An INTERACTIVE concert
performance
This interaction
offers an excellent opportunity for music lovers, students,
professionals, educators, and appreciators of all ages to
come together and study, explore & grapple with
SLAVERY
in our
MODERN WORLD.
MENTAL SLAVERY
WORKING TOGETHER ON SPIRIT OF THE ACT
Why someone would want to hear what BEN OKAFOR says about
the issue of SLAVERY. . .
"Well, for me personally Ben’s view on slavery goes beyond
just standing and singing on stage. He was part of the
artists called upon by famous Bishop of South Africa, Bishop
Desmond Tutu to HELP FIGHT APARTHEID through his music."
Segun Gilbert
Music Director
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"Personally, I appreciates what Ben is doing to promote the
eradication of ignorance about slavery and its impact on
current and future generations. It would be a delight to see
his work presented here to American audiences where
attitudes to physical and mental slavery do not appear to be
as passionate as they are in Europe."
Julian Newcom
Professor of Law
Washington State
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*
"In the Diocese of Oxford we
wanted a project that would focus on the links between the
abolition of slavery two hundred years ago and contemporary
manifestations of slavery and enslavement. Our conviction as
planners of the initiative is that human freedom is
indivisible. Unless all are free, then no-one can truly be
free. We wanted to find a new way into issues of racism and
social injustice as we experience them now, and to use this
to inspire us to embrace new ways to work to transform the
legacy of the past. We wanted a project that could take
place in a range of communities and venues, involving people
from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, and that would be
different each time according to the uniqueness about each
place. We wanted the local hosts to determine the focus for
their event, so that the project would always be apposite
and relevant. Above all, we wanted to enage people at the
level of their hearts as well as their minds; their guts as
well as their intellect. That's why we decided on a
project that worked through the creative arts.
"The
Spirit of the Act encapsulates all the ingredients
one could hope for. Ben Okafor's versatility as an artist;
his responsiveness and sensitivity as an educator, and his
warmth and charisma as a person combine to create a unique
product. Learning with Ben is like learning with no-one
else. He accepts and respects people just as they are, and
takes this as his starting point. He makes himself
vulnerable in telling his own story in such a way that calls
out personal stories from others. He trusts first, and as a
result, is trusted by others; he reveals aspects of himself
first, and so calls forth revelations from others. He
affirms first, thereby making it safe for people to open
themselves up to change, challenge and transformation - and
to engage with their own creativity. Young and old alike
respond to Ben with warmth and the full depth of their
humanity. Ben's workshops are so much more than workshops.
They are music and poetry-infused encounters that leave you
with an acute sense of the reality of the injustices that
surround us in our world, but also with a deep sense of hope
and an expansiveness of soul that urges you upwards and
onwards in determination to make a difference. Ben somehow
enables you to touch the love at the heart of us all, and to
believe that it is this, in the end, that will always win
out."
Alison Webster
Social Responsibility Adviser
Diocese of Oxford
North Hinksey
Oxford |