Through dance and music, poet Zoey Roy shared a powerful message across multiple different stages in the southwest this week. 

The Saskatchewan artist utilizes her bold stage presence and talent for crafting words to inspire self-reflection in folks, on where they are in their reconciliation journey.  

Bula Ghosh, a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, said they've been putting on shows for the past five years, with the same goal as Roy.  

"We're not telling [people] through our events what they should think and what they should do," Ghosh said. "But tell them this is the story. You choose your path towards reconciliation. The idea is that people think about what it is that they can do and how they can [take] part in this reconciliation journey." 

Starting off with a performance at the Living Sky Casino, Roy also visited the Swift Current Comprehensive High School as well as hosting workshops in Maple creek for students in surrounding communities to take part in.  

“She just hits the nail on the head,” Ghosh said. “She does not mince words to say what the truth is. The truth is: she will say that very clearly. And then bring in the reconciliation part and appeal to everybody that this is not just one person's or the other person's responsibility; it’s everybody's responsibility. We all have a part to play.” 

Roy has released two albums since the pandemic hit, when she really felt that life came to a halt but her mind kept racing on. 

Her first, titled Made-Up, is a collection of hip-hop songs. The second, Poetry, is a visual album of written works. 

“I want to illustrate pathways for what is beyond Canada's reconciliation,” Roy said. “There's been a lot of talk about how reconciliation is dead or how we have to talk about the truth before reconciliation. But everybody has their own truths. And people have multiple truths. So, I am showing how I work through my truths, stories or narratives that I once believed about myself and how I fit into society and how I've evolved through those, and thus enjoying my life more, because I'm able to break through old notions of what I was supposed to be or what was expected of me.”