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It is with great sadness that Melbourne International Arts Festival advises of the passing of Sekou Sundiata. The eloquent and much loved poet, performer, artist activist and educator, passed away on July 18 at 5.47am (U.S.) at the age of 58 due to heart failure.

Sekou was in Melbourne in 2006 for his two Melbourne Festival productions the 51st (dream) state and blessing the boats, a powerful solo performance that related Sekou’s experience with the life-threatening illness of kidney failure and his recovery through organ transplant.

“Sekou Sundiata was a man of extraordinary generosity and kindness, and his death is a profound loss. For many years he has fuelled our thinking about our work, our charge as artists, and as human beings through his wisdom, his honesty, his poetry, music and song. I know that many hundreds of people experienced his work last year for the first time during the Melbourne International Arts Festival and through his involvement with a number of community-based engagements. The minute Sekou landed in Australia he instantly started forging connections. As I hear from so many people who met him last year, I can see that he had an even wider resonance across numerous communities, than I was fully aware of. I also know how much he gained from meeting Australian audiences. Personally, I know I am greatly enriched for having known him.” Kristy Edmunds, AD Melbourne International Arts Festival

Sekou is survived by his wife, Maurine (Kazi) Knighton, daughter Myisha Gomez, stepdaughter Aida Riddle, grandson Amman and his mother Virginia Myrtle Feaster, two brothers William and Ronald and many nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.

Sekou touched many people whilst in Melbourne, so for anyone that wishes to pay tribute to him and his family, the Festival has established a donation system in memoriam with Kidney Health Australia.

It is requested that donations be noted as being ‘in memoriam for Sekou Sundiata’, so that Kidney Health Australia can advise his family of those who were moved to honour him. Donations can be made online by visiting http://www.kidney.org.au/ or by post to GPO Box 9993 Melbourne, Vic, 3001.

An excerpt from the 51st (dream) state by
Sekou Sundiata:

What if we were Life
Or Liberty
Or the Pursuit of something new?
Between the rocks below
and the stars above
What if we were composed by Love?

And what if we could show
that what we dream
is deeper than what we know?
Suppose if something does not live
in the world
that we long to see
then we make it ourselves
as we want it to be

What if we are Life
Or Liberty
and the Pursuit of something new?

And suppose the beautiful answer
asks the more beautiful question

Why don’t we get our hopes up too high?
What don’t we get our hopes up to high?
High!