Black History’s
bright lights

The city rolls out its annual celebration of the
black community, with everything from talent
shows to prayers for Barack Obama

SOUNDS DREAMY:
Candice Jones, to appear at Young, Gifted and Black ’09

by PATRICK LEJTENYI

Black History Month officially began last Sunday, Feb. 1, and there is still a lot of stuff left to catch. From live music concerts to art exhibits to conferences and workshops, the city’s black community is front and centre for the next three weeks and change. There is far too much going on to list here comprehensively, so for a detailed schedule and line-up, see mhnbhm.ca or ville.montreal.qc.ca.

The biggest and most impressive event this month is likely the fifth annual Young, Gifted and Black showcase, taking place this Saturday, Feb. 7 at Concordia’s Oscar Peterson Concert Hall (7141 Sherbrooke W.), $25, 8 p.m. The on-stage talent will draw on Martin Luther King Jr.’s works and words for their performances, with this year’s theme being “Remembering the Dream.” This year’s line-up is stacked, featuring some of the hottest tap, hip hop and step dancers in the city, including 2 Marvelous, Justin Jackson, Ryan Scott Walker (aka Froggy), Troy Clarke (aka Junior Boogie) and Stepping Over Wickedness (S.O.W.), musical performances from 18-year-old sax phenom Candice Jones, Jonathan Emile, Sule, Aliyah “Truth” Thomas, Kyakindu, the seven-member gospel group United Brothers, the 25-member gospel choir Perpetual Praise, some steel-pan action from Rashiyd Wilson (a scene veteran at age nine), African dance troupe Obaa Sima and spoken worder Judith Louis-Jacques. There’s also more. For tickets, call the Oscar Peterson box office at (514) 848-4848 or Admission (514) 790-1245.

If you’d like something different, or perhaps more intimate, don’t miss Chicago’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble on Thursday, Feb. 19 at Club Lambi (4465 St-Laurent, $15, 10 p.m.). There will be plenty of other smaller concerts throughout the month, featuring everything from gospel to classical to jazz to folk/traditional.

Canvas and stage

The art world also has its fair share of events happening this month. For starters, you could do worse than Warriors: Colour on Black Women at MosaikArt (4897 St-Laurent, corner St-Joseph), running to March 31. The show, which includes pieces by Grade 11 and first-year CEGEP students, honours individual black women and their contributions to Canada in arts, sciences, politics and community service. Up the street at INTERMONDE (5594 St-Laurent), works by Congolese painter Kamba Sita explore “the worker and the artisan” until Saturday, Feb. 14.

Montreal’s stages will also be busy, with plays, dance, spoken word and poetry recitals going strong. The Black Theatre Workshop will play several performances of Dennis Foon’s Skin, in which four young people examine their lives and places in the world. Directed by Tamara Brown, at different venues and times throughout the month. Call (514) 872-2162 or visit blacktheatreworkshop.ca for details.

Good ol’ J.S. Bach is interpreted by Zab Maboungou and the Nyata Nyata dance company at the Maison de la culture Frontenac (2550 Ontario E.) on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. Free passes are available as of Feb. 12. Call (514) 872-7882. On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the Comité international pour la promotion de créole et de l’alphabétisation hosts an evening of music and dancing featuring soprano Chantal Lavigne, soul singer Rachelle Jeanty and others at the Masion de la culture Mercier (8105 Hochelaga), 7:30 p.m., free. RSVP at (514) 907-8554, (514) 962-8640 or (514) 802-0546.

There are also plenty of cultural shows to catch, so check out the Web site at the top of the page.

From Africa to galas

Moviephiles will get a chance to watch history on film, some of it more depressing than others. Starting on Wednesday, Feb. 11, Senegalese-Montrealer Musa Dieng Kala’s Dieu a-t-il quitté l’Afrique? examines the dangerous phenomenon of the thousands of young Africans who risk everything to reach the West. The director will be on hand for the screening at the Maison de la culture Ahuntsic-Cartierville (10300 Lajeunesse) at 7:30 p.m., and again on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Maison culturelle et communautaire, 12004 Rolland Blvd., room 222 at 2 p.m. Both are free. Call (514) 872-8749 for tickets.

On Monday, Feb. 9, Serge Bilé’s doc Noirs dans les camps Nazi looks at the European black community’s experience during the Second World War. Hosted by the Montreal Holocaust Museum (5170 Cote Ste-Catherine), 7 p.m., $15. Call (514) 739-2301 ext. 8330 or (514) 576-4710.

And on Sunday, Feb. 22, Arc en ciel d’Afrique and the Centre communautaire des gais et lesbiennes de Montréal will host two films that ask pointed questions about blacks and the LGBT community. At UQàM (315 Ste-Catherine E., room R-M130), 5 p.m., free. Call (514) 708-1003.

This being the first Black History Month with a black U.S. president, Barack Obama’s name will be heard a lot this month. On Thursday, Feb. 5, the Librairie Bistro Olivieri (5219 Cote-des-Neiges) will host a conference entitled Obama et Moi, featuring Quebec politicians and pundits discussing the meaning of presidency, at 7 p.m., for free. Call (514) 739-3639 to reserve a seat. On Friday, Feb. 20, the Centre Afrika (1644 St-Hubert) discuss how young blacks can follow the Obama model, at 6:30 p.m., by donation, (514) 560-6230. Pray for the man and his heavy workload on Sunday, Feb. 8, 6 p.m. at Actions Béthel du Canada (211 Henri-Bourassa E.), in a special Obama mass presided over by Dr. Lezoka Mwinda, (514) 334-4449.

Rounding out the month is the third annual Sounds of Blackness Awards (SOBA) prize gala, awarding locals who have contributed to black culture in all its richness, even if they aren’t black themselves. There will be an early gala on Thursday, Feb. 26 at the Delta Hotel (475 President-Kennedy), doors open 6:30 p.m., and the gala itself takes place Sunday, March 1 at the Théâtre Outremont (1248 Bernard W.), 7:27 p.m., $30, (514) 495-9944, (514) 908-9090. Gala attire required! There will be an after-party at a location TBD. See galasoba.ca for more info.