Nelson poet and performer Zaynab Mohammed has been selected as an ambassador for BC Culture Days.
The BC Culture Days Ambassador Program offers emerging artists in B.C. the opportunity to develop creative and community-engaged programming for Culture Days, which takes place nationwide from Sept. 23 to Oct. 16. The emerging artists act as spokespeople for BC Culture Days and also participate in a mentorship program with an established artist for three months.
The BC Culture Days Ambassador series entitled Earth Endeavours is a collection of community-engaged creative projects calling the public to action. With a new creative challenge launched each week starting July 4, the 2022 ambassadors will invite everyone to explore our relationship with the Earth and each other, navigating a way towards a healthier future together.
Mohammed’s Earth Endeavours project is called Are We Listening?, which stems from her curiosity about the power of listening and what it means in relation to ourselves, to each other and to our natural environment.
“What does listening mean to you? I would love to learn from you. I invite you to think about this topic. What are your thoughts and insights on listening? How do you listen? Why do you listen? When do you listen, and where does your listening happen within you?,” she asks.
Mohammed is calling on you to participate in her project. She is conducting in-person interviews at The Civic Theatre in Nelson, and at her studio in the Village of Slocan from June 20 to July 31. To book a slot for your personal interview with Mohammed, please email her at arewelistening2022@gmail.com before July 31.
During Culture Days, a series of micro-documentaries detailing the results of the ambassadors’ Earth Endeavours projects will be presented on the Culture Days website.
“Your recorded interviews and stories will be the soundtrack of my video on what listening means when our voices are connected through story,” says Mohammed. “Thank you for carving out time to participate!”
Follow BC Culture Days on social media or at CultureDays.ca/en/bc to join Mohammed and the other ambassadors on their journeys. For more about Mohammed, visit her website: www.zaynabmohammed.com.