World Music Institute Presents Small Island Big Song
Multimedia Concert Spotlights Climate Justice for the Global South
An award-winning concert
event featuring artists from a
collective of Pacific island
nations who infuse their
indigenous music with a
generous splash of reggae
and soul. Small Island
presents a joyous celebration
that stands in solidarity with
island nations everywhere
and shines a light on the
threat of climate change to
island life.
Caribbean Life, March 11-17, 2022 19
Small Island, Big Song
is an award-winning multimedia
concert event featuring
eight artists from a
collective of island nations
of the Pacific and Indian
Oceans. The event combines
music, spoken word,
and live cinema -- with
footage collected during
a 3-year film trip across
16 countries, guided by
the artists in their homelands.
The ambitious project
explores the cultural
connections between the
seafaring descendants of
islands that are now on the
frontline of global climate
change.
Small Island performs
a joyous mix of Pacific and
Indian Ocean traditions --
from the unique string music
of Madagascar to the
indigenous-language pop
of Taiwan, to the upcycled
ocean-trash instruments
of Mauritius -- buoyed by a
generous splash of reggae
and island music. Participating
artists represent a
wide array of musicians
and performers including
Sauljaljui of Taiwan, Emlyn
of Mauritius, Putad
of Taiwan, climate activist
Selina Leem of the
Marshall Islands, Sammy
of Madagascar, Kokol of
Mauritius, Richard Mogu
of Papua New Guinea, and
Kan of Mauritius. Together
they spotlight global climate
justice in the developing
world through a joyous
celebration of arts and
culture -- dispelling ecoanxiety,
grief, dread, and
fear and empowering audiences
with a reminder of
our interconnectivity with
nature and each other.
“Working with Small
Island Big Song, I’m coming
to have a lot of respect
for artists,” says Marshall
Islands climate activist &
spoken word artist Selina
Leem. “They are able and
willing to go to a lot of
places that not a lot of us
are willing to. With ecoanxiety
for example, there
is a lot of fear. Artists tap
into that and give it a voice.
They are able to tap into
that vulnerability. They
are creating this space
for everybody involved to
have that moment of healing,
but also to come out
of it thinking ‘ok, I can do
something about this’ instead
of being left in a state
of hopelessness.”
In addition, there will
be a pre-show Q&A moderated
by Andrew Revkin,
longtime environmental
journalist, and founding
director of the Columbia
Climate School Initiative
on Communication and
Sustainability at Columbia
University.
SMALL ISLAND BIG SONG - NYC Debut!
"One coherent jaw-dropping piece"- Billboard
FRI, MARCH 18 7:30PM
2537 Broadway at 95th Street
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