Latest news with #ToniMorrison
Scoop
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Biennale Of Sydney Announces 2026 Exhibition: Rememory
Press Release – Biennale of Sydney The edition will highlight marginalised narratives, share untold stories, and inspire audiences to rethink how memory shapes identity and belonging, giving voice to stories from Aboriginal communities and the divergent diasporas that shape Australia today. Sydney, Australia: The Biennale of Sydney has announced the curatorial vision, first wave of 37 artists and collectives, and exhibition locations for the 25th edition, titled Rememory. The major international contemporary art festival will be open free to the public from 14 March to 14 June 2026, presented in various locations across Sydney. Led by internationally acclaimed curator Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi, the 25th Biennale of Sydney: Rememory takes its title from celebrated author Toni Morrison, exploring the intersection of memory and history as a means of revisiting, reconstructing, and reclaiming histories that have been erased or repressed. By engaging with Rememory, artists from across the world and within Australia reflect on their own roots while engaging with Sydney and its surrounding communities and histories, exploring global themes that connect us. The edition will highlight marginalised narratives, share untold stories, and inspire audiences to rethink how memory shapes identity and belonging, giving voice to stories from Aboriginal communities and the divergent diasporas that shape Australia today. A dedicated program for children and young audiences will provide space and exploration for these stories to be passed on to the next generations. The largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, the 25th Biennale of Sydney will be presented at Art Gallery of New South Wales, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney, Penrith Regional Gallery and the iconic restored White Bay Power Station, with further details to be announced later this year. Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi said: ' Rememory connects the delicate space between remembering and forgetting, delving into the fragmented and forgotten parts of history, where recollection becomes an act of reassembling fragments of the past—whether personal, familial, or collective. Through the defiant act of sharing, seeing, and understanding, the artists and cultural practitioners I've invited to participate explore the hidden effects of history and how it continues to shape the present in an evolving and consuming conversation. Rather than focusing on linear storytelling, I hope to highlight how we can become active participants in retelling our collective stories by revisiting and reinterpreting past events.' Of the 37 artists announced today, 15 First Nations artists from around the world have been commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with Visionary Partner the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain to create new work for the 25th edition. These artists include Ángel Poyón, Angélica Serech, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Carmen Glynn-Braun, Edgar Calel, Fernando Poyón, Frank Young & The Kulata Tjuta Project, Gabriel Chaile, Gunybi Ganambarr, John Harvey & Walter Waia, John Prince Siddon, Nancy Yukuwal McDinny, Rose B. Simpson, Tania Willard and Warraba Weatherall. They will work closely with Bruce Johnson McLean, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain First Nations Curatorial Fellow, to realise their artworks. Johnson McLean is from the Wierdi people of the Birri Gubba Nation. Al Qasimi's curatorial approach centres on the histories of each place and multidisciplinary programming, with a collaborative perspective and emphasis on supporting experimentation and innovation in the arts. Over the past 20+ years, she has worked extensively with various mediums including contemporary art, film, music, dance, talks, publications and more, to bring together all forms of art in conversation. Barbara Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Biennale of Sydney said: 'The Biennale of Sydney is a space for discussion, exploration and sharing ideas, presenting innovative work by some of the most impactful contemporary artists of our time. The 25th Biennale of Sydney celebrates the diverse communities of Sydney and their stories, encouraging audiences to think of new ways to engage with history, coming together to create and share memories. Entry to the Biennale of Sydney is free for everyone, and we can't wait to throw open the doors again next year with an expansive program of art and ideas.' Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper said: 'Biennale of Sydney will be a highlight of the NSW major events calendar next year and a significant visitor drawcard for our city. It will spotlight Sydney as a global cultural hub where art and creativity is celebrated, and a place where locals and visitors can enjoy the most exciting and cutting-edge cultural experiences. As one of the world's longest running biennales, next year's theme of Rememory is an important reflection of Sydney's rich and diverse cultural history and a fantastic opportunity to showcase that history to visitors from across the nation and around the world.' Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain First Nations Curatorial Fellow Bruce Johnson Mclean said: 'It's a privilege to work alongside this remarkable group of First Nations artists from across the globe, each bringing powerful, place-based perspectives to the 25th Biennale of Sydney. Together, their practices speak to deep cultural knowledge, ancestral memory and contemporary experience, creating a dynamic dialogue that transcends borders. Through this collaboration, we aim to foster connections between communities here and around the world.' Béatrice Grenier, Director of Strategic Projects and International Programs at Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain said: 'The Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain is proud to continue its partnership with the Biennale of Sydney. We are honoured to collaborate with Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi and the Biennale team for the 25th edition, Rememory to realise bold new commissions that speak powerfully to the interconnectedness of memory, place, and identity.' Arts worker, creative producer, and mentor Claudia Chidiac and writer, educator, cultural worker, and creative producer Paula Abood have been appointed as Community Ambassadors for the 2026 edition. They will provide specialist advice on local community engagement in the Greater Western Sydney area and liaise on behalf of the Biennale of Sydney between different cultural groups and organisations. The first 37 artists and collectives announced today as part of the 25th Biennale of Sydney (2026) are: Abdul Abdullah (Australia / Thailand) Ángel Poyón (Maya Kaqchikel, Guatemala) Angélica Serech (Maya Kaqchikel, Guatemala) Bouchra Khalili (Morocco / Austria) CAMP (India) Cannupa Hanska Luger (Standing Rock Indian Reservation, North Dakota / New Mexico, USA) Carmen Glynn-Braun (Kaytetye, Arrernte, Anmatyerr, Australia) Chang En Man (Paiwan, Taiwan) Chen Chieh-jen (Taiwan R.O.C.) Daisy Quezada Ureña (USA) Decolonizing Art Architecture Project (DAAR) (Palestine) Deirdre O'Mahony (Ireland) Dennis Golding (Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay, Australia) Dread Scott (USA) Edgar Calel (Kaqchikel, Guatemala) Elverina Johnson (Yarrabah, Australia) Ema Shin (Japan / Australia) Fernando Poyón (Maya Kaqchikel, Guatemala) Frank Young & The Kulata Tjuta Project (Aangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, Australia) Gabriel Chaile (Argentina / Lisbon) Gunybi Ganambarr (Yolŋu (Ŋaymil) people, Australia) John Harvey (Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Saibai Island, Torres Strait, Australia) & Walter Waia (Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Saibai Island, Torres Strait, Australia) John Prince Siddon (Walmajarri, Australia) Kapwani Kiwanga (Canada / France) Lamia Joreige (Lebanon) Marian Abboud (Australia) Maritea Dæhlin (Norway / Mexico) Merilyn Fairskye (Australia) & Michiel Dolk (Netherlands / Australia) Michael Rakowitz (USA) Nancy Yukuwal McDinny (Garrwa / Yanyuwa, Australia) Rose B. Simpson (Santa Clara Pueblo, USA) Tania Willard (Secwepemcúlecw, Canada) Taysir Batniji (Gaza, Palestine / France) Tuan Andrew Nguyen (Vietnam / USA) Warraba Weatherall (Kamilaroi, Australia) Wendy Hubert (Yindjibarndi Country, Australia) Yaritji Young (Aangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, Australia) The full 25th Biennale of Sydney program, including the full list of participating artists, will be announced later this year. Currently on display at the Sydney Opera House, and marking the second year of a creative collaboration between the Opera House, Biennale of Sydney and the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Badu Gili: Healing Spirit illuminates the world-famous Bennelong sails. The dynamic projection displays the works of celebrated First Nations artists, the late Bidjigal Elder Esme Timbery and two of her children, Marilyn Russell and Steven Russell, and artist Joseca Mokahesi Yanomami of the Yanomami people, appearing on the Opera House's Eastern Bennelong sails six times a night from sunset. Key Dates for the 25th Biennale of Sydney (2026) 10 March 2026: Media Preview 11 – 13 March 2026: Vernissage (Professional Preview) 14 March – 14 June 2026: 25th Biennale of Sydney open to the public Admission is free.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Biennale Of Sydney Announces 2026 Exhibition: Rememory
Sydney, Australia: The Biennale of Sydney has announced the curatorial vision, first wave of 37 artists and collectives, and exhibition locations for the 25th edition, titled Rememory. The major international contemporary art festival will be open free to the public from 14 March to 14 June 2026, presented in various locations across Sydney. Led by internationally acclaimed curator Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi, the 25th Biennale of Sydney: Rememory takes its title from celebrated author Toni Morrison, exploring the intersection of memory and history as a means of revisiting, reconstructing, and reclaiming histories that have been erased or repressed. By engaging with Rememory, artists from across the world and within Australia reflect on their own roots while engaging with Sydney and its surrounding communities and histories, exploring global themes that connect us. The edition will highlight marginalised narratives, share untold stories, and inspire audiences to rethink how memory shapes identity and belonging, giving voice to stories from Aboriginal communities and the divergent diasporas that shape Australia today. A dedicated program for children and young audiences will provide space and exploration for these stories to be passed on to the next generations. The largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, the 25th Biennale of Sydney will be presented at Art Gallery of New South Wales, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney, Penrith Regional Gallery and the iconic restored White Bay Power Station, with further details to be announced later this year. Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi said: ' Rememory connects the delicate space between remembering and forgetting, delving into the fragmented and forgotten parts of history, where recollection becomes an act of reassembling fragments of the past—whether personal, familial, or collective. Through the defiant act of sharing, seeing, and understanding, the artists and cultural practitioners I've invited to participate explore the hidden effects of history and how it continues to shape the present in an evolving and consuming conversation. Rather than focusing on linear storytelling, I hope to highlight how we can become active participants in retelling our collective stories by revisiting and reinterpreting past events.' Of the 37 artists announced today, 15 First Nations artists from around the world have been commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with Visionary Partner the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain to create new work for the 25th edition. These artists include Ángel Poyón, Angélica Serech, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Carmen Glynn-Braun, Edgar Calel, Fernando Poyón, Frank Young & The Kulata Tjuta Project, Gabriel Chaile, Gunybi Ganambarr, John Harvey & Walter Waia, John Prince Siddon, Nancy Yukuwal McDinny, Rose B. Simpson, Tania Willard and Warraba Weatherall. They will work closely with Bruce Johnson McLean, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain First Nations Curatorial Fellow, to realise their artworks. Johnson McLean is from the Wierdi people of the Birri Gubba Nation. Al Qasimi's curatorial approach centres on the histories of each place and multidisciplinary programming, with a collaborative perspective and emphasis on supporting experimentation and innovation in the arts. Over the past 20+ years, she has worked extensively with various mediums including contemporary art, film, music, dance, talks, publications and more, to bring together all forms of art in conversation. Barbara Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Biennale of Sydney said: 'The Biennale of Sydney is a space for discussion, exploration and sharing ideas, presenting innovative work by some of the most impactful contemporary artists of our time. The 25th Biennale of Sydney celebrates the diverse communities of Sydney and their stories, encouraging audiences to think of new ways to engage with history, coming together to create and share memories. Entry to the Biennale of Sydney is free for everyone, and we can't wait to throw open the doors again next year with an expansive program of art and ideas.' Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper said: 'Biennale of Sydney will be a highlight of the NSW major events calendar next year and a significant visitor drawcard for our city. It will spotlight Sydney as a global cultural hub where art and creativity is celebrated, and a place where locals and visitors can enjoy the most exciting and cutting-edge cultural experiences. As one of the world's longest running biennales, next year's theme of Rememory is an important reflection of Sydney's rich and diverse cultural history and a fantastic opportunity to showcase that history to visitors from across the nation and around the world.' Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain First Nations Curatorial Fellow Bruce Johnson Mclean said: 'It's a privilege to work alongside this remarkable group of First Nations artists from across the globe, each bringing powerful, place-based perspectives to the 25th Biennale of Sydney. Together, their practices speak to deep cultural knowledge, ancestral memory and contemporary experience, creating a dynamic dialogue that transcends borders. Through this collaboration, we aim to foster connections between communities here and around the world.' Béatrice Grenier, Director of Strategic Projects and International Programs at Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain said: 'The Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain is proud to continue its partnership with the Biennale of Sydney. We are honoured to collaborate with Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi and the Biennale team for the 25th edition, Rememory to realise bold new commissions that speak powerfully to the interconnectedness of memory, place, and identity.' Arts worker, creative producer, and mentor Claudia Chidiac and writer, educator, cultural worker, and creative producer Paula Abood have been appointed as Community Ambassadors for the 2026 edition. They will provide specialist advice on local community engagement in the Greater Western Sydney area and liaise on behalf of the Biennale of Sydney between different cultural groups and organisations. The first 37 artists and collectives announced today as part of the 25th Biennale of Sydney (2026) are: Abdul Abdullah (Australia / Thailand) Ángel Poyón (Maya Kaqchikel, Guatemala) Angélica Serech (Maya Kaqchikel, Guatemala) Bouchra Khalili (Morocco / Austria) CAMP (India) Cannupa Hanska Luger (Standing Rock Indian Reservation, North Dakota / New Mexico, USA) Carmen Glynn-Braun (Kaytetye, Arrernte, Anmatyerr, Australia) Chang En Man (Paiwan, Taiwan) Chen Chieh-jen (Taiwan R.O.C.) Daisy Quezada