On land rights, legalities and legacies.
The people are the earth.
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Part of a larger series of work inspired by phrases from the Jamaican National Anthem, LAND WE LOVE is a commentary on the land-grabbing nature of successive Jamaican governments and power-players whose practice is to uphold the centuries-long imperialist legacy of ousting Jamaican citizens from ancestral lands.
LAND WE LOVE speaks directly to two of the most recent examples of disregard for the dignity of ordinary Jamaicans and our connection to land which recently occurred in Clifton St. Catherine (2022) and with the Maroons in Cockpit Country, St. Elizabeth (2021/ 2022).
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Movement 1: GOVAMENT BADNESS
“This land has no centre.” MG Smith
“It is the season of oppressive, dark metal, and tears.” Martin Carter
Movement 2: SML173
“Before you have a government, you must have the people. Without the people there can be no government. The government must be, therefore, an expression of the will of the people.” Marcus Garvey
Movement 3: COME-UNITY
“You can never be dispossessed.” Derek Walcott
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Choreographer: neila ebankhs
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Dancers/ Devisors: members of DanceWorks (EMCVPA School of Dance)
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Costume Design & Consultation: neila ebankhs + Camargo Smith
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Costume Sourcing, Execution & Alteration: neila ebankhs + Lisa Crosswell + Donell James
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Set Design: neila ebankhs + Camargo Smith
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Dramaturgy: Eugene Williams
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Soundtrack:
Text excerpts from CVM News, TVJ News, JIS News, Vice News
Music from Horace Andy, Monty Alexander, Sons of Kemet
Live Vocals from Nadejah Deacon
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Soundtrack Editing: neila ebankhs
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This work was partly funded by a 2022 CATAPULT grant from Kingston Creative.
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FAIR USAGE NOTICE:
This work makes use of some music and images which have been copyrighted by their owners and which have not been specifically authorised by same.
In accordance with the EMCVPA School of Dance's mandate to create educational work that interrogates issues of social justice in Jamaica and the world, we have been inspired by and used said audiovisual material for this work.
We do not own the rights to the music or some of the images but believe this constitutes a ‘fair’ use of any such copyrighted material as provided in Section 107 of the US copyright Law in accordance with Title 17 U.S.S. Section 107.
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trigger warning: medical situation, sounds of medical machinery
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inna dis ya topia, i listen every riddim, an' i dance.
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movement + camera + editing x neila ebankhs
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sound x mri machine
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sound editing x neila ebankhs
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video description:
neila's fingers count the pulses of an mri machine as her hands and feet move in a kaleidoscope of visual play.
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sound description:
layered sounds (beeps, drones, hums) from an mri machine.
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BLACK.LIVES.MATTER.ALWAYS.
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Truth is, Black Lives, Bodies and Spirits have been targeted so relentlessly for centuries BECAUSE we matter.
We are the central substance of this earth, under consistent attack because of our inherent value to ALL on this earth journey.
Revolution is the necessary reminder to those who refuse to acknowledge the TRUTH, that we KNOW that we matter, we KNOW our value, we WILL breathe in JOY and TRIUMPH, speak the NAMES of our ankhcestors and THRIVE.
We centre OURSELVES in this process and decentre the vile and dehumanising gaze of white patriarchy as we continue the fearlessness of our ankhcestors. We will be seen because WE SEE OURSELVES.
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This is a 2016 work, presented at COCO Dance Festival, re-visioned in solidarity with the present 2020 r/evolutions across the U.S.A.
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Dancers: Continuum Dance Project (Trinidad and Tobago)
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Choreographers: neila ebankhs + Lee Rose
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Soundtrack: Dave Bruebeck, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Francesco Angello, Steve Reich, Janelle Monae and Wondaland Music
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Soundtrack Editing: neila ebankhs
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Images: Taken from various internet databases of photography of the Minneapolis uprisings.
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FAIR USAGE NOTICE:
This work makes use of music and images which have been copyrighted by their owners and which have not been specifically authorised by same.
In accordance with eNKompan.E’s mandate to create work that spreads awareness, moves minds and creates space for dialogue around critical events facing BIPOC, we have been inspired by and used said audiovisual material for this work.
We do not own the rights to the music or images but believe this constitutes a ‘fair’ use of any such copyrighted material as provided in Section 107 of the US copyright Law in accordance with Title 17 U.S.S. Section 107.
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A Life CONVENTional (c) 1997 & 2002 x neila ebankhs
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