OUR NEXT EVENT IS HERE! COme celebrate black history month this february
with asli mahdi, jessie simmons, joujou turenne, and mia weekes!
Join us for another night of art, story-telling, and celebration; In Our Tongues is excited to be bringing such wonderful artists to our stage!
Date: February 15, 2023
Time: 7-9:30 pm EST
Available both In-Person and Online!
In-Person Location: SAW Art Gallery, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Register Now!
The registration form can be found at the bottom of the page!
Registered and haven’t received an email yet on event details?
If In-person, all that is left is for you to show up to the event, your name is on the list!
If Online, the button below will direct you to the live stream on the day of the event!
meet our artists!
mia weekes
Mia Weekes is a 22-year-old dancer born and raised in the city of Ottawa. Mia began her dance career at the 3, studying Russian Ballet at her studio, Dance Educators. She explored various studio dance styles including, Jazz, tap, contemporary, and Hip-hop until she was eighteen when she completed her Elementary level Ballet exam in the Russian style. Mia then pursued Hip-Hop dance style with the dance teams, Future Shock Canada and PNL Dance Co., where she had the opportunity to travel to different parts of North America including Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles, and Arizona, to perform and compete. Mia continues to be part of PNL Dance Co. where she trains in various styles of urban hip-hop dance, and freestyling.
Follow Mia:
IG: @_miaweekes
joujou turenne / amie du vent
Joujou Turenne, Amie du Vent, is a multidisciplinary artist: spoken word poet, children's books author, cosmopolitan storyteller, dancer, actor, coach and lecturer. She composes sparkling stories nourished by Africa, her alma mater, by Quebec, where she vibrates and which she has chosen as her home, and by Haiti, her native land.
She left her mark on a generation of children, particularly through the high media coverage of the character Passe-Tourelle in the children's television series Passe-Partout. Télé-Québec won the Gémeau Multiculturalisme award for the series, which ran for 12 years. Her passion for social justice, human dignity, and inclusion for all resulted in her involvement in various activities related to respect for the status of women, school retention, and the promotion of human rights and children's rights.
In 2021, her story Amédée won the Jury Prize in the Battle of the Tales at the Festival interculturel du Conte de Montréal. Jou Jou has received numerous awards of excellence, including the Cator Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999, and the prestigious Anselme Chiasson Award in 2011.
Follow Jou Jou:
Website: joujouturenne.com
jessie simmons
Jessie Simmons (born Alesandria-Jessica Simon) is not new to the music scene. She has been performing since she was four years old. Since 2013, she has been making a major impact in Ottawa and Montreal’s music scene. She performed on stages like Afrofest and Cranium Festival and with major artists such as 5lan and Alan Cave. She is currently adding the finishing touches to her album. Her latest single plus jamais seul has made its way to France and her song, Wisdom won “song of the year” with RNB Canada. Jessie Simmons is a powerhouse and a beast on stage. She is definitely one to look out for.
Follow Jessie:
IG: @jessiesimmonsxo
Website: https://www.jessiesimmonsmusic.com/
Youtube: Jessie Simmons Music
asli mahdi
Asli Mahdi (she/her) is a Black Muslim poet and writer of Somali descent, born and raised in Canada. Her poems have been published in The Offing, Room Magazine and The Drinking Gourd. Outside of writing, she is an afrogoth, an enamel pin collector, dark lipstick enthusiast, Manic Panic fanatic, and 90s R&B and alt-rock herstorian. She is a student of Islam, self-care, shadows and solitude.
Follow Asli:
IG: @shadowspeaker_
Read about her on The Offing
