Pain can be a bridge to peace, vulnerability a path to strength 鈥� at least that is the message Talibah Aquil hopes audience members take with them after her performance of 鈥淕hana, Remember Me鈥︹�� tonight [9/12/2019].
As an 黑料正能量 Center for Justice and and Peacebuilding alumna and adjunct faculty member, Aquil has dedicated much of her life to discovering and connecting her identity with people from the African diaspora. Her presentation about being a bridge between worlds will take place today at 黑料正能量鈥檚 Main Stage Theater beginning at 6:30 p.m.
鈥淚鈥檓 a bridge between America and I鈥檓 a bridge between Africa. We all are bridge builders. We all are connectors and we all have the power to share our stories and to be storytellers.鈥� 鈥擳alibah Aquil
With her background as an undergraduate theater major at Howard University, it only made sense for Aquil to share her capstone presentation through a medley of song, dance and imagery. Now, Aquil returns to the stage with her story of journeying to Ghana for the 鈥淵ear of Return鈥� to create a safe and welcoming space of healing and growth for everyone.
鈥淚鈥檓 so vulnerable and in my vulnerability, I鈥檓 hoping that it gives other people permission to be vulnerable. I think there鈥檚 something contagious and there鈥檚 something so powerful about seeing someone make a mistake or hearing someone say, 鈥楾his is hard鈥� or hearing someone say, 鈥業鈥檓 imperfect,鈥欌�� Aquil said.
This year marks the 400th anniversary since enslaved Africans first arrived in Virginia. Identity for anyone is a difficult topic to navigate, but for many people of African descent, identity is an impossible mystery that was stolen centuries ago in the slave trade.
Eliza Hoover, a Harrisonburg resident, witnessed Aquil鈥檚 original presentation about traveling to Ghana and reconnecting with her ancestral roots. Hoover has actively reached out to the community to ensure people who struggle with identity and injustice know to attend and, through attendance, find some healing.
鈥淲e all have identity problems, but for African-Americans in this community 鈥� for them to be able to hear someone who鈥檚 struggled with their identity problems 鈥� the ones who were there were in tears and in joy,鈥� Hoover said.
Despite being largely based on Aquil鈥檚 personal experience and lessons from Ghana, the performance also focuses on encouraging others to embark on a discovery of ancestry and identity.
Janelle Myers-Benner, academic program coordinator for CJP, was also present for Aquil鈥檚 first performance and was so moved by the presentation that she has voluntarily tackled the logistics behind bringing tonight鈥檚 show to life. Myers-Benner said it is a captivating experience that will leave audience members inspired to start their own journey.
鈥淚 got so engrossed in the reflections and my own thoughts connected to it,鈥� Myers-Benner said. 鈥淪he creates a very powerful space for everyone to think about kind of what their heritage is and what their history is and who their ancestors are.鈥�
Aquil is currently co-teaching a class at 黑料正能量 called reimagining identity that was birthed from her capstone assignment. The fall course works to help others see the beauty in finding their ancestral roots rather than be weighed down by the sadness that comes from that stolen culture.
鈥淢y two years in my master鈥檚 program actually destroyed me. It broke me down because I was in spaces where I鈥檓 just hearing negative stories and narratives of people of color and things that we experience in the world,鈥� Aquil said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much more to us. There鈥檚 so much more to celebrate.鈥�
After the semester ends, Aquil will return to Ghana again with the Peace Corps in January and work on a docu-series titled 鈥淲e Are Magic.鈥� The name comes from the mantra Aquil used to ground and empower herself whenever she felt overwhelmed. The docu-series will be on YouTube and follow Aquil鈥檚 travels throughout Africa as she builds a bridge between the two cultures and her two identities.
鈥淚鈥檓 a bridge between America and I鈥檓 a bridge between Africa,鈥� Aquil said. 鈥淲e all are bridge builders. We all are connectors and we all have the power to share our stories and to be storytellers.鈥�
Tonight鈥檚 performance is free to attend and will have a 60-minute talk back afterward so the crowd can breathe and share their takeaways from the show. CJP students will facilitate the conversation, which is held in a safe and trauma-sensitive space.