Art, Climate and Displacement: 3 Spoken Word Films by Selina Nwulu and Onysha D Collins

Writer and poet Selina Nwulu and filmmaker Onysha D Collins (both former Shake! participants now involved with Shake! as facilitators and mentors), have teamed up for a series of spoken word films produced by Platform. 

The three films ‘Before’, ‘Our Parents’ Children’, and ‘Home is a Hostile Lover’ are part of a commission from metaceptive for their ‘Footprint Modulation’ season on art, climate and displacement. They address, among other things, the themes of migration, displacement, identity, and the environmental damage in Nigeria caused by the oil industry.

The films were first screened at ‘Silence Would Be Treason: Between Nigeria and here + Durham De-Oiled’, a joint event by Platform and Transition Durham, which took place in Durham earlier this week.

All three pieces written and performed by Selina, and filmed and edited by Onysha.

'Before'

'Our  Parents' Children'

'Home is a Hostile Lover'

Home Cooking: Trauma Genes by Sammy Brough

Congratulations to Sammy for her commission to produce the latest Apples & Snakes Homecooking podcast.

Sammy was inspired to create this project on the subject of Trauma Genes after studying and responding to Audre Lorde's poem "Litany for Survival" during our recent #StatesOfViolence 5-day intensive arts/activism course at the Stephen Lawrence Centre.

This spoken word collaboration is made up of original pieces from Shake! participants and London-based poets featuring contributions from Wangu, Nicole, Haneen, Sai and Zena.

Sammy describes the podcast "opening up conversation on the subject of inherited trauma from a limitless number of viewpoints..." and intends to follow up with an event on the same theme.

Home Cooking: Trauma Genes by Sammy Brough by Apples_And_Snakes on Mixcloud

Follow Sammy on social media to find out more about her and her work:
Twitter: @sammybrough
Blog: tellastorypodcast.wordpress.com
Mix cloud: Sammy Brough

Shake! featured in new book: Playing for Time: Making Art as if the World Mattered

Shake! has been featured alongside other arts/ activism projects in Lucy Neal's new book: Playing for Time: Making Art as if the World Mattered.



We get a mention in the Activism chapter alongside UK Uncut, Fracking campaigns and others. Our couple of pages features poetry from Orla, quotes from Zareen, a write up from Farzana and a pic of Mujtaba in dynamic poetry mode.



Here's more info on the book from the CAT blog with liberal sprinkles of Shake! buzz words such as #NewNarratives #Reimagining:


A groundbreaking handbook for  artists, community activists and anyone wishing to reach beyond the facts and figures of science and technology to harness their creativity to make change in the world. This timely book explores the pivotal role artists play in re-thinking the future; re-inventing and re-imagining our world at a time of systemic change and uncertainty. Playing for Time identifies collaborative arts practices emerging in response to planetary challenges, reclaiming a traditional role for artists in the community as truth-tellers and agents of change.

"Don’t let anyone tell you that art can’t change the world because it can and it always has."
Artist activist, John Jordan