Sankofa: The Soldier's Tale Retold

Sankofa: The Soldier’s Tale Retold reimagines Igor Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat in a new libretto by poet Titilope Sonuga. Through the journey of a fictional soldier attempting to enlist in WWI, this Soldier’s Tale is set against the historical context of the No. 2 Construction Battalion — the only Canadian battalion composed of Black soldiers to serve in the First World War. In a psychological battle with the devil on the road to enlisting, the soldier embodies their resilience and enduring struggle against racism, discrimination, and historical erasure.

Like the symbol of the Sankofa bird from which this story draws its name (a word in the Twi language of Ghana which means to go back and retrieve what was forgotten), this work blends past and future as the rhythm of Sonuga’s poetry weaves through Stravinsky’s original music. Sankofa is an invitation to honour a difficult history while moving toward a more promising future.

For more information: https://harbourfrontcentre.com/event/sankofa-the-soldiers-tale-retold/ 

Presented by Art of Time Ensemble in association with Koffler Arts and The Glenn Gould School; Music by Igor Stravinsky; Libretto by Titilope Sonuga; Directed by Tawiah M’Carthy

(rsvp-commemoration-rsvp@veterans.gc.ca)

https://harbourfrontcentre.com/event/sankofa-the-soldiers-tale-retold/