Mana is a Fire

Join us for an evening of poetry, sound, and performance attuning to land, memory, ancestral portals, and decolonised futures, with performances by Ariana Tikao, Prerana Kumar, and Carlos Mauricio Rojas (full programme TBC). After the performances, there will be drinks and refreshments (including vegetarian/vegan food), and time for conversation. 

Ariana Tikao is a Māori writer, musician, and leading player of taonga pūoro (Māori musical instruments) from Aotearoa New Zealand, whose work explores themes of identity, ancestral stories and mana wahine – the power of women. New Zealand Arts Laureate Tikao gives voice to her Kāi Tahu ancestors through their places, creating a portal to their lives, mixed with her experiences of growing up in a colonised reality.  

Prerana Kumar (they/them) is an Indian writer and editor based in London. They write about intergenerational inheritances, queer cosmologies, and slippery hauntings as counters to colonial and heteropatriachal legacies. Kumar’s debut pamphlet, Ixora, is out with Guillemot Press and they are currently reading for a doctorate in Creative Writing at QMUL. 

Carlos Mauricio Rojas is a spoken word poet, musician, and gardener. Carlos writes as a way to connect with body and land, celebrating queer and trans existence and lamenting for the loss impacted by colonisation and climate change. They have performed at the Roundhouse, The Albany Theatre, The Young Vic Theatre, the Tate Modern, The Star and Shadow in Newcastle, Soup in Manchester and the Folkstone bookshop. Their work has been published by the 87 Press, Montez Press, Writerz n Scribez, and Clav Mag. 

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This event is co-hosted by the Epistemologies of the Global South network and the Centre for Contemporary Writing in the School of English and Drama, Queen Mary University of London. It has received additional support from Wasafiri, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London. 

Accessibility 

BLOC is wheelchair-accessible, has a hearing loop installed, and has low lighting and muted colours for neurodivergent people. There is an accessible toilet with a hoist installed. For more accessibility information, visit: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/bloc/access/.