Such a sheer joy to find TOYBOX a video of a superb trans male project from Kamari Romeo in London in our inbox this morning. Its a 22-minute Visual Performance Poetry/Spoken Word music video looking at experiences of British childhood.
At this time when most of us are in COVID 19 lockdown which seems like a form of solitary confinement, being able to watch Romeo’s unique approach on this subject, helps us to continue questioning our attitudes to the ‘outside world’ in general,
This project, made in April 2018 over a period of 9 months endeavours to bring honest conversations into sharp focus via a series of short, filmed poems, performed to original music in collaboration with 5 people aged between 20-27. These original works highlight how these childhood experiences and traumas may affect us, shaping the people we become.
Says Roméo: “After my mother died suddenly in April 2018, I began to take an interest in the idea of deconstructing my childhood through the perspective of a child, piecing together the memories of my care experience. It suddenly felt more important than ever to delve into my history as a second-generation Zambian immigrant, growing up in England, playing with Chinese toys and watching American TV to figure out what parts of my multi-cultural upbringing I would hold on to as an adult out of the system.
Romeo is a London-based actor and Producer who seeks to offer training and performance opportunities curated by underrepresented voices.) His business Humblebee Creative Ltd offers fresh perspectives on minority voices through theatre, spoken word, live art, archiving and documenting practices. Kamari’s work encourages audiences to be less passive and more engaged through an immersive aesthetic, awakening the audience’s own social responsibility through art that pollinates conversation.
Toybox is written and performed by Kamari Romeo, Sirena Reynolds, Tobi, Tiahnna, Maya
Poems featured in Toybox
My mum the bottle collector
A poem about alcoholism written through the eyes of a child and in the style of a children’s story (Written and performed by Kamari Romeo).
For My Next Trick
Inspired by the wonder of magic and using it to solve your worst problems (Written and performed by Kamari Romeo)
L.O.V.E.
About being caught up in the “game” of a toxic relationship and not understanding the dangers until it’s too late. (Written and performed by Kamari Romeo)
Makishi
A poem about decolonising myself as an artist and rediscovering my roots on my own terms. Written in English and translated into my mother tongue Tonga/Nyanja (Zambia). (Written and performed by Kamari Romeo)
The beauty amongst the chaos
The pressures of trying to thrive despite being care experienced. (Written and performed in order by Tobi and Tiahnna)
15
A poem about rebelling against the system. (Written and performed by Sirena Reynolds)
Belinda
A commentary on the influence of American pop culture on British young people particularly in relation to drug culture and the masking of trauma. (Written and performed by Sirena Reynolds & Kamari Romeo)
Boxes
A poem about anger and forgiveness. (Written and performed by Maya)
Symphony
A reflection on complexity of relationships between biological parents and children in care. (Written and performed by Sirena Reynolds)
Kick
A poem written from the perspective of a foetus in the womb, experiencing the epigenetic factors given to me before birth- Stress, nicotine, alcohol, depression (Written and performed by Kamari Romeo)
Alphabet Soup
An abstract retelling of the alphabet with key words from all the care leavers stories in the album. (Written and performed by Kamari Romeo)
Labels: 2020, Kamari Romeo, trans male, visul poetry
