Woman pours liquid in to an ornate metal container

Nigamon / Tunai

Nigamon / Tunai

EUROPEAN PREMIERE

Immerse yourself in a contemporary ritual from Indigenous artists Émilie Monnet and Waira Nina.

Émilie Monnet, from Canada, and Waira Nina, from the Colombian Amazon, are interdisciplinary artists who seek to forge links between Indigenous people of the northern and southern hemispheres. They invite you into a mesmerising performance inspired by solidarity for the protection of water and resistance against extraction of resources.

In the Colombian Amazon, on the territory of the Inga people, oil and mining companies destroy entire living environments to plunder resources. This includes copper, which is central to Anishinaabe culture in Canada, where these same companies thrive.

The words Nigamon and Tunai mean ‘song’ in the artists’ respective languages. In Nigamon / Tunai, Monnet and Nina experiment with their voices, their breath and their bodies to interweave a performed ritual with audio documentary.

Together, the artists create a multi-sensory experience, immersing the audience in the traditional knowledge of their cultures and the struggles that bind them together.

0 Stars

This artist is an indispensable voice for understanding the power of theatre that questions colonisation and patriarchy.

Tiago Rodrigues, director of the Festival d’Avignon, on Émilie Monnet

The Warm Up: Nigamon/Tunai

North American Indigenous artist Émilie Monnet discusses her collaborative process and performance alongside South American Indigenous artist Waira Nina. Inspired by their own life experiences, Nigamon/Tunai explores strength and solidarity against environmental destruction, and Émilie shares how the immersive nature of their work brings audiences into a new form of ritual.

The Warm UP: Nigamon/Tunai

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    Programme

    A keepsake freesheet is available at the venue for this performance.

    Émilie Monnet Co-Author, Co-Director & Performer

    Waira Nina Co-Author, Co-Director & Performer

    Sarah Williams Associate Director
    Leonel Vasquez Sound Designer
    Yohayna Hernández Dramaturge
    Wanderson Santos Assistant Director & Stage Manager
    Mélanie O'bomsawin Video Designer
    Julie Christina Picher     Set Designer
    Mayumi Ide-Bergeron Props Assistant
    Chantal Labonté Lighting Designer
    Frannie Holder Music & Sound Designer
    Frédéric Auger Sound
    Esmeralda Vasquez Singing Coach
    Elizabeth Lima Voice Coach (birds improvisation)
    Yso Costume Designer
    Maria Belén Jacanamijoy Mutumbajoy Props Manager & Beadwork Designer
    Julie Cusson Make-up & Hair Design
    Tribal Spirit Music Drums
    South Street Boatbuilders (design by Tim Richards) & Leonel Vasquez Canoe Craftsman
    Sylvie Dubé Bark Basket Craftsman
    Cynthia Bouchard-Gosselin Production Manager
    Samuel Thériault Technical Director & Sound Manager
    Floyd Favel Protocol Consultant (North)
    Luciano Mutumbajoy Protocol Consultant (South)
    With the voices of Amanda Roy, Taita Luciano Mutumbajoy, Sonia Mutumbajoy, Anik Sioui, Sharon Day
    Alanis O’Bomsawin-Galand, Élouan O’Bomsawin-Galand Children’s Voices (Luna 8)
    Tree song “Nibi Song” created by Doreen Day performed by Andrée Levesque Sioui, Nahka Bertrand, Annie O’Bomsawin, Kim Picard, Yolanda Jacanamijoy Mutumbajoy, Natividad Mutumbajoy, Libia guamanga, Eusebia Yanangona, Taita Jose Becerra
    Véronik Picard Researcher (responsible for the dramaturgical text)
    Translation Elisabet Ràfols (French, English, Spanish) & Cleo da Fonseca (Portuguese)
    Kimberly Guillaume Administration Director
    Jacinthe Saint-Pierre Manager
    Jean-Matthieu Barraud Communications Director
    Cusson Management & La Magnanerie MAG.I.C Booking


    Nigamon/Tunai is a production of Productions ONISHKA in co-production with Festival TransAmériques and in collaboration with Espace GO.

    Nigamon/Tunaiis supported by the National Arts Centre's National Creation Fund and the Cole Foundation (Intercultural Dialogues).

    Nigamon/Tunai benefited from an Indigenous Dramaturgies Circle residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, from a residency at Kokolampoe Drama Center in Saint-Laurent du Maroni (French Guiana) and from a sound creation residency at Centro de la escucha de Sibaté (Columbia).

    Nigamon/Tunai was created with an eco-conception approach, and thanks to the contribution of Soverdi, Société de verdissement du Montréal métropolitain, 10 trees graciously loaned for the production will be rooted in the heart of the community at the end of the performances. They will provide shade, freshness and clean air for future generations, contributing to the objectives of the Plan Climat Montréal 2020-2030.

    ONISHKA is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Conseil des arts de Montréal, the National Creation Fund and the Cole Foundation.

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