Nigamon/Tunai

Émilie Monnet is an artist of Anishinaabe (a North American Amerindian tribe) and French descent. She has created videos, theatre and performances exploring themes of identity, memory, heritage and language. Waira Nina, an Inga national from the Colombian Amazon, is the driving force behind the radio network Emisora Comunitaria Ingakuna. She has dedicated her career to advocating for the cultural richness, education and rights of her community. Monnet and Nina have been business associates for several years. Since 2014, they have been engaged in the collection of materials from environmental activists and indigenous leaders from the Amazon, Canada, and French Guiana. The project, titled Nigamon/Tunai, was released this year. The performance exceeds the boundaries of the stage and is explained by the inclusion of a series of conferences held in conjunction with the Montreal performance. These conferences addressed key themes present in the play, including the indigenous struggle, action against extractivism and the devastation of the environment in the Americas. Additionally, a fundraising campaign was initiated with the objective of supporting Waira Nina's community radio station.

How do you define Nigamon/Tunai? It would not be accurate to categorise this as theatre, although it does incorporate elements of documentary theatre. Describing it as a sensory and visual experience provides some insight into Monnet and Nina's intentions, which appear to be a condemnation of extractivism and the exploitation of their territories. In Canada, there are mining and oil companies that are undermining Colombian land to extract its resources, including copper, which is a central mineral in Anishinaabe culture. Furthermore, we advocate for the protection of the waters, land, and fauna within these territories.

The viewer is presented with a scene featuring Monnet and Nina, attired in traditional indigenous attire, set against a backdrop that could be interpreted as evoking the Amazon or a tropical forest. The surrounding environment comprises objects, copper metal structures and a circulating water feature. The artist's actions are accompanied by sounds created by objects designed by Colombian visual artist Leonel Vásquez, which give rise to the songs of stones, water and tree trunks.

This space features the voices of indigenous spiritual leaders, activists, elders and children, who are speaking out against the destruction of their territory caused by deforestation and the actions of mining and oil companies. Émilie Monnet urges that the voices of indigenous leaders be given a platform, particularly given their role as custodians of knowledge and defenders of the land and way of life. Voices that have been marginalised, suppressed and, in some cases, even try to fatally silence. It is crucial to listen to these voices today, more than ever, as they hold the key to finding solutions.