International Dawn Chorus coincides with the 17th day of Ramadan and the 16th day into Pohela Boishak (the Bengali New Year). In Pohela Boishak, we welcome newness and abundance. We throw away unneeded stress and material while looking ahead to a wondrous new harvest. We eat and we dance, finding joys in each other and the start of the summer season filled with fresh fruits and vegetables.

During Ramadan, we look inwards and vacate our body of nourishment and hydration from dawn till dusk. We sit in the emptiness and remind ourselves of our spiritual and physical limits, boundaries and strength. We share oneness through the world with ritual and recitation, eating and drinking and praying in chorus.
For many Black and brown people, seeing another sunrise means you've survived another day in world where 'we were never meant to survive' (Audre Lorde). 

On International Dawn Chorus Day, we want to imagine the sun is rising on a world as it should be, where we are free, free to sing, write, express ourselves and connect with nature. As multiracial team, we want to offer a performance bringing together different Black and brown traditions and wisdoms, all celebrating our survival and connection to our bodies and nature.

Promi will perform some classical Bengali songs and her own poetry, as an offer to pay respect and honour to all three occasions. The performance overall will involve recitation, bilingual singing and live writing, mixing together Promi and Annick's poetry.

https://www.voicesthatshake.org/