expression – including dance, music, film, theatre, or installation – to produce their creative work.
WhereWeStand invites participants to reimagine the land that sustains and shelters Indigenous peoples and newcomers. WhereWeStand is the third iteration of the inaugural i am… project, which opened the door to the shared experiences of displacement, which fuels the expression that frames the creative outcome. Identity and belonging are not fixed but ebb, flow, and evolve as
the land beneath us shifts.
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