aah!!

I got 12 sample sisterlocks today!!!! July 18th...the final lockdown! I'm beyond excited!!

The journey begins

Night of fire was great! I really need better ways to get over my nervousness though. The show was at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton, which is a pretty large and intimidating venue. Definitely the biggest place I've performed so far, which would explain why I was so nervous. I changed outfits about 5 times, and then finally settled on what I had arrived in lol. I was in a state of internal chaos up until I went out on stage, as per normal. I got really calm while I was actually up there, and then as soon as the last words leave my mouth it's chaos again and the need to get of the stage as quickly as possible. The show was great though, and I'm proud to have been a part of it.

So tomorrow is a pretty big day for me. Not too long ago, I made a decision to get sisterlocks. I've wanted to lock up my hair for quite a while, but never really knew about sisterlocks or considered them as an option. Well after much research and contemplating, I've decided to take the plunge. I get my first set of test locks tomorrow, which I'll keep in for a few weeks before I get a full head done. I am so excited! Like any other black female out there, I have been battling my hair for what feels like a lifetime. Natural to relaxed, long to short, color to no color. Braids, weaves, ponytails, wigs, twists...all of it! I've been there, and I'm just so ready to set myself free from this hair! And to the girl who helped me make this decision, thank you! And I'll be here to welcome you into the fold when you get yours :)

Other than that...nothing new to discuss, I've got a few things kind of in the works that I'll write on later.

Be beautiful without permission - Bassey Ikpi

Night of Fire

I'm performing at a show tomorrow called Night of Fire. It's a benefit concert for African immigrant and refugee youth, and funds raised at the even will go towards $5,000 scholarships for 10 students. I am so excited to be part of it! If you're in the edmonton area, make sure to check it out...it would be the best $25 you spent on a friday night. The main act is a reggae group called Souljah Fyah, for those of you who have heard them, you already know! For those who haven't, they are absolutely fantastic, so go and get a ticket immediately. Politic Live will also be performing, they're basically the face of hiphop in the edmonton community right now, and their community involvement is astounding. I've been blessed to work with them on their upcoming compilation called Jali (More on this later). This project will really bring to light the hidden struggles of immigrant or refugee students. Getting to Canada is really only the first half of the battle, they often find themselves with such a financial burden that they eventually drop out of school. We all know that education is KEY! Which is why this event is so important. So be there or be square!

Like water

Where do I start?? It really has been a very long time, and I've now shifted into a completely different phase in my life. I graduated from university, and I'm now a full time, 9 to 5, salaried employee! I'm actually really enjoying my job, but outside of that so many new and exciting things are happening! I continue to work on my #1 passion, poetry! I'm breaking out of my box and allowing myself to try new things, fall down... get back up again, I may slow down...but never turn around. When I look back at where I was even a year ago, it's amazing how far I've come. I've learned that in sharing my art, I open myself up to blessings I never thought possible. Yes, I know I haven't been very good at updating this blog...but I'm too busy living!!! There's so much going on right now that I'll share in time. I'm working on attaining and maintaining a mind like water, never overreacting or underreacting, but perfectly ready to absorb all that comes my way.
love love love!

I'm back

The school year is coming to an end, and for me it'll be the very last one. I'm almost done!! I've been at this thing for 5 years now and I couldn't be happier it over. At the same time it means a lot of big decisions, I guess it's time to grow up. I'm in the process of finding a job right now and I'm really nervous about making the right choice, because it not only affects me but my relationship as well. Ah.. choices. In my other life, the poetry thing is going really well, I've had 2 shows since the last one I posted about. Both went really well. I've also been invited to do another event mid april. In the mean time i'm working on a piece for a poetry contest at my university. First price is $1,000 and being published in the graduation book for my graduating class, pray for me :) That's about all that new with me right now. I have a few new pieces that i'll be posting soonish. This one's a bit older and is still untitled and unfinished heh!



