yes, and … also draws from theatrical improvisation + Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality to explore the following questions:
How can the uncertainty of a transitional moment serve as inspiration?
How can a break or change in trajectory be understood as an opportunity?
How can we welcome change while reaching toward a future that honours individual conceptions of self + collective understandings of social cohesion?
How can these dynamics shape the way we experience + subsequently remember a historical moment?
Improvisation + intersectionality ask that we develop complex understandings of ourselves + the contexts in which we operate by moving beyond dyadic conceptions + practicing radical openness. They ask that we stand firmly in our yes’s + that we ask ourselves why + how the specificities of individual experiences are made possible in order to then explore how understandings of past + present are inextricably related to our ability to manifest certain futures.
Born to Haitian-Canadian and Malian-Canadian parents, nènè myriam konaté is an artist, writer, creative director and facilitator whose work focuses on intergenerational learning, embodied knowledge and coalition. In November 2015, Nènè created The Clap Back, a space to informally discuss everything from pop culture phenomena to divisive political issues. Since then, Nènè has had the pleasure of moderating discussions on topics such as micro aggressions, iterations of love within racialized communities, instances of popular Black cultural production (ex: Beyoncé Knowles’ Lemonade and Solange Knowles’ A Seat at the Table), as well as (in)visibility, identity and culture within a Canadian context. In August 2016 Nènè co-founded Collective Culture Montreal, an interdisciplinary festival that celebrates the voices of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. Nènè’s work has been featured at Writers Read’s Off the Page Festival, at Articule Artist Run Centre, and in Sophomore Mag. Nènè’s collaborators include McGill University’s Social Equity and Diversity Education Office, Two Hungry Children, Womb Cxre, Black Love Matters Montreal, The Woman Power, HerDay, SoHo House Toronto and Centre Never Apart.
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