Friday, May 14 2021
Participants:
- Lauren Bernal
- Roger Malina
- Jacob Hunwick
- Erik David Wilson
- Vania Negrete
- Ayen Kuol
- Natachi Mez
‘’…
I am standing face to face with the family tree, It asks me , don’t you know where you come from?
I nod my head .
Marvel at how seeds scatter.
Any soil that catches you mothers you somehow.
So many curriculums attempt to Alienate us from ourselves , but contrary to popular belief, believe that we are all complete beings
That double consciousness is an out of body experience. That we are learning how to return to body.
Heaven embodied, none of us are property, none ….. can’t even fathom our infinity
… In the mind I witness space expand. Sometimes a poem is birthing itself between breaths and I am watching conception.
Everything I am , has been given to me, to transform. I am fruit which means I am also seed. Everywhere I go I plant myself
Listen We are not scatted .
Listen , everywhere we go we are planted
Listen
Lineage is not Linear
Everywhere we go
Everywhere we go
Everywhere we go , We call this earth our Home. ’’
An extract from ‘lineage is not linear’ by Natachi Mez
Who we are is a question that can be answered on many levels. But for many it is a question whose progression is blocked by the scars that formed when an entire people and cultural heritage were ‘plucked’ out and displaced. A culture and people who must overcome the systems in place to counter their Value &identity and find routes to thrive.
At the watering Hole, Natachi Mez weaved an intricate fabric of imagery using the art of Spoken Word, and with it she clothed our experiences with a magnificent perspective of who we are and the legacies that hold us, despite adversity.
During the session, her poem triggered the birth of a new poetic creation ,’A response to ‘lineage is not Linear‘ by Roger Malina. Propagating creativity is exactly the kind of response we aim to see at the Watering Hole.
Join the conversation of us in dissecting a whole new expression of who we are and what it means to migrate, to be a nomad , and to settle in ways that are far from linear.
Natachi Mez – Guest Speaker
Natachi Mez (she/her) is a Nigerian American writer, performer, and rapper from the Sacramento area in California. Natachi is a two-time finalist at the College Union Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI), and has featured at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Oberlin College, as well as at venues in Accra, Copenhagen, and Istanbul.
Natachi facilitates dynamic experiences that deepen audience engagement and celebrate community voice. Natachi has worked with youth communities and people who are incarcerated to engage writing and rapping as tools of empowerment. She has facilitated writing and performance workshops at Tufts University, Rutgers University, Rikers Island, and more.
Natachi graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Computer Science, and is a Business Program Manager, focusing on community building, communications, diversity, and design. You can find Natachi’s words featured or forthcoming in Unplug Mag, Gumbo Magazine, Breadcrumbs Magazine, Write About Now, or on Instagram @natachi.life