This Remembrance Day saw the online release of a very special music video produced in Halifax honouring Canadian war veterans by youth from the Aboriginal, African-Nova Scotian, Acadian and Celtic communities
On November 1st, four young artists came together at the Mi’kmaq Native Friendship Centre in a sacred sharing circle with three veterans representing the diverse cultures of Canada. Hearing their stories and experiences of war, the youth took the words and testimony of these elders and came up with a spoken-word message of remembrance encouraging other young Canadians to never forget what was given up for their freedom.
Featuring the talents of African-Nova Scotian spoken-word poet Des Adams, Mi’kmaq poet Liam Paul, Acadian artist Céleste Godin and musician Morgan Cruikshank, whose roots run deep in both the Acadian and First Nation communities, the performance piece is called ‘Listening’ and resonates in it’s power to make the audience, well….stop and listen. Under the guidance of sound specialist, David Findlay and his students at the Centre for Arts and Technology, the words of these upcoming young artists have also been set to an original hip-hop beat in a separate video piece to be released in the near future.
The videos will be posted on YouTube, the Mi’kmaq Native Friendship Centre website and the Veterans Affairs ‘Canada Remembers’ Facebook page in an effort to reach the eyes, ears and minds of as many young people as possible, changing the way they think about war and sacrifice.
This is all part of a bigger project called ‘Remember Me: A Tribute To Our Unsung Heroes’, which brought together performers, choirs and story-tellers on Saturday, November 5th in a broadcast event acknowledging the contributions of veterans from visible minorities whose sacrifices went unrecognized in Canada. Des, Liam, Céleste and Morgan also had the unique opportunity to perform ‘Listening’ to a live audience at this event.
This youth-led video was made possible through the support of the NS Office of Aboriginal Affairs, the NS Office of Acadian Affairs, Veterans Affairs Canada and the D250 Youth Engagement Legacy Trust.