“A powerful two-woman show about an unnatural disaster and a great shift in universal consciousness”
Two brave, strong and beautiful sisters-in-struggle, lead us into the hell of global awareness, through the depths of despair, and into The Power of One. Weaving multi-media physical and poetic images of
Water
Light
Lead bullets
Lead paint
Katrina
Sudan
Police oppression
Learning from the Oak Tree
Militarization
Corporate ownership of land and water
Poverty
Palestine
Terror
Transformation
Pollution
Fire
The memory of water molecules
Tonight at The National Black Theater of Harlem, the words and images became a deep pounding resonance in my heart, a howling in my lungs, and a salty water pouring out of my eyes.
“and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
… But first it shall Make you miserable
How can we learn about, connect with and take into our consciousness the pain and suffering of the earth and her inhabitants?
Can we bear the agony of realizing these connections between global warming, poverty, racial oppression, corporate greed and the destruction of native peoples without being crushed?
How do we find, nurture and preserve our spirits as we struggle to learn and make a difference in this world?
HURRICANE SEASON is a powerful poetic answer to these questions. Members of packed house closing night audience at the National Black Theater in Harlem New York shouted out “TEACH!” with moans of grief and praise — and yes, these two powerful women did teach – Oh Yes!
“Art is our Weapon, Our Medicine, Our Voice, Our Vision”
Recorded interviews from Katrina survivors, shocking screen images, overwhelming statistics … all brought home, bite size, so we could understand the impact globally and in our own back yards. The beautiful bodies of these highly trained performers created an oversized “Cats Cradle” – a literal and poetic web to connect the conscious and subconscious — to help us reconnect with our humanity and inspire us to action.
Tonight’s closing performance imploded and exploded with the energy built by a National Tour and several weeks in Harlem – were Alixa and Naima created a sacred and safe space for us to learn, cry, scream, and howl in response to the horrors – and to acknowledge our newfound hope and channel our energies into positive action.
Alixa and Naima are Climbing PoeTree. They define this powerhouse duo as the expression of a growing movement for radical social change. They are poets, performers, print-makers, dancers, muralists, and designers. Alixa and Naima have sharpened their art as a tool for popular education, community organizing, and personal transformation. With roots in Haiti and Colombia, Alixa and Naima reside in Brooklyn and track footprints across the country and globe on a mission to overcome destruction with creativity.
In five self-organized independent tours, Climbing PoeTree has catalyzed over 500 crowds in more than 70 cities from Oakland to Atlanta, Johannesburg to Havana with artists such as Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Danny Glover, The Last Poets, and Dead Prez. Alixa and Naima have led more than 100 arts-based political education, anti-racism, and entrepreneurial workshops in institutions from Cornell University to Rikers Island. And they have painted murals on walls from the Bronx to Santiago, Toronto to Jamaica. Through compelling artistry, these multitalented, tireless, and driven young women expose injustice, help us heal from violence, and make a better future visible, immediate, and irresistible.
I was drawn to Naima and Alixa instintively, as one is drawn to the warmth of the sun – and I offer them a reverent salutation. I suggest that you too FOLLOW THESE WOMEN!
http://www.climbingpoetree.com
www.hurricaneseasontour.com
Artist Soul Speaks
Aka Judith Z. Miller
http://www.zamo-zamo.com<
http://www.etsy.com
ARTIST SOUL SPEAKS 
Perhaps of interest: “New Orleans Lament,” a poem.
http://maximumfiction.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/new-orleans-lament/