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Stories from the Motherland and Many Lands - A virtual concert on January 31st!

2021-01-21
Stories from the Motherland and Many Lands - A virtual concert on January 31st!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 20, 2021 


Kick-off Black History Month with a magical concert celebrating African and Caribbean storytellers! 


Coming to you from cities across Canada, Storytellers of Canada – Conteurs du Canada (SC–CC) presents Stories from the Motherland & Many Lands: Tales told by Caribbean and African Tellersa virtual concert that is exclusively showcasing African and Caribbean Canadian storytellers. Listeners of all ages are invited to come and be transported to new places, to be thrilled, scared, and laugh out loud with this extraordinary line up of storytellers. Stories from the Motherland & Many Lands takes place online through Zoom, on January 31st at 4pm EST (1pm Pacific; 5pm Atlantic). 


The concert will present eight of Canada’s many gifted artists, including renowned storyteller Dr. Rita Cox. SC-CC is proud to offer the concert as a free online event, and is accepting donations in support of its newest recording project featuring Dr. Cox. 


In these strange and difficult times, Stories from the Motherland & Many Lands gives us a unique live performance experience from the safety of our homes – and a break from all the streaming we’re doing – with a traditional storytelling experience that will ignite the imagination and nurture the soul. The concert will be hosted by acclaimed author and storyteller Itah Sadu, co-owner of Toronto’s ground-breaking bookstore, A Different Booklist Cultural Centre. “This event is one that dips the spirit in youthfulness, magic and memory”, says Ms. Sadu. “It’s a tonic ordered by the Doctor Rita Cox”. 


Celebrating and learning about Black history and culture should always be a year-round practice, but SC-CC is proud to highlight these month-long celebrations with this concert. What better way to kick off Black History Month? 


About Dr. Rita Cox 

Dr. Rita Cox is an award-winning author and master storyteller who has performed across North America, in Europe, Brazil and the Caribbean, on stage, radio and television. She tells stories from the Caribbean, Africa and around the world and her stories have appeared in many anthologies and school readers. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1997, is a recipient of the 1995 Black Achievement Award, and of honourary degrees from York and Wilfred Laurier Universities. She is in the process of recording an album and podcast biography for SC-CC’s StorySave Program, which is creating a large collection of the work of Canada’s master storytellers. 


Featured Performers 

• Comfort Ero is an award-winning, trilingual Nigerian-Canadian teller and educator based in Surrey, BC. 

• Gail Miller is a gifted teacher and storyteller with Toronto’s Parent-Child Mother Goose Program who specializes in performing Anansi tales. 

• Jamaican-born Bernadette Gabay Dyer lives in Toronto, where she is a storyteller, playwright, artist and author. She will be releasing a new collection of stories in 2021. 

• Natasha Charles was raised in Trinidad, and is a storyteller from Toronto, who is a regular performer at 1001 Friday Nights of Storytelling. 

• Djennie Laguerre was born in Haiti, is an accomplished bilingual actor, playwright, and storyteller, now based in Toronto. 

• Anthony Audain is an actor, writer, singer, educator and storyteller based in Winnipeg. Originally from St. Kitts, he was raised in Eastern Canada. 

• Kesha Christie is a professional storyteller, motivational speaker and popular weekly podcast host living in Ajax, Ontario.


Event Details 

• January 31st at 4pm EST (1pm Pacific; 5pm Atlantic). 

• Register for the concert at us02web.zoom.us OR email admin@storytellers-conteurs. ca 

• Donations are gratefully accepted to the Rita Cox StorySave Fund, through Canada Helps at this link: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13209 


About SC-CC 

Storytellers of Canada – Conteurs du Canada (SC-CC), is Canada’s only national arts organization representing the art of storytelling. Storytellers of Canada – Conteurs du Canada is devoted to connecting people, reflecting culture, and inspiring learning and creativity through the art of storytelling. 


Contact Information: 

For further information about Storytellers of Canada - Conteurs du Canada, the StorySave Program, or to arrange an interview with Dr. Rita Cox, please contact Marion Gruner, StorySave Program Manager, at storysave@storytellers-conteurs.ca Twitter: @StoryCanada 

Facebook Concert Pagehttps://www.facebook.com/events/1118295161974964 SCCC Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/StorytellersConteurs 


SC-CC acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.


Storytellers of Canada - Conteurs du Canada also wishes to acknowledge and thank the Ontario Arts Council for their support of our core activities.

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