What if people were “books” and you could read one by sitting down and listening? This is the idea with NAIT’s Living Library Series event, which was started in partnership with DestiNAITion Global, the International and Intercultural Community Centre (IICC) and the Centre for Community and Belonging (CCB).
For Black History Month, four different speakers at NAIT are acting as living books and sharing the chapters of their lives with those who want to learn. February’s Living Library series honours Black voices and celebrates the diversity of Black history.
The series is meant to be a thoughtful, interactive space where listeners — or in this case, readers — attend to understand, broaden their worldviews and challenge biases.
The Living Library is about “bringing reality to people’s attention and things they can never find in a bookshelf,” says Ola Odanye, a Community and Belonging Specialist at NAIT and the first speaker in this month’s Living Library Series.
“I think one of the most difficult things we have today is that people don’t want to read books. Of course, times are different from when we were growing up, but this is almost like giving an opportunity for people to read books, and more importantly, read real books,” says Odanye.
A music-lover from a large, communal family in Nigeria, Odanye spoke about music and its relation to community throughout the different chapters of his life as a Black man.
At his session on Feb. 3, listeners sat attentively in the IICC as he spoke. A video of Michael Jackson, one of Odanye’s inspirations and favourite musicians, played on a small screen in the background. Identity starts with sound, and we all have different rhythms, said Odanye.
Odanye shared that throughout his time moving between Nigerian, U.K. and Canadian atmospheres, he often found himself wondering “Should my music change? Why?”
Attendees were asked if they ever felt like they had to change how they play their music — or interact with others — depending on different cultures, situations or professions. One shared how they felt like they had to dull their music to find harmony in professional atmospheres. Another shared how they like contributing to the music, but often look to others to find a rhythm.
Sometimes, to help create positive change and build harmony within a community, “there has to be a conductor,” says Odanye. At the same time, he says “you can’t do it by yourself.”
“Build relationships. Because you really, really need people. One person cannot make up a band,” says Odanye. He explains that technically, it’s doable, but when the music changes, you need those relationships to build harmony together.
“Academic texts do not really cover things of this nature, I believe.”
Naisa Bujold, a book-lover and Intercultural Specialist at NAIT, says the Living Library Series is something she suggested and piloted for DestiNAITion Global in November, but decided to do again for Black History Month.
“I’d love to read books about the people I see every day that I just make assumptions about or that I wish I knew more about, but because we’re in a work setting … I’m not asking or getting the opportunity to know all that,” Bujold thought.
“As the Intercultural Specialist at NAIT, I’m doing a lot of programming that’s about understanding and bridging differences, and understanding different cultural perspectives,” she says.
Bujold says she wants to build a community that goes against “a system where you have to reduce yourself.”
“That’s one thing [Odanye] talked about a lot, is suppressing your music to go along, to get along and to be part of things. And I want people’s music to be celebrated for who they are,” she says.
For students interested in listening to stories from people in the NAIT community, there are three more speakers in the Living Library series. But Odanye shared a tip for readers who want to learn about different experiences year-round: read biographies.
“Particularly as you want to see yourself in that person’s shoes or learn from that person’s experiences,” he says. “Academic texts do not really cover things of this nature, I believe.”
The next Living Library Books will speak on Feb. 10, Feb. 24 and Feb. 26. To find out more about the series, visit the event page or NAIT’s larger Black History Month and Beyond programming.
In feature image, from L-R: Gifty Amakye, Manager, Learning Services; Ola Odanye, Community and Belonging Specialist; Latifat Busari, Academic Advisor, Student Life; Sheldon Bailey, Associate Dean, Community Health
Feature image graphic by Alleah Boisvert via NAIT / Ooks Life
