Synopsis

On stages across Ontario and Quebec, Black Canadian artists are expressing what freedom means to them through music, poetry, performance and dance. Free Up. is the annual youth-led celebration of Emancipation Day featuring music, theatre, spoken word, and dance, hosted by Ngozi Paul, featuring Jully Black and co-produced with CBC ARTS and Emancipation Arts. Since 2017, Paul and her production company Emancipation Arts have produced FreeUp. as an annual event to celebrate Emancipation Day, the day that slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire on August 1, 1834. This year marks the first time that the event will be available to watch by audiences across Canada. "We are in the middle of a global pandemic - the world is spinning on a new axis," says Paul in the FreeUp. special. "Led by an awakening of the next generation, people from all walks of life are coming together to seek equity, justice and freedom for all - be that for Indigenous sovereignty, trans rights, climate change or Black liberation, which brings us right here to Emancipation Day. The event's program includes performances by some of Canada's most exciting young artists, from experimental R&B artist Chivengi onstage at Montreal's Phi Centre to a powerful performance of Shakespeare by Amaka Umeh from Stratford Festival's Festival Theatre stage. In addition to the performances, the special will include the presentation of the Rosemary Sadlier Award to honour the work of the Canadian icon Jully Black, with a special performance by Canada's queen of R&B/soul herself.