Ojibwe musicians Mary Black and Strife Asaakeezis are driven by a shared purpose: helping young people turn their lives around.
At 23 and 29 years old, the two aren’t so far from their own troubled youths.
“We have come from extremely destructive homes, witnessed horrible acts of violence, and grown up addicted to drugs and alcohol and on the brink of death,” Black explained. “We have overcome all these obstacles by finding a way of expressing our anger in a positive and healthy way, and by finding our culture and our purpose.”
The two artists, a married couple from Winnipeg, will perform in Flin Flon tomorrow, Saturday, June 4, under the banner of their group, Voices of Thunder.
The concert will feature motivational speaking, hip-hop music and spoken word poetry in a unique blend of modern and traditional media that is aimed at local youth.
“We incorporate Ojibwe words, and the seven teachings, and the drumming and singing, the words and phrases, through hip-hop music,” said Black.
Alongside Black and Asaakeezis, traditional dancer Connor Keepere will perform in regalia.
“We are both really modern and represent Aboriginal people today, and [Keepere] represents the traditional part of us, the dancers and the spirits that live inside of us and live through our music,” Black explained.
Black said she hopes attendees will come away from the concert feeling more empowered to overcome challenges, and live a fulfilling life.
“If we can do it, anyone can do it. The impossible is possible,” she said.
Asaakeezis said showing youth the power of art is key to his message.
“I want them to realize that they can find an expression, for whatever they may be carrying around, through art, whether it be dance, music, speaking – that they can use that to express themselves, instead of holding things inside.”
“You can come from a destructive lifestyle and have all these odds against you, and make something good of yourself, and do something positive for the world,” Asaakeezis added.
Asaakeezis speaks from experience: both he and Black have pulled themselves out of destructive lifestyles after hitting turning points in their lives.
For Asaakeezis, the incentive came when he realized that his younger siblings were at risk.
“For me, it was watching my younger brother follow in my footsteps...getting caught up in gang life, and I didn’t want that for him. I’ve always loved him and I didn’t want him to end up dead or in jail.”
Black had to hit rock-bottom before her drive to overcome drug and alcohol addictions surpassed her need to numb the pain of what she calls “being immersed in a culture of violence” from childhood.
“I got to the point where if I didn’t stop, I knew I was going to die, and I knew I would lose my children, and I needed to step up and face the pain,” she said.
“My culture is what helped me through that. I don’t think I would have been strong enough otherwise, if I didn’t have medicines and prayer and ceremonies to release all that sadness and all the anger I kept from all these traumas that I’ve experienced from such a young age.”
As part of Saturday’s concert, Black will perform an adaptation of a spoken word piece, “Quiet,” in which she explores the challenges faced by modern indigenous communities, from sexual assault and suicide to Child and Family Services.
“It was written as a rant, a very personal story of my experiences as an indigenous woman in Canada,” Black said.
In October, Black posted a video of herself performing “Quiet.” To her surprise, it spread quickly across social media, with nearly 138,000 views on Facebook to date.
“It seems to resonate with a lot of people,” she said. “The world is ready to hear these messages we are trying to bring, and it’s cool to be a part of it.”
Voices of Thunder will perform at 6:30 pm on Saturday, June 4 at Hapnot Collegiate. Entrance is free and the event is hosted by the Women’s Resource Centre.
Asaakeezis and Black will also be guest speakers at Dudez Day, an event on Saturday oriented towards boys ages 10 to 13.
