A festival celebrating emerging voices for social, environmental and spiritual renewal!
Festimagouche is one of the many great events taking place as part of Tatamagouche Festival of Soil, Soul & Society, August 21-30
August 22nd & 23rd, 2015
Tatamagouche, NS
Robyn Brown-Hewitt
Workshop - "Labyrinth Guided Meditation Walk", 1:15 pm, Labyrinth
The Labyrinth is an ancient tool used for meditative practice. Through mindful walking, participants are invited to explore the sacred space where body, earth and spirit meet. Participants will be provided with simple tools they may choose to explore as they walk the outdoor labyrinth or they may simply enjoy the open path and lo listen for the voice that waits to speak.
Ken Shorley
Workshop - "International, Intergenerational Druming Workshop"
3:15 pm, Saswasig Lodge
Ken is a diverse percussionist who specializes in the hand drumming traditions of the Middle East and India. Based in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Ken is also an avid player and teacher of Indonesian gamelan. In recent years, he has been a featured performer at the Halifax Jazz Festival, Sound Symposium, Prismatic Festival, Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival, Deep Roots Music Festival, CanWest Cabaret Festival, and on national broadcasts for CBC Radio 2.
In addition to composing for his hand-drumming group, Ken Shorley Trio, he has created works for TorQ Percussion Quartet, autorickshaw, mezzo-soprano Paula Rockwell, Talambra, Mindful Flower Gamelan, Quey Percussion Duo, Acadia Theatre Company, Festival Antigonish, and the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra.
Ken's current projects include directing the Sundanese gamelan program at Acadia University, and leading the 11-piece Turko-Balkan party dance band, ORO! Orkestra. He has produced several CDs of original music, as well as the instructional DVD, RhythmWise - a collaboration with his guru, the South Indian master percussionist, Trichy Sankaran. Artist Website.
BYOD! - Bring Your Own Drum to participate in the drumming session. Any type of drum is welcome.
Ingrid Waldron
CANCELLED
Workshop - "Environmental Racism in Nova Scotia", 3:15 pm, Training Room
Dr. Ingrid Waldron, PhD. is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University, a sociologist, and the lead researcher for the “Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities & Community Health Project” (ENRICH). Ingrid’s research and teaching focus is on the sociology of race and ethnicity, Black feminist philosophy, and the sociology of illness, healing and health in Black, Indigenous, immigrant and refugee communities in Canada. Her scholarship focuses specifically on the impact of racism and other forms of discrimination on health and mental health, racism in psychiatry, the racialization of place/ space and indigenous health knowledge. She is currently conducting studies on the socio-economic and health effects of gentrification and other social determinants of health in the Black community in the North End of Halifax, the under-representation of women of colour and men in the nursing profession in Nova Scotia and the socio-economic and health effects of environmental racism in Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian communities (ENRICH Project). The ENRICH project formed the basis to the creation of Bill 111: An Act to Address Environmental Racism, the first bill to address environmental racism in Canada. Bill 111 was introduced by MLA Lenore Zann at the Nova Scotia Legislature on April 29, 2015. The ENRICH project was recently awarded Campaign of the Year Award by Dalhousie’s Student Union Sustainability Office.
Dave Gunning
Workshop - "Songs for Social Change"
3:15, Chapel
There are stories that wash over you like a tide, and then there are stories that grab you by the heart. Dave Gunning has made a point of finding the latter and wrapping them up in song since he broke upon the East Coast music scene in Canada back in 1997. The Pictou County, Nova Scotia born and bred singer-songwriter and working class hero has built up from humble beginnings.
Dave is immersed in social and environmental issues. These Hands co-written with George Canyon is a ‘call to action’ style song reminiscent of classic Pete Seeger to inspire us to make good in this world. And Dave does his part to lift people up. For example when Pictou Landing First Nations set up a protest camp, Dave came and sat at the fire late one night and shared with the people a new song he had written for them.
Dave’s magnetic gift of captivating audiences by creating a bond through down-to-earth details, homespun humour and seasoned musicianship will be in full display. This workshop will be an informal sharing of songs that motivate us all to work f0r social change.
Lottie Mae Johnson
Workshop - "First Nations Spiritual Worldview", 1:15 pm, Chapel
Lottie Mae Johnson’s hope is to help bring about healing through empowering others by her past experiences and teachings.
Lottie has done workshops on Native Depression, Dreams, Dream Catcher workshops, Seven Sacred Teachings, Ceremony of Life, and Talking Circles 101 (an introduction for those who do not know what to expect.) She is currently working on becoming a trainer for the Returning to Spirit program.
Lottie first began working in the field of addictions in 1993, first as administrative assistant, then moved to a social work aide position with ‘Journey of Healing’, a program for residential school survivors. Her present job description is Traditional Teacher with Journey of Healing.
Bethe
Benjamin-Cameron
Children's Area Coordinator
Bethe was recently ordained at Maritime Conference and graduated from AST with a M.Div. She also received the Barbara Rumscheidt Scholarship Award for connecting social justice and the Gospel in her work and study.
Bethe is serving at the O'Leary West Cape pastoral charge in PEI. There she offers her gifts of creative worship, community outreach, children's spirituality and labyrinth workshops. She enjoys gardening and creating with fabric. Bethe shares life with her soul mate Rick and her three sons who teach her about life, love and how to use the apps on her I phone.
Speakers/Workshop Leaders
Alistair McIntosh
Keynote Address, 7:00 pm, Main Stage
Workshop, 1:15pm, Training Room
Alistair is a Scottish writer, academic and renowned environmental activist. Among his many published works is Soil and Soul: People versus Corporate Power (2001), which received broad critical acclaim.
Alistair is best-known for his work on Scottish land reform especially with the Isle of Eigg; the Harris super quarry battle; the spirituality of community, identity, belonging and place; nonviolence and understanding war; and the psycho-spirituality of climate change. He is also the founder of the Centre of Human Ecology in Scotland. Alistair will present the event’s keynote address.
Coco Love Alcorn
Workshop - "Songwriting Workshop"
1:15 pm, Chapel
Coco’s powerful voice has been described as “a sensual alto that elegantly captures old school soul” (The Hamilton Spectator) and Sing Out! Magazine says she has “the feel of classic R&B but with a modern singer-songwriter’s sensibility”.
Whether she is improvising on a festival stage with her voice or trumpet, boldly genre-hopping from project to project, or simply tackling life as a professional musician and mother, Coco Love
Alcorn follows her spirit. Now, that gracious and inspiring energy has led her to create the project she’s been working toward all her life – The Spirit Sessions.
All the years of improvisation, musical experimentation, life experience and live performance have connected where the moment and the spirit collide, and these new songs have come shining through. The ideas may spring from her personal journey, but true to her nature, Coco offers a universal interpretation that invites all listeners to jump in and sing along. It is her most cohesive and focused solo project yet.
Gail Clark
Workshop - "No More Stolen Sisters: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women", 1:15 pm, Common Room
Gail is a lifelong human rights activist. She is a retired RN and recently completed a degree in Anthropology & History at St. Francis Xavier University in 2014. Over the past 30 years, Gail has been an active board member with many non-profits in communities across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Northwestern Ontario, focusing on sexual health, sexual assault and violence, race relations, and the rights of First Nations. She has been a member of Amnesty International for over a decade, and is currently the Amnesty International Fieldworker for the Maritimes region.
Gail’s mantra is and has always been “There is work to be done...!”
Amnesty International is a global movement of over 7 million people in more than 150 countries working together to protect and promote human rights.