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The Kun’tewiktuk Project
In the 2019 Indigenous theatre research-creation project, Kun’tewiktuk, facilitated in partnership with The Centre for Sound Communities, Membertou First Nation collaborative researchers investigated personal experiences, histories and legacies of migration and encounter in Cape Breton through a theatrical production and film presentation. Subsequent publications in 2020 further explored the significance of the 1916 forced relocation of the Mi’kmaq and its historic and personal consequences on the Membertou First Nation community.
“[What Kun’tewiktuk] meant to the community is that … we were able to open a door into history and to show the people … how it was back in the early 1900s … It was a very significant and traumatic time,” — Graham Marshall, Councillor, Membertou First Nation, Traditional Knowledge-holder, Kun’tewiktuk Project
“We’re carrying this pride in ourselves that we learned this together, and that we worked on this project together and that we successfully brought it to fruition. [We] had a very emotional and a very powerful story to tell, and when that story was told, the elders embraced the youth and they said, ‘That was incredible; that was very good and that was very strong.’ That’s the spirit of our people, that’s the spirit of Membertou, that’s the spirit of Kun’tewiktuk.” — Clifford Paul, Traditional Knowledge-holder, Membertou First Nation Researcher & Consultant, Kun’tewiktuk Project
In this film, Membertou First Nation collaborative researchers speak about their participation in the Kun’tewiktuk Project:
REFER TO:
Ostashewski, Marcia, and Shaylene Johnson. 2020. “Relocation, Research and Reconciliation in Unama’ki.” In My Body Was Left on the Street: Music Education and Displacement, edited by Kính T. Vu and André de Quadros, 267–280. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Ostashewski, Marcia, and Clifford Paul, Graham Marshall, Shaylene Johnson. 2020. “Fostering Reconciliation Collaborative Research in Unama’ki: Engaging Communities through Indigenous Methodologies and Research-Creation”. Yearbook for Traditional Music 52: 23-40.
Songs and Stories in Celebration of the International Decade for People of African Descent
Fodé Lassana Diabaté is a virtuoso balafon (22-key xylophone) player from Mali. Thanks to Support for Culture and Cape Breton University (CBU), Lassana will be visiting Cape Breton Island in April for a series of public performances, school visits, and studio recording sessions.
The public is invited to join Lassana on April 2, at Halifax North Library on April 3, at Cape Breton University’s Centre for Sound Communities Studio, on April 8, at Centre Communautaire Étoile de l’Acadie, on April 9, at Menelik Hall in Whitney Pier, and on April 13, at the McConnell Public Library in Sydney’s waterfront district. Additional programming will take place in Halifax and Cheticamp.
These interactive events are part of CBU’s Centre for Sound Communities community-based arts research project called “Songs and Stories in Celebration of the International Decade for People of African Descent.” The public is invited to enjoy the music and stories of Lassana’s traditional culture. Audience members will also be asked to share their own experiences surrounding songs and stories of their own communities and cultures. All ages are encouraged to attend.
Lassana began playing balafon at the age of five with his father, a master balafon player. He has collaborated with international artists across a number of genres including jazz and Latin music, and was a member of the Grammy-nominated Mali-Cuba collaboration, Afrocubism.
Lassana is also the leader of the group Trio Da Kali, a trio of Malian griot musicians who are revising forgotten repertoires and styles of the revered Mande griot tradition. Few can match Lassana’s lyricism and virtuosity, or the resonant sound of the rosewood keys of his balafons, which he crafts with his own hands.
“Songs and Stories” with Lassana Diabaté will take place on April 2, at CBU at 2 p.m., on April 3 at Halifax North Memorial at 7 p.m, April 9, at Melenik Hall at 6:00 p.m., and on April 13, at the McConnell Library at 3:00 p.m. On April 8 at Centre Communautaire Étoile de l’Acadie, the public is invited to bring a dish to a community potluck celebration at 5pm. For more information please visit soundcommunities.org.
To schedule an interview please contact Dr. Marcia Ostashewski, Director, Centre for Sound Communities at (780) 264-7624 or marcia_ostashewski@cbu.ca.
Digital Humanities Workshop
Digital Humanities Workshop
May 1 -2
Experts from ACENET and the CBU Library are leading this free, two day event. Nutrition breaks and lunches are provided. The following topics will be offered:
Is Advanced Computing for Me?
Research Data Management
and Cloud Powering Digital Humanities Research
Please email sound_communities@cbu.ca for more information.
To register, see information below and click on the poster to activate pdf with hyperlinks:
Songs and Stories of Migration and Encounter: Session 3
Session 3:
Duration: 6 weeks on Mondays
Time: 6:30 – 8:30PM
Start Date: January 29, 2018
End Date: March 5, 2018
Price: FREE
Facilitators: Facilitated by Dr. Marcia Ostashewski and Shaylene Paul.
