George Elliott Clarke, an African Nova Scotian and Indigenous writer and poet, and D.D. Jackson, JUNO award winning composer and Ottawa native, hosted this year’s 5 Poets Breaking into Song.
It was the 16th time Clarke hosted the event, which was originally started to “showcase poems that had become songs,” Clarke said.
Clarke was joined by five poets from across the Atlantic region, including Delvina Bernard, El Jones, Reed “iZrEAL” Jones, Salima Tourkmani-MacDonald and Stedmond Pardy. Each poet flowed through words centred around historical oppression, community and resilience. Spoken with passion, each performer presented their own unique style that reflected the pulse of their poetry. Jackson and fellow musicians Shanice Skinner and Dean Bowman breathed rhythm and melody into each poem by creating a musical counterpart that followed the recited poems.
Jackson said the music is rooted in African Canadian and African American traditions, combining soul, blues, church and gospel styles.
During rehearsals before the event, Jackson discussed the power music has during challenging times and his work composing the music for the performance.
“It’s struggling against odds, against pain, but it’s sort of giving you a catharsis, even in the sometimes bitterness of blues,” said Jackson.
Skinner, who hails from New Glasgow, N.S. and is a soprano performer in The Hague, Netherlands, noted the significance of her African Nova Scotian roots.
“My musical identity comes completely from the community that raised me from different areas — growing up, singing in the church, singing in school, singing in choir, singing in the music festival every year,” she said. “I come from a small town, but we have a super rich musical community. [We’re] super supportive of each other, and it only kept me going. It only gave me the confidence to go out there into the world and continue.”
During the event, the poets spoke of the lived experiences that inspired them and paid homage to those who paved the way. Tourkmani-MacDonald honoured her ancestors, while Jones passionately cited her experiences in Palestine. Clarke recited three poems by African Maritimer trailblazer Anna Minerva Henderson, who is believed to be the first Black Canadian-born woman to publish a poetry book. Henderson published Citadel in 1967 — a love letter to her hometown of Saint John, N.B.
Inspired by Henderson, Clarke said he hopes to mirror a sense of community through his 5 Poets events. He also gave advice to the next generations.
“Continue the struggle and triumph,” Clarke said. “You do not think that you have won. Even when you think you have won, do not think that, because history right now tells us that you can win all kinds of entries. You’ve got to continuously protect and preserve the rights that you believe can be so important — or else, you lose.”
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