Indigenous sound and visions at Yonge & Dundas Square Wed June 24

By Will McGuirk

Toronto's Yonge & Dundas Square will be the site of a free Indigenous History Month Celebration hosted by The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) together with the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT) on Wednesday June 26 2018. Along with music performances by A Tribe Called Red, Keys 'n Krates and Iskwe, those massive screeens will show Indigenous historical moments, 50 contemporary artworks by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis women artists and Caroline Monnet's short film 'Mobilize' and the National Billboard Project 'Resilience'.

"It is an extremely exciting opportunity for me to work with 50 Indigenous women artists and with MAWA on Resilience, the national billboard project,” says Lee-Ann Martin, Resilience Curator. “For these artists, resilience is embodied as endurance, adaptability and sovereignty in relation to customary practices, contemporary identities, the land, and the impact of colonial practices and strategies. The large-scale billboard images exist outside of art galleries, standing alongside the country's roadways. The artists in Resilience stand as Defenders of their cultural sovereignty and Protectors of this land."

Iskwe drops 'The Unforgotten ft. Tanya Tagaq'

Iskwe sent SlowCity.ca this track and we are happy to share it with you all. We are at a crossroads in this country and the question is not which direction do we take but if we take it together. We hope we take it together, in particular if the phenomenal Tanya Tagaq is onside.

"I'm proud of who we are as Indigenous people. I'm proud of what we've fought for, and how we continue to fight for our culture, our languages, our children, our women, our men, our earth and our water. But I'm also proud of all my non-Indigenous family and friends who continue to fight alongside us. This song is for all of us. Let's dance together!," says Iskwe, a resident now of Hamilton but originally from Winnipeg. 

Lets dance.