Ureña (USA) Decolonizing Art Architecture Project (DAAR) (Palestine) Deirdre O'Mahony (Ireland) Dennis Golding (Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay, Australia) Dread Scott (USA) Edgar Calel (Kaqchikel, Guatemala) Elverina Johnson (Yarrabah, Australia) Ema Shin (Japan / Australia) Fernando Poyón (Maya Kaqchikel, Guatemala) Frank Young & The Kulata Tjuta Project (Aangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, Australia) Gabriel Chaile (Argentina / Lisbon) Gunybi Ganambarr (Yolŋu (Ŋaymil) people, Australia) John Harvey (Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Saibai Island, Torres Strait, Australia) & Walter Waia (Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Saibai Island, Torres Strait, Australia) John Prince Siddon (Walmajarri, Australia) Kapwani Kiwanga (Canada / France) Lamia Joreige (Lebanon) Marian Abboud (Australia) Maritea Dæhlin (Norway / Mexico) Merilyn Fairskye (Australia) & Michiel Dolk (Netherlands / Australia) Michael Rakowitz (USA) Nancy Yukuwal McDinny (Garrwa / Yanyuwa, Australia) Rose B. Simpson (Santa Clara Pueblo, USA) Tania Willard (Secwepemcúlecw, Canada) Taysir Batniji (Gaza, Palestine / France) Tuan Andrew Nguyen (Vietnam / USA) Warraba Weatherall (Kamilaroi, Australia) Wendy Hubert (Yindjibarndi Country, Australia) Yaritji Young (Aangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, Australia) The full 25th Biennale of Sydney program, including the full list of participating artists, will be announced later this year. Currently on display at the Sydney Opera House, and marking the second year of a creative collaboration between the Opera House, Biennale of Sydney and the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Badu Gili: Healing Spirit illuminates the world-famous Bennelong sails. The dynamic projection displays the works of celebrated First Nations artists, the late Bidjigal Elder Esme Timbery and two of her children, Marilyn Russell and Steven Russell, and artist Joseca Mokahesi Yanomami of the Yanomami people, appearing on the Opera House's Eastern Bennelong sails six times a night from sunset. Key Dates for the 25th Biennale of Sydney (2026) 10 March 2026: Media Preview 11 - 13 March 2026: Vernissage (Professional Preview) 14 March – 14 June 2026: 25th Biennale of Sydney open to the public
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘They shoot the White girl first': Toni Morrison's opening line from ‘Paradise' first hooks, then haunts
'They shoot the White girl first.' – Paradise (1997), Toni Morrison Imbrued with violence, the first line of Toni Morrison's Paradise pierces like a gunshot. With just six words, the Nobel laureate grabs us by the collar and hurls us into a world that is a far cry from the Paradise promised. Sentries to this brutal world, her words scream from the pages, warning readers to venture further at their own risk: this is no utopia, but a warped world where young girls are being killed. One is likely to stumble across a massacre at best, and genocide at worst. The title, Paradise, suggests an idyll, a promised land—but Morrison obliterates that expectation at the get go. Instead, we are thrust into a scene of execution. The racial specificity—the White girl—immediately complicates the power dynamics. It is also intriguing. In a nation with a history of racial violence against African Americans, why is the White victim targeted first? Also, if the issue is race, why are only girls being attacked? Morrison doesn't explain why, she drops us into a world where this act is already normalised, demanding we catch up. The lines that follow deepen the dread. Nine men are headed to the Convent with murder on their mind. '…but the rest they can take their time. No need to hurry out here.' The casual pacing of the attackers ('they have the paraphernalia for either requirement—rope, a palm leaf cross, handcuffs…') makes the scene even more sinister. Clearly, this is no frenzied act—it's planned. The convent, a place meant for refuge, becomes a slaughtering ground. The biblical undertones (the 'palm leaf cross,' the convent as sanctuary-turned-slaughterhouse) underscore that the attackers embody the patriarchy, purity, and the corruption of community. In that first sentence, Morrison plants the seeds of Paradise's central concerns: the corrosive nature of purity, the violence of exclusion, and the ways in which communities turn on themselves in the name of righteousness. The town of Ruby, Oklahoma—founded as an all-Black utopia—has become its own kind of trap, its ideals warped into something monstrous. The white girl's death is not just a plot point; it is a provocation. Morrison forces us to ask: Who gets to define Paradise? Who is allowed inside, and who must be cast out? This opening is a microcosm of Morrison's genius: it confronts race, gender, and power in a single stroke, forcing readers to reckon with America's unresolved sins. Morrison's prose here is clinical, almost detached, which only heightens the horror. There is no sentimentalising, no attempt to soften the blow. The violence is presented as fact, and the reader is left to absorb its weight. The opening line doesn't just hook, it haunts. Decades after its publication, Paradise's first sentence lingers because it refuses to release the reader from its grip. ('Drawing a Line' is an eight-column weekly series exploring the stories behind literature's most iconic opening lines. Each column offers interpretation, not definitive analysis—because great lines, like great books, invite many readings.)
