Art, Activism, and Connection: Omowale-Ketu Oladuwa’s Octogenarian Poetry Tour Brought A Community Together

On Sunday, May 18, community members gathered at the Creative Suitland Arts Center in Suitland, Maryland, to experience poet and artist Omowale-Ketu Oladuwa’s Octogenarian Poetry Tour. From 3 to 5 p.m., attendees were immersed in an afternoon of liberating speeches, spiritual reflection, riveting art and poetry, and soul-stirring music. 

Sharing the space with Oladuwa were fellow activists and creatives: author and poet Caroline Brewer, singer and storyteller Dr. Karen Wilson-Ama’Echefu, and percussionist Abasi Johnson. 

Community members were seated in a semicircle. The Ensemble sat within that arrangement. While sitting there, they gently informed the crowd that they were not there to perform, but to connect with them.