Nigamon/Tunai
Nigamon and Tunai mean song in Anishinaabemowin and Inga. In a polyphonic manifesto forged by friendship, Émilie Monnet and Waira Nina amplify the songs of the overlooked. Standing with the fight against extractivism and the mining companies that are devasting their lands, they unite their communities’ knowledge and resistance strategies. Voices and languages that would otherwise not be heard make their way to us at last, from South to North.
In the sound forest to which we are invited by Monnet and Nina, trees, water, stones, and copper sing. Besides the instruments playing this unexpected music before our eyes, we also hear words gathered from the Colombian Amazon and the boreal forest. Linked by the figure of the turtle central to both their cosmogonies, the two women form an effective alliance advocating the protection of water, land, stars, and ancestral knowledge.
About the artists
Émilie Monnet (Montreal/Tio'tià:ke/Mooniyaang) Productions Onishka
Occupying the intersection of theatre, performance, and media arts, Emilie Monnet presents collaborative works that bring overlooked lives and stories into the spotlight.
Waira Nina (Yurayako) Productions Onishka
A performer, multidisciplinary artist, and storyteller, Waira Nina Jacanamijoy is an influential political and cultural leader for the Inga Nation.
Media Coverage
“Émilie Monnet’s Okinum mesmerizes in a spiritual journey. (…) Immersing the audience in a dreamlike state between the spiritual realm and reality, Okinum consists of circular storytelling methods grounded in Anishinaabe teachings to create a vivid, multisensory experience.”
Emma Jeffrey, Createastir.ca, 04-02-2023, about Okinum
« L’art semble ici célébration de la vie ; il n’en est pas séparé. Il provient de sa source même. Il est un savoir singulier, mais savoir tout de même ! Ressourcement, réparation, remédiation : tout est bon à expérimenter dans ce cadre qu’Émilie Monnet a construit et se construit devant nous. La pièce est réconciliation avec soi-même, d’abord et avant tout ! »
Sylvain Campeau, En toutes lettres, 14-10-2022, about Okinum
« Une performance puissante et un magnifique objet d’art. La beauté de cette œuvre n’a d’égale que la pertinence de son propos. »
Valérie Marcoux, Le Soleil, 19-05-2022, about Marguerite : le feu
« Un espace commun d’empowerment intergénérationnel et essentiellement féminin. Œuvre aboutie et percutante, surtout par la justesse de son propos et de sa forme. »
Marie-Paule Grimaldi, Magazine Spirale, 02-06-2019, about This time will be different
« Une dramaturgie aussi irrésistible que captivante et profondément brutale. »
Éloïse Choquette, Pieuvre.ca, 09-10-2018, about Okinum
Interview
“In Nigamon/Tunai, there is a space for listening to the voices of grandmothers and children; the voices of protest and defense of the land against deforestation and the impact of mining and oil companies; spiritual voices and songs. The work also offers a space to listen to our own voices through various conversations and ceremonies that led to us finding deeper spiritual significance in our lives and lands.”
Info
Théâtre ESPACE GOLength
1 h 30
Language
In Anishinaabemowin, Inga, French, English and Spanish