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
The Pentagon's Culture Wars Strike West Point
Four days after he was sworn in as defense secretary, Pete Hegseth directed the military service academies to scrub their curriculum of ideologies President Trump had deemed 'divisive,' 'un-American' and 'irrational.' Hours later, department heads at West Point sent civilian and military professors emails asking for their course syllabuses. Some professors said they assumed the school would defend its academic program. Instead, the U.S. Military Academy's leaders initiated a schoolwide push to remove any readings that focused on race, gender or the darker moments of American history, according to interviews with more than a dozen West Point civilian and military staff. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media without the academy's approval. Two classes — an English and a history course — were scrapped midsemester for noncompliance with the new policy. A history professor who leads a course on genocide was instructed not to mention atrocities committed against Native Americans, according to several academy officials. The English department purged works by well-known Black authors, such as Toni Morrison, James Baldwin and Ta-Nehisi Coates, the officials said. Mr. Hegseth's order, which was issued in January, and West Point's response have shaken the academy and led many civilian and military professors to question the school's commitment to academic freedom. At least two tenured professors have resigned in protest in recent days. The academy's leaders have long had to balance conflicting demands. West Point is a degree-granting institution, and its commitment to academic freedom is codified both in law and its own regulations. It is also part of the Defense Department, and its leaders are obligated to follow legal orders from the president and the Pentagon. The bitter and partisan culture wars, which have divided the country in recent years, have put West Point, its military leaders and instructors in an increasingly difficult spot. Mr. Hegseth's order has served to ratchet up the pressure. Since taking over the Pentagon, Mr. Hegseth has vowed to restore the 'warrior ethos' to a force that he has said was infiltrated by 'Marxist' professors, 'social justice saboteurs' and 'feckless generals.' A West Point spokesman said in a statement that the academy had reviewed its curriculum 'in accordance with executive orders' and Pentagon guidance. 'We are confident our rigorous academic program ensures cadets develop the intellectual agility needed to make critical decisions in the chaos of war,' the statement read. Mr. Hegseth's order and the changes it triggered have forced West Point professors and administrators to wrestle with a series of difficult questions. Should they resist Mr. Hegseth's order or resign in protest? Its language was confoundingly vague. Were there ways to work around it? What was best for the cadets, for the academy, for the Army? Some long-serving leaders at the academy have chosen to quit. In early March, Christopher Barth, West Point's senior librarian, announced that he was leaving after 14 years for a job at another college. Mr. Barth's counterpart at the U.S. Naval Academy had already been told to remove 381 books from the campus library that ran afoul of Mr. Hegseth's order. Mr. Barth had also been told to identify titles that potentially violated the order, West Point officials said. He told his staff that he had been reading the American Library Association's ethics guidelines. 'I've already compromised them several times,' Mr. Barth said, according to three people who were at the meeting. 'I can't do it anymore.' Graham Parsons, a tenured philosophy professor, similarly wrote in a New York Times opinion piece published on Thursday that Mr. Hegseth's order and the changes that followed at West Point had politicized the academy and made it impossible for him to do his job. 'I am ashamed to be associated with the academy in its current form,' he wrote. A tenured professor in the English department who had been at West Point for nearly a decade hit her breaking point in late April when a university administrator told her that she was no longer permitted to teach an essay by the novelist Alice Walker. In the essay, written in 1972, Ms. Walker describes the hardships that her mother — a sharecropper and seamstress in rural Georgia — faced, and encourages readers to consider the voices missing from the American story. The professor, citing privacy concerns, asked not to be named. She appealed the ban to her department head and dean, both of whom confirmed that she needed to cut or replace the text. In an interview, the professor said she was not given a clear reason for why she was no longer permitted to teach the essay. Mr. Hegseth's order prohibits professors from providing 'instruction' in 'critical race theory' and 'gender ideology.' It also requires the service academies to teach that 'America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history.' The professor said she knew her resignation was unlikely to make a difference at West Point. 