“Poetic Portraits of a Revolution” Performance Feb. 10
“Poetic Portraits of a Revolution,” a multimedia spoken word performance by Will McInerney, Kane Smego, Mohammad Moussa, and Sameer Abdel-khalek, will take place on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Guilford College Art Gallery, located in Hege Library on campus. The public is invited to attend this free event.
“Poetic Portraits of a Revolution” is a theatrical multimedia performance incorporating spoken word, video, and photography that seeks to give a glimpse into the stories and emotions behind the popular movements in Egypt and Tunisia. The event will be followed by a Q&A session.
Produced by the Academy Award-winning organization Empowerment Project, “Poetic Portraits of a Revolution” sent nationally recognized spoken word poets and youth educators Will McInerney and Kane Smego along with project translator and interpreter Mohammad Moussa and professional photographer and videographer Sameer Abdel-khalek to Egypt and Tunisia during the summer of 2011.
The team collected oral histories, captured photographs and video, and created poetic reflections that depict the sights, sounds, and emotions of life in both countries during this time of transformation. Poetry and recordings from their journey have been featured in radio segments broadcast nationally on the American Public Media show “The Story” with Dick Gordon, as well as on the WUNC program “Morning Edition.”
All of the material gathered during the trip is currently being transformed into a live theater performance, a photographic and poetry installation, a book publication, and a film production. “Poetic Portraits of a Revolution” seeks to utilize art and first-hand accounts to highlight the human experience behind these powerful social movements.
Co-sponsors for the performance and exhibition are the Center for Principled Problem Solving and the American Friends Service Committee.
