Inspired by the legacy of Nikki Giovanni and in light of her recent passing, Savanna ‘Sweetwater’ Morgan presents Only the word itself means what it said, a sonic and poetic dedication to the influential poet. This commissioned performance is a direct response to Giovanni’s 1968 poem ‘For Saundra’, which wrestles with the absurdity of making art in a world on fire.

Through poetry and sound, Sweetwater crafts an epic that captures the contradictions of Black life in the US, centring a child’s coming-of-age in East Texas while affirming the resilience of Black diasporic traditions. The piece interrogates how Black bodies and cultures are simultaneously exploited and celebrated; their images weaponized in service of US power on the global stage.

Merging classic blues, Blacktronica, and jazz, Sweetwater fuses her musical heritage with a deeply personal reflection on identity, history, and the weight of US imperialism. As both a subject and beneficiary of these forces, she channels her experiences into a sonic landscape that is at once intimate and expansive.