Hosted by Roots Resistance, featuring Travis Alabanza, Ros Martin, Nour Khairi and Aaliyah Kara with music brought by Flux and Hodan.
The Roots Resistance is proud to collaborate with Africa Writes Exeter and Bookbag to present An Evening of Words, Music & Performance. We are excited to present An Evening of Poetry, featuring Travis Alabanza, Ros Martin, Aaliyah Kara, Nour Khairi, Seyi "Flux". The evening will finish with a DJ set by Hodan Omar.
Cost: Free
About the artists
Travis Alabanza is a writer, performer and theatre maker. Their memoir None of the Above was the winner of the 2023 Jhalak Prize. Their theatre shows Burgerz, Overflow and Sound of The Underground were all received with critical acclaim, winning Total Theatre Award at Edinburgh Fringe, streaming to over 22 countries and being included in over 20 syllabuses. They have given talks on race and gender across the world including at Harvard, Oxford and Bristol - with their impact in the LGBT+ community being noted in the Forbes 30under30 list, Dazed100 and a recent Attitude magazine 100 list.
Ros Martin is a Bristol based author and spoken word artist, an award-winning playwright, She is also a film maker, experimental theatre maker and, writer in schools. Her literary based artist practice, archives marginalised African diasporan and othered lives, histories, and voices.
Aaliyah Kara is a secondary school teacher and poet. She was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she was active in the spoken word scene; performing at a range of literature festivals and campaigns for social justice. She has published in Calabash Magazine, Teesta Review, Poetry Potion, and Odd Magazine. Her work was selected to be part of a pending anthology on human rights by The University of Kwa Zulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts.
Nour Khairi is a Sudanese poet, producer and journalist interested in the possibilities of Afro-futurism, science, data and underrepresented communities. Emerge(ncy) is their poetry collection (2020). They hold an MA in Philosophy from Bristol University.
Hodan is a multidisciplinary artist-researcher currently pursuing a PhD at UAL and the ICA. She is also a broadcaster and DJ. Previously, she hosted a show called "The Garden is Open" on Worldwide FM.
My name is Flux. In Latin it means ‘to flow’. Whether it be in life or in my music I like to go with the flow. I started writing music as an outlet for me to express how I felt and due to listening to rap and R&B almost exclusively, I discovered that I was pretty good at it. Then I kept writing and I kept getting better. Now I just wanna push my pen to its limits and then further. My goal is to eventually be recognised as one of the greatest to ever do it.
About The Roots Resistance
We are the Roots Resistance, a student-led project that seeks to support the Black and POC community in Exeter and beyond with a philosophy grounded in anti-racism and decolonial knowledge production.
Founded in 2020 and funded by the Exeter Annual Fund and the Education Incubator, our aim is to build a hub of expression limited only by an exclusive commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive community for all. Through creativity, discussion and the exchange of ideas, we hope to share the experience of Black and People of Colour in an honest, inclusive and transformative way.
Accessibility Statement: Bookbag is an accessible venue located on street level with step free access and with access to a disabled bathroom. For further info do contact them directly via info@bookbag.shop.