Arts
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came alive to mood and music Zena, whose work has been described as “deep and sensuous, rhythmic and startling”, explored themes such as human frailty, overcoming weaknesses, building strengths, and surviving difficult times in her writing and, in a unique dimension to literature, acted out her work. “Performance poetry means different things to different individuals,” she says. Some call it the spoken word. To her it is being true to the emotion behind the poem, lifting the poem off the page and transferring it in a way that makes it accessible to people. “The
laugh This poem, which goes on to describe the pure joy in the essence of laughter was inspired by two young girls laughing and having a good time together without any apparent reason. Realising that she herself hadn’t done that in a long time, with all the heaviness and pressures of life, she decided that in future, no matter what happened, she would always make time to enjoy laughter. Growing up in Tottenham, North London, as the only child of a single parent, Zena would often write as a pastime, but never really imagined that it would one day become her full time career. The multi-cultural, multi-religious environment of Tottenham, a poor borough that is vibrant in its diversity, and yet an area where crime, drugs and antisocial behaviour are rampant, influences her writing to some extent she says, adding that the tensions, conflicts and energies give her a lot of material to work with. She initially studied theatre management and technology and worked as the lighting and sound operator for a show commissioned by Riverside Studios in 1991. The show was by a group called Rhythm Writers, which she joined to begin her journey into the live fusion of word and music. At this uncertain stage of her career she joined an all-girl acapella (choral singing performed without instruments) group called Shades, which, as luck would have it, led her back to poetry. On a tour with the band in South Africa, she met world-famous musician Pops Mohammed, who introduced her to traditional instruments such as the kalimba and the African harp, which she incorporates into her performances. At
one rehearsal with Pops, she was invited to perform at a performance
poetry night, where, to her surprise, people really liked what she
did. Advised to look at the field professionally, she took to visiting
‘open mike’ spots in UK, and eventually won a poetry
slam, which is a new type of competitive poetry, where winners are
selected through the votes of the audience. This was the beginning
of a fascinating journey through the world of performance poetry. “I will respect anyone who explores their full potential to experience life.” Living in times when natural disasters, plane crashes and bomb blasts are happening all the time, a time when people are partying like there’s no end, she feels that it is the arts that will save the world in its ability to balance destruction with creativity. Zena is also a musician and workshop leader who works in schools and arts colleges across the world facilitating self-devised workshops in creative writing, performance poetry and singing. She conducted a workshop for young people at the British Council, Colombo on January 10. She likes to think of herself as a poet, a storyteller, some one who reaches out and touches lives. Maya Angelou is her all- time idol, she says, from whom she learnt never to be afraid of life changes. “You’re meant to make bad decisions-that’s how you learn,” she says, adding that in her writing she tries to make people feel good, to make them understand that everything is going to be alright at some point. Her
poem ‘Healing Pool’, is a soothing blend of the words
articulated with her lovely voice and the mellow music of her kalimba.
