Project Overview
The Black And Free Research-Creation project is focused on what Black art and culture in different parts of the world teach us about blackness and freedom, especially in societies where Black people’s concerns are actively dismissed, denied and erased.
Research
The Black And Free Research-Creation Project examines the following new research question: What do Black expressive cultures in different parts of the world teach us about what it means to be Black and free in the 21st century?
Art and Culture
Not only does the Black And Free Research-Creation Project research art and culture, it makes art and contributes to culture too. From plays, to poetry, to music albums, to op-eds, Dr. Keleta-Mae researches and presents the project’s research findings in diverse ways.
Academic and Artistic
December 10, 2020
“[Ntozake] Shange portrays black girlhood in the United States attentively and masterfully as a site of sophisticated awareness of race and gender coupled with naiveté about the world based on age and experience” – “Black girl thought in the work of Ntozake Shange”
December 10, 2020
“This article begins with a brief overview of key political-theatre and public-arts funding practices that emerged in the 1980s and continues with an examination of an influential political play from the era by Cont Mhlanga entitled Workshop Negative (1986).”
December 10, 2020
“Black Lives Matter Toronto, a grassroots chapter of an activist movement that spans North America, is part of a long tradition of black frontline activism that spans generations, cultures and issues” -- “Black Lives Matter Toronto Sit-In at PRIDE”
Oh, I need a world
Where all people are free
Trans, queer, non-binary all free
Oh, I need a world
Where all can safely be
Fire and wind and earth and rain
“Fire Woman”
from the album Fire Woman
11 shots later
He likely no longer poses a threat
To police officers so, what triggers them to keep firing?
Centuries of familiarity? Ancestors’ memories?
Comforting knowledge of a history of acquittals won
When Black families sought white justice
In courtrooms built on the backs of Black blood
Where victims are virtuously white
And scapegoats systematically Black?
– “Acquitted”
from Free Dome: South Africa (2002)
and this pervasive earthquake
was induced by them
the real minority
handfuls of men and women
hoarding power throughout our world
and while we, the majority, scrap over scraps
the fracture lines that separate us from them
continue to explode
- “A Gap?”
from the album Bloom (2009)
A Trilogy
ZENZELE
406a
room 406a
that’s where i stay
damn, snap, black
they locked you down too?
last/first time i was here i stayed for seven days
and i remember meeting you black
you were wearing blue jeans
sagging
shoes and a t-shirt.
ZENZELE
We could sabotage the study.
We could drop out of the program tomorrow.
77
We’re not like white people Zenzele, we can’t teach in a university without a PhD no matter how much
experience we have.
UMZANSTI
How many paragraphs did she write?
SUNIFYA
Seven.
77
Wow.
UMZANSTI
So many words.
Too many words.
Read it . . . please.
Some Suggestions
In these virtual art exhibitions, Black creatives from various cultural backgrounds come together to express their personal interpretations of identity, art and life. Each artist explores these themes through immersive gallery experiences
Art Exhibitions and Photographs
These blogs provide thoughtful, uplifting and insightful look into the voices of passionate Black writers functioning to amplify their own voices alongside LGBTQIA2S+ and feminist creators. The works included spotlight intellectuals from around the world.
Blogs
This selection of podcasts contains a range of topics related to blackness, Black history and what it means to be Black in contemporary culture. This curation includes content from creatives throughout North America as well as from the Caribbean and African diasporas.
Podcasts
Each selected video resource encompasses media for Black audiences by Black artists. Among some of the pieces are conversations from a variety of periods regarding Black healing, support for Black movements and auditory interpretations of expression.
Videos
These zines centre a range of Black experiences. These compiled works explore questions of identity and expressions of freedom throughout generations; each piece brings forward displays of thought through multimedia forms of expression and striking visuals.
Zines