Akeim Toussaint Buck

Akeim Toussaint Buck is an interdisciplinary performer and creator, born in Jamaica and raised in England. Akeim’s intention is to create moving, thoughtprovoking, accessible and free spirited projects.
Since graduating from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in 2014, Akeim has been involved in multiple cross art form projects with a wide range of artists and communities from around the world. The aesthetic of his work combines skills such as: dance, film, poetry, beat-box, singing and acting, fused to create performances that tell stories capable of bridging the intersections of a variety of audiences. Akeim’s work has been supported by Yorkshire Dance, Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Inspired, IRIE! Dance Theatre, Spin Arts, Serendipity, NSCD, Sadlers Wells and Arts Council England. His choreographic work includes: Snakebox’s PLAY, Windows Of Displacement, Sib Y Osis and Beatmotion. Akeim’s film work includes: Galvanise and Windows.

“Empathy is looking at someone and seeing that they’re you.
Empathy is not knowing what someone is going through but knowing it is valid.
Empathy is not being hard on yourself or others. Despite the culture of focusing on achieving, we have to breathe and see perceived losses as opportunities to gain insight and new fresh direction.”

Arwa Aburawa

Arwa Aburawa is a documentary filmmaker and writer with an interest in social and environmental issues. She has produced documentaries on a range of issues including the water crisis in Iran, the lives of sugarcane workers in El Salvador, the work of data journalist Mona Chalabi and the legacies of colonialism in Guatemala amongst many others. Arwa also co-founded Other Cinemas, a community project which showcases the films and stories of Black and non-whitepeople and also runs a small, informal collective of young filmmakers in her local neighbourhood. Arwa is currently editing a zine on reproductive justice and sexual health written entirely by and for Muslim women, due for publication in the Summer of 2021. She is also an IWMF and One World Media fellow.

“Empathy is the first step to collective solidarity.”

Sonny Green

Sonny Green has worked in the spoken word and live music scene for many years doing various gigs including being the first ever rap artist to perform at the House of Commons supporting Fatboy Slim. Consistently delivering confident and original live performances, what makes Sonny stand out from the crowd is that he calls it as he sees it, and his angry lyrical tirades are a completely uncompromising, unmaterialistic calling out of everyone from politicians to his peers without fear.

“Empathy is not Sympathy don’t feel sorry just feel.
Inspiration for the young artists – I believe in you even though we never met if you’re reading this, receive this message loud and clear YOU CAN DO IT! BUT YOU GOTTA DO IT !!!!!!”

Jade Anouka

Jade recently appeared on our screens as Ruta Skadiin BBC/HBO’s HIS DARK MATERIALS and Channel 5’s THE DROWNING. In theatre, Jade has played the title roles in Hampstead Theatre’s Olivier nominated THE PHLEBOTOMIST and QUEEN MARGARET at The Royal Exchange. She starred in the Donmar Warehouse Shakespeare Trilogy where she played Mark Antony in JULIUS CAESAR, Hotspur in HENRY IV and Ariel in THE TEMPEST.
As a poet, Jade performs regularly including featured spots at The Southbank Centre, Richmix, The Roundhouse, Whitechapel Arts Gallery, Sofar Sounds and most recently A Lovely Word at Liverpool’s Homotopia festival. She has had work commissioned by Audible UK, Stylist Magazine, Broccoli Content, The Young Vic Theatre and most recently BBC Radio 4, where she wrote and performed THIS SUNDAY for their Short Works series.
Her debut play, HEART, combined her love of writing and acting when she performed it at the Vault festival in 2019. It was due to get a full production and London run in summer 2020. Jade did a TEDxTalk ‘Being Black, Being a Woman, Being ‘Other’. She wrote, directed and co-starred in short film Her & Her for BBC’s Culture In Quarantine series.

“Empathy is understanding other people may feel things differently to you.
I joined this project because I believe creating art should be a right for every young person. I love taking on a challenge and hope my film encourages others to create their own work. Expressing yourself through creative means can be very liberating.”