Where Do We Go From Here? (The Long Way Home) 

Peek into the worlds of Iyaba Ibo Mandingo (Poet, Painter, Performer and Teacher)

and Heshima Moja (Composer, Songwriter, Bassist, Vocalist, Sound Alchemist, Sonic Storyteller, and Producer) as they grapple with "what happens now?"

“The question 'Where Do We Go From Here?' arose from a conversation between Heshima and I while working on the beginnings of this performance piece amid the global pandemic. Reflecting on the times, from the 24-month lockdown to the January 6th uprising, I immediately felt the duty as an artist to explore that question, knowing that the things I found would be both pessimistic and optimistic, negative and positive, hopeful and dire. As people on this planet, coming out of the collective ‘go to your room’ edict from Mother Nature, I think it’s time for us to begin addressing this question.” -Iyaba Ibo Mandingo

We meet these two men in a setting resembling their workspaces. Heshima sits at a piano, composing, and Iyaba is in his space with several canvases, frantically painting. Through this window into their world, a narrative unfolds that reveals visual perceptions and ideas about human identity that are often misguided. The audience is challenged by stories, sonic invocations, and visual narratives (paintings) to see two men on a level beyond their skin and assumed ethnicity. They share their pain, joy, and gripping narrative to reveal the importance and power of vulnerability in a world that has placed clear and deliberate barriers in the path of genuine human interaction and connection. As the piece develops, we learn that they share more in common than meets the eye. Each of them share the legacy of conquistadores, the Caribbean, the language of music and the drumbeat of West Africa.