As part of Follow the tree flowers, only the tree flowers   

As the audience gathers as if attending a last supper, Va-Bene, an ex-preacher turned ‘artvangelist’ and artivist invites guests to a solemn invocation, requesting their undivided attention. The sermon then commences, threaded with rhetorical questions to provoke contemplation and reflection, placing particular emphasis on the concepts of solidarity, compassion, love, kindness, forgiveness, reconciliation, and hospitality.

Sermon on the Mount also serves as a proactive response to the alarming rise in hate movements that have been permeating various African societies, encompassing anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment, genocides, anti-migration policies, xenophobia, racism, and countless conflicts unreported. It draws upon the Beatitudes and the Antitheses from the Gospel of Matthew, which are deemed by many Christians to represent the paramount teachings of Jesus Christ. 

This evening concludes with an invitation to take a communion of delicious food and a hibiscus drink, symbolizing the artists’ collective commitment to serving as guardians for one another and to stand in solidarity with those facing adversity. Poetry and performativity will also manifest through the voices and gestures of Activists Choreographies of Care and Logan February.

 

Pride Before and Pride After  
Song of First Love and First Sin
Poetic interventions by Logan February