'I could set myself on fire in the middle of the parade grounds and it would be forgotten about tomorrow,' she recalled telling her bosses. But she decided she could not continue at the academy. She devoted a portion of her last class in late April to explaining to the cadets why she had refused to find a substitute for Ms. Walker's essay, and why she was leaving West Point. A few days later, a cadet sent her an email thanking her for her courage. He wrote that it was first time he had ever seen someone stand up for something that directly cost them. West Point occupies a unique place in the Army. Inside the classroom, cadets can dissent and disagree as they would at any civilian university. But the academy is unmistakably part of the Army. Classes begin with a section marcher, chosen by the instructor, calling the class to attention, taking roll, performing a uniform inspection and saluting. Attendance is mandatory. Civilian and military professors at West Point have the freedom 'to inquire, express professional views, teach and learn' in their classrooms and academic disciplines, according to Army regulations. But they are also 'servants of the nation,' Army policy states, and subject to the president's orders and the political pressures that come with being part of the vast federal bureaucracy. In interviews, West Point faculty members have expressed fear that any kind of public protest would lead to their dismissal. Some instructors replaced banned texts with works by lesser-known authors making similar arguments. Others searched for ways to register their concern. A West Point philosophy course, required of all the academy's sophomores, until recently included a lesson on Immanuel Kant, a key figure in Western enlightenment philosophy. The lesson noted that Kant was also a proponent of racial hierarchies, and it encouraged cadets to wrestle with the contradiction. West Point administrators decided in early February that the lesson violated Mr. Hegseth's order. Instead of teaching it, one philosophy instructor devoted the day's class to Plato's Apology, which chronicles Socrates' defense at his trial for impiety and the corruption of Athenian youth. The students discussed the importance of speaking difficult truths, according to two professors familiar with the class. Several civilian and military professors expressed shock at the lack of debate over how to implement Mr. Hegseth's order and how quickly it was enforced. Two Black authors — Ms. Morrison and Mr. Coates — whose works were no longer permitted to be taught at West Point, had previously been welcomed as speakers on campus. In 2013, Ms. Morrison read passages from 'Home,' her novel about a Black Korean War veteran struggling with PTSD and his return to a segregated America. More than 1,500 cadets attended. Four years later, Mr. Coates urged an audience of 800 first-year cadets to examine the myths that the United States, and even West Point, had constructed after the Civil War. 'What kind of truth will you uphold?' he asked them, according to a video of his speech that was recently removed from the internet. 'Will you interrogate the narratives this country tells itself, or will you allow lies to persist?' Dr. Parsons, the philosophy professor who recently resigned in protest, said he spent February and March trying to figure out what he should do. On April 10, he accepted a one-year visiting professor job at nearby Vassar College. The move meant that he would lose the economic security that came with a tenured position. It also meant leaving West Point, a place that had been his professional home for 13 years. The next day he told his supervisors he was quitting. He expected a difficult conversation. 'I was very tense,' he recalled. But his supervisors did not ask him why he was giving up his tenured position for a temporary job, he said, and he did not volunteer an explanation. 'I think there's just a lot of desire to avoid the reality of what's happening here,' Dr. Parsons said. His experience had caused him to doubt the Army's and West Point's leaders. 'I've lost faith that most people will do the right thing under pressure,' Dr. Parsons said. 'That's the really painful part of the last few months.' But he still believed in the cadets. 'I trust them to succeed,' Dr. Parsons said.