Songs and Stories of Migration and Encounter: Session 3
Session 3:
Duration: 6 weeks on Mondays
Time: 6:30 – 8:30PM
Start Date: January 29, 2018
End Date: March 5, 2018
Price: FREE
Facilitators: Facilitated by Dr. Marcia Ostashewski and Shaylene Paul.
Week Two
For the second week of the Songs and Stories of Migration and Encounter workshops we were excited to have Dr. Heather Fitzsimmons-Frey visiting from Toronto. Dr. Fitzsimmons- Frey is a Banting Post- Doctoral Fellow at York University. Heathers research is focused towards performance histories, dance, gender and youth. Her expertise helped us connect the youth through choreograph exercises and facilitate the elder talks throughout the week. Dr. Fitzsimmons-Frey joined us for each workshop.
In Menelik Hall the youth welcomed two university students from CBU’s Applied Theatre program, who will be joining them for the remainder of the workshops. The workshop content consisted of some theatre and movement exercises and some fantastic conversation with four elders from the community.
The Workshop in Cheticamp was set up on the main stage of the Theatre of the Conseil des Arts de Chéticamp to focus on choreographic experimentations. Co-facilitator Thomas Colford had the youth mixing acadian step dancing with body percussions. Instead of an elder talk this week, we had the honour of listening to the legendary Acadian musical and theatre author Paul Gallant perform. By the end of the workshop Paul very generously offered to help out in our next workshops playing the guitar.
On Thursday at Étoile de l’Acadie French participants were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to listen to the Centre’s director Lisa Berthier. Lisa spoke about her own migration experiences in Canada.
In Membertou participants and facilitators gathered in the Elders room along with three CBU students from the applied theatre program and indigenous elder, Jeff Ward – who is the General Manager of the Heritage Park. During the initial talking circle the elders told stories and shared their knowledge with us. Following the chat, Heather and Thomas led some activities to help everyone to get to know each other better. Ending the workshop, we did our first music jam session where we sang songs, danced and had an all-around good time.
This second week of workshops was full of amazing stories and ideas. We heard many local stories about migrating to Canada and shared in the wisdom of our elders that will help build the structure of our performance pieces. The youth also got their first taste of the creative process that they will pursue in the coming weeks of workshops.
Singing the Circle: World Singing Day
Singing the Circle: World Singing Day Date is Sunday, October 22, 2017.
The start time is 2p.m. and the ending time will be announced soon!
Singing the Circle | World Singing Day | Songs & Stories of Migration and Encounter
Singing the Circle workshops are designed to explore and celebrate the basic human act of singing and the artistic use of the human voice within the circle of life, from the time of birth through to the end of life. The 2017 World Singing Day Weekend is an opportune time for singers of all ages to gather together and explore the miracle of the singing voice alongside the esteemed Cape Breton Chorale, accompanied by the finest instrumentalists from the island and beyond. World Singing Day Weekend is a perfect occasion to join our voices together in harmony to reconcile and pay homage to Canadian confederation at 150. Come, Sing the Circle with us as we take the time to reflect, refresh, renew, and rejoice with our voice!
All My Relations – Community Arts Research Showcase
Sunday, October, 22, 2017, 2PM – Boardmore Theatre, Cape Breton University
Join us for an afternoon of music and entertainment, featuring performances by The Cape Breton Choral, youth participants of our Songs and Stories of Migration workshops, Singing the Circle: Choral Workshop participants and a special Indigenous Welcome by Clifford Paul. The afternoon will also include several interactive multimedia activities and light refreshments.
Singing the Circle Choral Workshop
Date: Saturday, October 21, 2017
Time: TBC
Location: Centre for Sound Communities
Join us on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at the Centre for Sound Communities for Singing the Circle: Choral Workshop, a Multi-generational choral workshop lead by Ardelle Ries, University of Alberta and Cathy Benedict, Western University.
The workshop will be followed by a performance for World Singing Day Concert the Boardmore Theatre, CBU on Sunday, October 22, 2017. Along with performances by youth who participated in “Songs and Stories of Migration and Encounter” a five-week in-community workshop for youth ages 12-18.
Registration and more information to come, check back soon!
Sad news: Sydney's Polish Church has burned
Many Singing Storytellers participants and community audience members will remember the exquisite concert of Croatian traditional music performed at St. Mary’s Polish Parish in Whitney Pier. Sadly, today, this beautiful church that was more than a century old, has burned. Our hearts go out to the members of the Parish. More details here on CBC.