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Adwoa Badoe was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, and grew up loving the traditional stories and dances of Ghana. She now lives in Guelph, Ontario. Adwoa is a storyteller, an author, and a teacher of African dance. She received a creation grant from the Canada Council for the Arts for The Griot's Journey, a multi-disciplinary performance in which she retells the history of Africa and Diaspora from early beginnings to the present, using myth, epic, folktale and history against a background of music and dance. In her dance classes and workshops she seeks to capture the essence of the people, their celebrations and their lives. Adwoa has been named a recipient of the 2007 YMCA-YWCA of Guelph's Women of Distinction Award in the category of Arts and Culture. We are delighted that Adwoa is willing to share her culture and her stories with SC-CC tellers. |
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René André Meshake was born in the railway town of Nakina in Northwestern Ontario, and was raised by his Nookomis grandmother. He lived with her for several years, learning the Anishinaabe oral tradition, arts and culture. René is a founder of Adisokan Creative Arts Inc., and is a visual artist, writer, spoken-word performer, storyteller, singer-songwriter, and filmmaker living in Guelph, Ontario. By seamlessly fusing Ojibwe and English words in his poetry and spoken word performances, he's been able to communicate his Ojibwe spiritual heritage in the contemporary world. We look forward to celebrating René in his StoryKeeper session. |
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Richard (Dick) Preston is a professor Emeritus of Anthropology at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. He is a rare anthropological elder. George Wapachee, a James Bay Cree leader and the former chief of the Cree First Nation of Nemaska, wrote (when Dick was awarded the 2006 Weaver-Tremblay Award and Lectureship): "Working with Dick was and is an empowering and affirming experience. He had a quiet way of putting our community and our values at the center ..." Dick's example is powerful, and he himself has returned to Cree communities in some 30 of the 43 years since he began doctoral field research in what is now Waskaganish, not only learning Cree ways, but being entrusted with many of their stories. This is a rare opportunity. |
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 The Freedom Trail is a unique experience of part of the history of the Underground RailRoad in Southern
Ontario. The Freedom Trail Tour is run through the Norval Johnson Heritage Library by Wilma Morrison. Wilma has a treasure trove of stories of the history of the escaped slaves who settled the Niagara region. We will have an opportunity to hear some of these stories and visit selected sites during our out-trip Friday July 6th. |
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Our tour will culminate at the historic Salem Chapel of the BME Church in St. Catharines with the one-woman show, "The Spirit of Harriet Tubman" by Leslie McCurdy. This award-winning play tells the story of Harriet Tubman from childhood to her role as the "Moses" of her people. Harriet Tubman herself attended the Salem Chapel while she lived in St. Catharines. |