“You have to be still sometimes to think over things-but not in a harsh judgmental way. It’s all about being compassionate with yourself,” says Zena, adding that as a poet, she is prepared to share her vulnerability on stage. The reaction of the audience is important to her, not their praise, but to have moved them to feel something. Manipulating the words to expose the thought process and emotions behind the writing, lifting it from the realm of ordinary literature to extraordinary heights of beauty and musicality, Zena Edwards’ performances leave you touched and awed by the power of the spoken word. Dancing
in the steps of the Guru Over a period of three days, from January 20 to 22 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre “The Art of Chitrasena” will unfold as a tribute to the guru himself. The programme will include a special guest speaker each night, a friend or contemporary of Chitrasena -Sunethra Bandaranaike, Henry Jayasena and Radhika Coomaraswamy. Featuring excerpts from Chitrasena’s and Vajira’s finest ballets, ‘Karadiya’, ‘Kinkini Kolama’ and ‘Berahanda’, as well as two new pieces conceived by Chitrasena’s grand-daughter Heshma, “The Art Of Chitrasena” will showcase the dance company’s finest dancers and drummers in performances of new creations and revivals of old favourites alike. The Chitrasena Vajira Dance Foundation has planned a series of dance events for 2006, as fund raisers to rebuild the Kalayathanaya. These performances will enable them to showcase the world-class repertoire of the Chitrasena Dance Company, thereby allowing us to rekindle our national pride in the dances of Sri Lanka and ensuring the continuation of a national dance academy to teach our art forms to future generations. “The Art Of Chitrasena”, a memorial show in commemoration of Chitrasena’s birth anniversary is the first in this series of performances. The “Art of Chitrasena” will celebrate the life and work of Chitrasena and provide an opportunity to friends and fans to bid farewell to the “Lord of the Dance” Freezing
those changing skies “The most amazing feature about a sunrise or a sunset is the continuous changes in colour that take place. You have to keep a careful eye out for the exact moment when everything falls into place. A few seconds can lead to a completely different photograph. You can’t wait anticipating sunrises and sunsets,” says Mr. Costa, talking about the complexities that lie in the skies. Asked why he chose sunrise and sunset as the focus of this exhibition, Mr. Costa refers to a saying by three Greek philosophers Anaximander, Anaximenes and Anaxagorus. “They said that ‘All the stars that are found in the sky during the night are created by almighty God to make the night beautiful.’ I believe that sunsets are created by this same god to make the evening sky a picturesque one compared to the rest of the day, and sunrises to bring out the glory of the morning sky.” He believes that many people have witnessed these beautiful scenes at some point in their lives, but that few have captured them in a photograph to record the memory. “That’s where I come in. Over a period of ten years I have been taking these photographs, and now it’s time to let others re-live their memories, and to let them take pleasure in the fruits of my work,” continues Mr. Costa. Mr. Costa recalls an evening at the Isurumuniya temple as the first moment of inspiration that led to so many years of work. “At the time I was serving as the magistrate of Anuradhapura, and I visited the temple. There I met the chief incumbent Rev. Sumangala Thera, who suggested that I look at the setting sun from the banks of the Tissawewa. It turned out to be one of the most amazing scenes that I had ever had the fortune to behold. I saw the sun in a golden halo, and then gradually it changed into scarlet, all the while dipping into the distant horizon.” It was this scene that lit the initial spark, which today has turned into a fully-fledged exhibition. Mr. Costa offers a few tips to aspiring photographers about the intricacies of capturing the moods of sun and sky. “Clear skies with few clouds is a must, if you want to capture the riot of colours. Flat areas with a broad horizon are the best for this type of photographs, since there are few or no obstructions to disrupt the view.” He maintains that in Sri Lanka, the west and southern coastal belt offers some of the best locations to capture sunrises and sunsets, together with tanks with full waters during October and November, since some of the best reflections of the skies are to be seen this way. Going into the technicalities of photography, Mr. Costa says that he started out with an inexpensive auto-focus camera, and later progressed to a Pentax 50MZ with a standard lens, which is the type of camera he has used in taking the photographs for the exhibition. “I have not used filters, and all the colours that you see are natural,” adds this keen photographer, intent on keeping things as natural as possible. The photographs on display are the results of travels far and wide within Sri Lanka. These places include Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kabithigollawa, Arugam Bay, Wadduwa, Tangalle, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Peradeniya and the ever popular Galle Face as well. ‘Dusk and Dawn’ will be held at the Lionel Wendt’s Harold Peiris gallery from January 21 – 23 from 9.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. The opening ceremony is on January 21 at 10.30 a.m. |
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The
words come alive, dancing off the stage and into the hearts and
minds of the audience. Zena Edwards, the internationally acclaimed
‘new generation’ performance poet wove her spell over
the audience at the first of the British Council’s Book Buzz
series 2006 on January 9 combining the magic of poetry and music,
tones and rhythms, to perform her pieces on stage.
