Rituals of Repossession
Returning to Black Frequencies – A live reading and discussion with Adéọlá and MAIA
Adéọlá
MAIA
09/11/23
18:00-20:00
Online
Join us for a live reading and discussion of “The Creative Ethos of the African Diaspora: Performance Aesthetics and the Fight for Freedom and Identity” by Dr Clinton Hutton, Professor in Caribbean Political Philosophy, Culture & Aesthetics at the University of the West Indies. Together, we’ll explore themes around the Black Imagination, ritual, performance, the self, spirituality and culture for liberation.
“While rituals of possession or rituals of ownership of Black people were at the heart of White people’s agency for the maintenance of slavery, rituals of repossession were central to the struggles of the enslaved for freedom, sovereignty and being. These sacred nocturnal meetings were rituals of repossession engendering a profoundly important psycho-epistemic/psycho-ontological weaving of personhood, of community and of agency antithetical to enslavement.”
This is an intimate space for co-learning; working through an academic text at a gentle pace and inviting reflections from everybody. While the session will be facilitated by Adéọlá, there are no experts in the room, and we ask that everyone please arrives ready to participate. Please be aware that this is a protected space for Black people only to attend.
A therapist will also be present in the space, particularly as the article includes some distressing themes. We will share content warnings in advance, but if anybody would like to speak more about how we can support them in joining then please email ac@maiagroup.co
Biography
Adéọlá is an artist living and working in Cardiff, UK. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she is interested in folk and indigenous performances engaging discourse around identity, diaspora and ritual. Her practice involves drawing, painting, performance art, spoken word and writing. She is particularly drawn to performances of transformation (as in Carnival and masquerade) as well as the making of sacred spaces. Her recent work involves painting and photography rooted in African diaspora spirituality. Adéọlá is founder and director of Laku Neg – an artist-run company invested in African Diaspora knowledge exchange.
MAIA is a Black-led organisation based in Birmingham that explores art and culture as strategy for liberation. Adeola is currently working with MAIA as a Fellow, alongside Daniel Oduntan. This event forms part of their co-curated Radical Imagination Lab on (Returning to) Black Frequencies.
Please be aware that this is a protected space for Black people only to attend.