Let it be your intellect
That turns heads
‘Cause eager eyes following lips and hips and dips
won’t gain respect.
Let it be the self knowledge
Radiating in your eyes
That gets you noticed
Know this
You are worth more than
Insolent lips raining catcalls
Than hands grabbing and tapping
Because you
are a temple

Let it be your wit
That commands applause
Not that hip swinging you think deserves praise
Find a cause
Let it be your kindness
That wins acclaim
You were born for greatness
no less
be that daughter, sister, mother, friend
who others aspire to be
be wise and see
That this skin is temporary
Your mind is all that will remain
Again

Let it be wisdom, and knowledge
That you find in that quiet
When the fantasies of adolescence
Gives way to the realization
That all along in feeding your heart and mind
You have truly filled your spirit

Self examination

So i've watched the video of my performance over and over, and even though everyone tells me how great it was, all I see is my hands. Haha. Why am I gesturing so wildly. Truth is I am my biggest critic. I set standards for myself that are sometimes ridiculous, but at the same time these standards are what set me apart and I love that. A year ago if someone told me I'd be performing poetry in front of a crowd of people, I would've run away crying. I really have come a long way and I'm loving my brave new self. I have a week off school which is fantastic. I've promised myself I'd write one new piece, and memorize one old one. I'm yet to do either, I'm the best procrastinator you'll ever meet. Every time I update my blog, I wonder if anyone out there actually reads it. I guess it doesn't really matter, because for me it's about keeping a record of myself somewhere out there so I can look back on it from time to time. It's all about pushing boundaries and I think it's about time I started doing that. So to the invisible reader out there, go out and do something brave today :)

Stepping out

This weekend was full of activity. I'm worn out. I was asked to do a piece for Legacies '08, a black history month event being held in Calgary by a group of talented individuals known as Collectively Eclectic. I'd been so excited to do it. I had a bus ticket booked for 5:30 pm for me and 2 of my friends who are part of my step team that actually battled another team at the show. We didn't end up leaving the city till almost 7 pm. The bus driver and all the other employees at the bus station were completely unapologetic about it too. Trying to sass ME!! Man I have a few words to say to greyhound. But we finally made it there 3+ hours later and went straight to bed. The show the next day was FANTASTIC! So much talent in one room...It was just too much. I have to applaud the people who put this event together. It was just a great great great evening. African dancers, drummers, steppers, break dancers, singers etc. Good times. The poem was very well received. I completely skipped over a verse which I cried like a baby about later, but no one noticed and the reception was heart warming. My team also won the step battle which was great. I'm just really glad that I'm making such strides getting out of my shell, sharing my poetry and opening new and exciting doors for myself. Life is good :)

Here's the piece...

I am
Gap tooth girl
back corner of class
Scribbling left-handed poetry on blank paper
Save the school’s curriculum for later

I am
Overflowing ancient African
Tales by moonlight
That informal education
Connecting and overlapping
Modern history

I am
Fast and fluent Yoruba
Criss crossing English
Hidden messages in
prose and proverbs
Call it “Yorubanglish”

I am
Rich Hi-life rhythm
marrying heavy hip-hop beats
That pop lockin’, 1-2 stepping
Blended over back bending
fluid hip shaking

I am
Sky high gele
Bold and beautiful
Meets super stretch skinny jeans
Cowry shells wrapping wrists
Bright and wonderful
They call it “Afro-centric”

I am
Perfect pendulum swinging
Afro…Canadian
Legacies of age old traditions
Incantations of ancient griots
Free flowing spoken word poetry

I
cling tightly on to Africa
This land that shaped me
I watch as poverty, corruption
And lack of opportunity
Inspires creativity
And still leaves room for
Unexplainable hope
Unbelievable strength

I stand deeply rooted in its culture
Reinforced by the history in it soils
While looking on at new horizons
Blending old and new
This wonderful fusion of
Traditional
contemporary
This is who I am…