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MIF21: Looking Forward To Tomorrow (part 3 of 5)

Blackness Is Not Bleak

 Next our group were led from the auditorium to a creative writing session called Blackness Is Not Bleak hosted by Liverpudlian multipotentialites Blue Saint and Dorcas Seb.

We all sat down at tables with some paper and a pencil and were told to start things off by listening to some smooth, soulful music for a few minutes while writing down our names, how we got it, what’s the meaning behind it and what we like about our names.

Here are my answers:

  • ·         My name is Nzara Deja Price

  • ·         How did I get my name: My mum named me

  • ·         What’s the meaning behind my name: It means “precious” in Swahili

  • ·          What do I like about my name: It’s unique, just like me. I’ve heard of a lot of Zara’s and Sara’s but never Nzara (pronounced En –Zara, as if there’s an E in front. But if you’re going for the traditional Swahili pronunciation it’s Nnnn-Zara, which I actually find very annoying). Also it reminds me of my heritage, background and the journey that my family has taken that has allowed me to be here today.

Upon sharing my answer I learnt that another woman I had met that day, Maisha, her name means “life” in Swahili. I had met Maisha after her  amazing performance in Festival Square as part of The Untold Orchestra presents Four Women on July 2nd and so she’d recognised me and joined me (socially distanced) for the welcome section of the event.

Next we were told to write down what Black Joy meant to us and as the smooth tones played I felt totally in my element as free style writing in bursts while listening to different music is one of my favourite writing practices.

Then we were asked to choose a word, then a memory and deconstruct it by describing what it looked, sounded, smelt, and tasted like (my choices were the word  “Adventure” and the memory was attending Festival Square on July 2nd )

After these exercises it was time to go to the next section of our event program…..

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All of the pieces I created can be found here:


 https://themancyank.blogspot.com/2021/07/mif21inspired-poetry-and-pieces.html


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Thank you for reading and if you have a moment, please make sure you check out Blue Saint and Dorcus Seb’s incredible catalogue of work. If it doesn’t invigorate and inspire you through these last oncoming tumultuous weeks of our lockdown supposedly ending I don’t know what will.

https://www.dorcasseb.com/

https://bluesaint.co.uk/

 

 




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