Alternate ROOTS's blog

"Alternate Roots"
by Jose (Daniel) Canta
spoken word poet from Richmond, VA

Our soil has been stained by the blood of our people
There we plant the seeds of our children
Their roots are soaked in the memories –

Christopher Columbus,

The United Fruit Company,

Dictators supported by the CIA

Their branches will bear no fruit
Only empty mitayo 1 hands covered in tin and mercury
Some holding machine guns pointed at other trees that look the same
From their trunks bleed sap from which North Americans will make

Please take a minute to review this document. It is a reflection of the work done by the ROOTS staff during 2009. If there are any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the office, info@alternateroots.org.

The year 2009 was Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his revolutionary book, On the Origin of Species. Throughout 2009 several ROOTS artists collaborated with Virginia Tech faculty, students, and regional community members to explore Darwin’s life work and the still-controversial impact of evolutionary science on our understanding of life, on public education, and social policy.  The project culminated in October and November with an original theatre piece entitled “Living Darwin” and a new media exhibition/performance art event called “Singing Darwin.”

I've been wrestling as a director lately in all the things I was left unprepared for - launched with a master's degree into the world at 28. Master’s degree is an inherently faulty degree for anyone still in their 20’s – cute title, but ‘master’ of little other then where to find the cheapest beer special, living on less then $15,000 a year, and writing mediocre papers. I came out with ideas I wanted to explore, a strong sense of my values, and a large tool kit. And while every tool is a weapon if you know how to use it right (Ani Difranco) - I’m doing my best not to damage myself or others with the tools I have while I’m trying to figure out how to use them.