Globe and Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Tarisai Ngangura finds freedom in fiction with The Ones We Loved
Tarisai Ngangura made her name as a journalist covering music, memory and the movements that shape both. But her debut novel, The Ones We Loved, marks a shift: She's no longer just reporting stories – she's the orchestrator of where this one begins and ends. Set in a town haunted by catastrophe, the book opens with a girl running – blood on her shirt, headed toward something unnamed. What follows is a story – written in prose that recalls Toni Morrison or Tsitsi Dangarembga – about what grief does to language, how care survives history and the quiet power of refusal. Ngangura's voice seems to arrive fully formed: tender as a bruise and quietly devastating. What's fascinating about The Ones We Loved isn't just the lyricism – it's the way the novel holds space for rage, grief and refusal. Set in a town haunted by catastrophe, it follows a girl forced to flee after an act of violence, a moment born from the weight of unspoken histories and the limits of survival. What unfolds is both vulnerable and raw: a meditation on how we live with oppression, and what happens when someone, finally, does not. The Globe spoke with Ngangura about the emotional weight of telling a story so different from those she's told before. There's a quiet, persistent care in your writing – not just in the relationships, but in the language itself. What does care look like for you on the page? For me, care is attention. I care about how a sentence begins and ends. Comma placement matters. How words flow matters. My first language is Shona – it's made for storytelling. It holds melodrama, humour and grief. I wanted English to feel that way, too. I wanted the pain to be in the language itself, not just the story. You write about place so intimately as well. What actually led you to writing? My dad was a journalist in Zimbabwe. I'd watch him talk to people, gather what I now know was the 'colour' for his stories. Sometimes he'd take us along on his research drives, and I saw the care he took in listening. My mom wrote beautiful short stories in a notebook my sister and I used to read, thinking they were unfinished. We'd ask, 'What happens next?' and she'd go, 'That's it. That's the story.' So I grew up with storytelling everywhere – writing was how I made sense of the world. Through school, through life. It was how I understood my parents. Journalism gave me the career. Fiction gave me a different kind of freedom. The novel opens in a moment of violence and grief. Why start there? I wanted to open with tension – something that immediately outlines the stakes. I didn't know much about the relationship that unfolds in the story yet, but I knew it would involve care and tenderness. That opening moment makes readers ask: How did we get here? Who are these people? Why does it matter? The book touches on so many themes as well – grief, history, colonialism, survival and faith. How did you think about balancing all that? Nothing was clear at all. [Laughs.] I didn't sit down with a list of themes like, 'Okay, this is about faith or displacement.' They just emerged as I wrote. Writing the book itself was an act of faith. I had to trust that it would come together, even when I didn't fully know what I was doing. A lot of the deeper stuff only became clear when early readers pointed it out. There are things I did plan. There are things that surprised me. And then there are things I didn't even notice until someone else saw them. The two main characters – 'He' and 'She' – are unnamed. There's a universality in that. You know, honestly? They never told me their names. I waited, but nothing came. It wasn't a deliberate withholding – it was just the way they existed in the story. Which is strange, because I come from a place where names hold so much weight. In the book, everyone else is named very specifically. But 'He' and 'She' insisted on moving differently. Let's talk about Waterfall – the town the story unfolds in. It feels almost like another character. What inspired that setting? It's a composite of places. There's a city in Brazil I used to visit a lot – lush, heavy with history and Afro-Brazilian resistance. And there are rural parts of Zimbabwe, where my aunts live. Places I passed through with my parents while driving across the country. I think Waterfall is made up of those memories – places that stayed in my mind. The book holds so much tension – between resistance and survival, silence and visibility. How do you see that playing out in the world right now? Every day, someone's world falls apart – and they still have to keep going. What's wild to me is where that desire to rebuild even comes from. Your circumstances can be so violent, so bleak – and still, people reach for joy, for love, for memory. That kind of hope is soft, so fragile. But it's also unbelievably strong. And it doesn't come from nowhere. It comes from people talking to each other, sharing what they have. That's what the book sits with: how we survive, not just alone, but with each other. You came to fiction as a culture journalist. On a scale of 1 to 10, how hard was it to write a novel? [Laughs.] Can I go higher than 10? It was a wordless experience. I've been in this cavernous dungeon for years. And it's just one of those things where you're a journalist, and you think I can do this, that it's just more words. But it's not. It's also more emotions. Every insecurity as a writer is just heightened. But it's been fulfilling? Definitely. I'm proud of this book. It taught me to trust myself. And now I'll go into the next thing with more humility – and a deeper kind of trust.
