a Climbing PoeTree retrospective:

2003 National Tour
UNITING THE STATE OF THE AMERICAS

A multi-media spoken word performance exposing two faces of the Drug War
by award-winning artist/activists Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman

SYNOPSIS:

Climbing PoeTree made its debut in July of 2003, when Alixa and Naima launched a five-month tour across the nation with a multi-media, spoken-word performance about the War on Drugs: “Uniting the State of the Americas”. Through performance poetry fused with slide projection and movement choreography, they raised awareness about the effects of the drug war on people of the Americas, untangling complex and parallel realities of racism, classism, and violence at home and abroad.

Naima spoke to the booming U.S. prison industrial complex and the domestic "War on Drugs" waged on communities of color and the poor, based on her first hand experience as a long-time prison activist and volunteer doing writing workshops with women inmates at Valhalla Jail in New York.

Alixa spoke to the repercussions of the “War on Drugs” waged abroad based on her experience living and organizing in her homeland, Colombia. Her message exposed the U.S.-funded military operation called Plan Colombia, which in attempt to eradicate drug crops through fumigations has meant the devastation of the land and dislocation of its people.

Experienced by hundreds of audiences across the country, “Uniting the State of the Americas” was both tragic and uplifting, thoughtful and rousing. Photographs from U.S. prisons and Colombian farmlands were projected on the stage as the only source of light, casting images on Alixa and Naima’s white dresses as they narrated an unforgettable tale about the casualties of the War on Drugs. Embodying a campesina mother from Putumayo and a mother imprisoned in New York, Alixa and Naima played “cat’s cradle” with their entire bodies, mirroring each other’s movements as they twisted and untangled, and eventually broke free from the rope that bound their shared struggles.

With explosive lyrics and eloquently emotive delivery, Alixa and Naima told a similar and all too familiar story about the criminalization of poor people- both abroad in South America and in our own neighborhoods- and offered healing and empowerment through truth-telling and creative resistance. The dialog that followed the performance always teemed with personal testimony, invigorated urgency, profound questions and inspired answers. When the lights went out and the echoes faded, a flame burned brighter in the vessel of every audience member who joined in the call for a more just and compassionate world.

FROM THE AUDEIENCE:

“I have been forever changed from your words and presence.”
~Corrina, Harrisburg, PA

“Thank you for sharing your skills and talent with us all, you are truly inspirational, the incredible way you wind your personally political experiences into a whirlwind of words and images that nurture struggle and self-determination.”
~Camilo Viveros, Providence, RI

“Your words seem powerful enough to annihilate ignorance and invigorate change... absolutely beautiful. Beautiful.”
~Lilian O, Los Angeles, CA

“I am inspired by the work ya'll sistas are doing. Your art truly reflects the pain, struggle and community of the world at large. I thank you for being so dedicated and creative in your resistance.”
~Stacey Toro, Bronx, NY

”I was blessed to see ya'll making history in the Bay, I swear folks had their own internal revolutions that night.”
~Ta’i, Oakland, CA

“Listening to, and feeling, you two share your energy to that room, to the world, was like rubbing an aloe plant on a fresh burn. My heart is still strong through the struggle that I have been going through because I know that my struggle now is preparing me for the larger struggle that I have been called upon to address when I leave here [the U.S. army], but sometimes I just feel the ache from the fire that this government is breathing down our throats, and listening to you that night, I felt like I could breath again and that the tension in my chest could rest awhile. Thank you for your strength and courage and hope.”
~Diedra Cobb, Philadelphia, PA

“I don't remember meeting more sincerely dedicated individuals than yourselves. Your spirit shines thru your art form and glows like a beacon on a cloudless night.”
~Ty Gray-EL, Washington D.C.

FROM THE ARTISTS:

“Our 2003 national tour of “Uniting the State of the Americas” was more successful than we could have imagined. We were able to speak to myriad diverse groups of people across the country about the personal and political implications of the drug war, empowered by the force of poetry and art to stir our audiences on a visceral level that keeps people inspired and committed. Our goals through the tour were to communicate our stories and arouse others to voice theirs, to challenge people to think critically about their position in the world, and to make political transformation irresistible.

From the testimonies of those who experienced our presentation and promised they were invigorated to the degree that their lives would never be the same, to the commitments made by groups of people to take action toward improving the situations that hinder self-realization in their communities, we knew that our mission was made meaningful.

We say this not as a testament to our strength as individuals, but rather to bear witness to the readiness of people to hear a truth, rare in mainstream media, and transform that truth into meaningful action. This is exciting news, and we want to thank everyone who organized a show, booked a venue, or came out to receive our message. Without your gracious support, our words and work would perish.”