Research-Creation, Community Engagement, and Outreach

Additional Components of Decolonial Conversations

Performance - Flight: Indigenous Women’s Leadership Stories in Canadian Universities

Situated on a fictitious university campus on Turtle Island, Flight explores two Indigenous women leaders’ stories as they set out to transform the colonial nature of the academy. In this journey, the women meet up with Elder Star and a group of niskak aunties who guide them through the messy work of reconciliation. This work-in-progress builds on previous academic research published in Tricky Grounds in 2023. 

The playwriting process draws on Indigenous methodologies and the legendary Cree figure Weesageechahk (referred to as Elder Star in the play). The two central characters, Maria (Swampy Cree) and Heather (Anishnabe), and the universities are fictitious creations inspired by lived experiences and research done with Indigenous women leaders working in Canadian universities. While this play-in-progress is inspired by that previous research, it expands beyond those stories creatively for the contemporary stage. 

As part of the conference, a collaborative team of Indigenous scholars and artists will meet for several days prior to the conference to review and update the script and stage a reading of the play that will be presented on Saturday evening followed by a scholarly commentary and Q&A with audience and collaborative team. 

The Rwanda Course Exhibition  

The Rwanda Exhibition, which focuses on a course built around the African philosophy of Ubuntu, will showcase Inter/National Experiential Learning as a powerful tool to “humanize the future” by decolonizing learning through intercultural competence, community and civic engagement, and transnational connections. Ubuntu, a traditional African concept, which means I am because you are, took students and other participants in the Rwanda program to a higher order of thinking through human interconnectedness. Visitors to the Exhibition, which will be designed for presentation at Museum London alongside the Conference, will encounter visual displays accompanied by curatorial animation dedicated to enabling the public and conference attendees to connect with the experiences of Rwanda course participants. A Rwanda Project Workbook is being designed and printed, for the purpose of knowledge sharing, as well as fostering additional collectively driven and self-driven outcomes. The Workbook will be printed and distributed free at the Conference.