WORD! and Renaissance One present Caribbean Woman: A Tribute Through Poetry, Words and Song

WORD! and Renaissance One present Caribbean Woman: A Tribute Through Poetry, Words and Song

An afternoon of spoken word, art, conversation and music that marks and showcases the power and creativity of Caribbean women in the UK arts scene, inspired by the powerful poem ‘Caribbean Woman’ by the late Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze MBE. 

Featuring poetry by Valda Jackson MBE RWA (award-winning poet, sculptor, fine artist & designer of the Royal Mint 50p coin commemorating 75 years of Windrush), music and song by award-winning calypsonian Tobago Crusoe (Calypso Monarch and featured in Paddington movies) and multidisciplinary word & sound artist, Mellow Baku (“A must for all’ Courtney Pine OBE).

With co-hosting performances by Melanie Abrahams FRSA Hon FRSL and Kamisha Hawkins. Co-curated by Lydia Towsey and Melanie Abrahams – the event features outstanding British Caribbean artists who elevate ideas and encourage us to unwind and to respond. 

To sign up for a PWYF workshop running 1-2.30pm and/or to share something as part of an open mic email hello@wordpoetry.co.uk. Work exploring black history and culture and/or by people of African Caribbean origin is particularly invited.

Valda Jackson

Jamaican born Valda Jackson is an award-winning visual artist and writer. She was shortlisted for the prestigious National Windrush Monument commission in 2021; and designed the Royal Mint coin (Launch: May 2023) to commemorate 75th anniversary of Windrush. The untitled manuscript of Jackson’s first novel was shortlisted for the Bath Spa Prize, 2021 by Janklow & Nesbit. She is recipient of a Hawthornden Fellowship (2023). Jackson’s short stories appear in anthologies including The Peepal Tree Book of Caribbean Short Stories (2018), Closure: Contemporary Black British Short Stories (Peepal Tree Press 2015), and online MMXX, Bath Spa University (2022).

Tobago Crusoe

Tobago Crusoe is a calypsonian, composer and per­form­ing artist.  Known for unique and witty compositions, he has performed around the world including Madison Square Garden, Turin, Barcelona and Germany. He was the Calypsonian-in-Residence at Renaissance One's London Is The Place For Me Caribbean festival at the British Library and appeared in major films Paddington, Paddington 2 and the titular CD.  His musical collaborations include sharing stages with legends Mighty Sparrow, Calypso Rose, Singing Sandra and more.  In 2011 he was awarded a position in the Sunshine Awards Hall of Fame for his contribution to Calypso. Nowadays, he is the lead singer of Calypso outfit ‘Tobago and D’Lime’. 

Mellow Baku

Antidisciplinary artist and charismatic live performer, Mellow Baku has performed throughout the UK and internationally. Hailed ‘a must for all’by Courtney Pine OBE, Mellow draws on her African-Caribbean heritage and folk, with word play, acoustic guitar and live vocal looping. Mellow’s poetry, plays and music have been commissioned for performance at venues such as Kings Place London, Vault Festival, Curve Leicester, Manchester theatres, Nottingham Libraries and internationally, including in New York, Switzerland, Copenhagen and North Sea Jazz Festival.

Her 2022 theatre show for children, Mmm Ahh Whoosh toured nationally, including at London Southbank, Opera North and The Gulbenkian.In 2023 she performed spoken word at Buddhafield Festival, Somerset. Her original music has received national airplay on BBC Radio.

Hosts

MELANIE ABRAHAMS (Co-Host) has been instigating and creating spoken word and literature for over 20 years, as a curator, producer, mentor, and a speaker.  She has brought artists and speakers over to Leicester and the UK including Gary Younge, Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze, Bernardine Evaristo and John Agard. She consistently pushes for greater diversity in the arts through events, limings and spaces for wellbeing.

KAMISHA HAWKINS (Co-Host) is a local poet who runs a yearly African Caribbean Poetry Honouring at Spinney Hill Park, at the Oscar Frank Memorial bench. Kamisha wrote her first poem at school at 8 years old, which she still has, but her poetry journey really began in 2021, attending Poetry events such as Word! and Pinggg…K! Kamisha has headlined at a number of venues and events, including The Y Theatre and Get Mouthy. Her work ranges from the self reflective to self empowerment, as well as poems about her late father and the Ancestors.