Marrying poetry with history

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The story inspires, according to the poet Excel'n'cia, the pen name of Nancia Marthe. Last summer, our team filmed her in Montréal-Nord, reciting Dear descendants, A text of his own. “The purpose of my poetry is to learn about our history myself, to be able to popularize it, to open the door to a conversation, so that we can learn more,” says the speaker. His work, composed a year earlier, was born out of feelings that culminated in the death of George Floyd and other events of fatal police violence committed against black people in a year that rekindled tensions.

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“At the time, I had a lot of negative emotions, sadness, and frustration with the injustice that still exists, despite years of struggle,” the poet tells us. Today she wants to express more optimism by talking about history.

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“I used this piece both to promote our history and to try to add a positive touch, a note of hope,” says the young woman. In doing so, she addresses her descendants by also evoking her ancestors.

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“I imagine that above all, what we do, through community involvement, we are able to make things change ourselves. It seems that I needed to convince myself of this in order for things to improve, while convincing my audience,” she says. Nancia talks about history, but also about identity.

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“In trying to define myself, to know who I am, I tried to understand what was the history of Black people in Canada, where they came from, if there was slavery here. I wanted to know the journey of Black Canadians,” she adds, referring to this historical perspective that was omitted from her history books at school. For the poet, it is not enough to look back, but to take action.

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“I think that, now, it is important to break out of lockdown little by little, to start acting again. You can't just sit still, take part in online debates, write on virtual walls,” says the woman, who invites everyone to get involved. “Because the difference [is made] through actions, discussions, by reaching out to others. By staying isolated, with distance, we cultivate fear, fear of the other. I think we have to go against that. I encourage you to do that.”