Celebrating Calgary's black history through performance and prose

Every February, cities and communities across Canada recognize Black History Month. One way Calgary celebrates is through music, dance and spoken word.

Calgary Poet Laureate Wakefield Brewster said, “I love using the celebration of Black History Month as a way to celebrate our similarities and make light of our differences.”

This weekend, Brewster will host the second installment of the TD Amplify series. The event will feature a wide spectrum of artists who are committed to creating a live show that is vibrant, vibrant and celebrates black history as well as black futures.

“Anyone who can see a difference in another person can easily focus on that difference, which is usually what many of us see doing. I like to use the celebration of Black History Month as a way to celebrate our similarities and make light of our differences,” Brewster said.

In other places, others celebrate differently. Local author Ywande Daniel-Ayoade will soon publish her fifth children's book. Little Regent.

Born in Nigeria, Daniel-Ayoade immigrated to the United States in 2003 before moving to Canada in 2010. As a mother of five, her writing focuses on introducing children to West African culture and history, drawing on her immigrant experience.

“I've heard books described as windows and mirrors,” she said. “Mirrors mean that you see yourself in them, and this means that you are important and important to you.

“They also serve as a window,” she added, “where other children can learn about cultures different from their own.”

Little Regent It's the story of a little girl tasked with ruling a village in West Africa, and what it means to break tradition and rule with your heart.

“It's an opportunity to reflect and build a way forward … so it's not about what happened in the past, it's about what we can learn from the past and ways to celebrate, learn and control the future,” he said. Stephen Dolman of the Calgary Library.

For a complete list of Black History events at the Calgary Public Library, go to their website.