From September 7 to November 3, 2024, Remai Modern is please to present soliloquy for a horizon, the first project on the Canadian prairies by interdisciplinary dance artist taisha paggett.
paggett’s work addresses the formation of Black community, survival, and relations to land, revealing a network of historical ties that connect communities across Turtle Island (Canada and the US). This exhibition makes a connection to the Shiloh People, a community who left Oklahoma and racist Jim Crow laws to forge Saskatchewan’s first Black settlement in 1910.
Developed in collaboration with meital yaniv and Christopher Kuhl, soliloquy for a horizon contemplates Black becoming across the prairies. Through a choreography of performance, video, and objects, the artist layers personal and historical references such as the 20th-century dancer and model Maudelle Bass Weston, burial sites and drowned archives to consider the possibilities of landing as resistance.
We commissioned Omayra Issa, journalist and co-creator of CBC’s award-winning series Black on the Prairies, to create a reading list that provides additional context, history and inspiration connected to the themes in taisha’s work.
Pouring Down Rain by Cheryl Foggo
One of my favourite books! Cheryl Foggo’s landmark Pourin’ Down Rain was the first memoir I read by a Black prairie writer. It chronicles the writer and filmmaker’s quest to stake her claim as a Black woman in the Canadian west. I stumbled on the book more than a decade after its publication in 1990, as I was on my own quest to understand my place in the prairie geography. The passages are gorgeous and insightful. Foggo gives us a unique view into the lives, histories, and stories of early Black settlers in the Canadian prairies as a descendent of one of the Shiloh people, who immigrated to Maidstone, Saskatchewan, at the turn of 20th century.
The Black Prairie Archives: An Anthology by Karina Vernon
In the summer of 2020, as tens of thousands of Canadians descended in the streets of small towns and big cities chanting Black Lives Matter, I spent my days reporting on the movement in Saskatchewan and my nights, tetanized, reading Karina Vernon’s The Black Prairie Archives: An Anthology. I underlined most of the pages for reference. It allowed me to breathe deeply at a moment when racial reckoning was front and centre, and the air felt heavy. This seminal book showcases a polyphonic Black prairie literature from multiple genres, regions starting from a paddler in 1873. The book is deeply informative and moving. It is a powerful guide into the incredible worlds of Black prairie writers.
The Response of Weeds by Bertand Bickersteth
Bertrand Bickersteth’s debut poetry collection explores the intersection of being Black and Albertan on what he calls “storied soil.” His storytelling is captivating as he reflects on the question of Black identity on the prairies. Bickersteth’s verses transport us into his unique imaginary. The Response of the Weeds holds a treasured place in my personal library.
North of the Color Line by Saje Mathieu
In North of the Color Line, historian Saje Mathieu tells the epic story of the estimated 5,000 African Americans and West Indians who made their way to Canada after the end of Reconstruction in the Unites States. Through the prism of first-hand accounts of former sleeping car porters, while highlighting the larger historical context of racial attitudes in Canada, Mathieu shows how porters became the cornerstone of civil rights activism. Matthieu remains one of the most relevant historians I have ever engaged with.
Arrival by Titilope Sonuga
Arrival is Titilope Sonuga’s poetic rendition of the rich journey of Black communities from the four corners of the world to build a life on the prairies. A celebration of the gifts and history that they bravely carry with them as they start afresh in an unfamiliar and often hostile environment. We commissioned the piece for CBC as part of the Black on the Prairies project, and it is such a stunning piece.
Bedroom Rapper by Cadence Weapon
Polaris Prize winner, rapper Rollie Pemberton, a.k.a Cadence Weapon has an unmistakable flow. In Bedroom Rapper, he shares his life voyage from recording beats in his mom’s attic in Edmonton to performing with some of the biggest names in rap and electronic music, including De La Soul, Public Enemy, Mos Def, Questlove, and Diplo, to name a few. An outstanding rendition that captures the joy in self-discovery tied to the stage. It’s a page turner.
Aside from the books, I recommend the beautiful film John Ware Reclaimed by Cheryl Foggo, the documentary 24 Days in Brooks by Dana Inkster, the sonic tapestry Safe Haven by Ruth B.
About Omayra Issa
Omayra Issa is an award-winning journalist and anchor whose large-scale narrative building has led to impactful changes in education policy in Saskatchewan and garnered several RTDNA Canada Awards, celebrating the best in Canadian journalism. She co-created, co-produced and led CBC’s groundbreaking and award-winning series Black on the Prairies. The project placed Black life at the centre of the prairie narrative as part of the Canadian story. It received international recognition, reached an audience of millions, and has been integrated in public institutions across Canada, including museums and public libraries. Named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch, and a YWCA Woman of Distinction, Issa is fluent in five languages.