Pedagogy of the Decolonizing

“Panic is not prayerful”, notes Quetzala Carson, while speaking on the challenging nature of the dialogue surrounding colonial violence; colonial violence is difficult to engage, because it often involves dialogues on questioning narratives that we’ve known to be normal. Quetzala explains the tenets of colonialism, how our normative narratives are built, and also shares some strategies on how to engage and combat colonial violence with compassion. Quetzala Carson is Mestizx from Mana ahuac, Nicaragua. The child of two special needs educators, she spent her summers in Managua and winters in Amiskwaciwâskahikan. A professional musician from age 13, her current solo project is FRYZZ LYFE. For Quetzala, music is a platform from which to communally discuss and transmute trauma. She released an album this year titled Mecayotl Tlazohcamati Axcammochipa (thank you kin into perpetuity) availably at FRYZZLYFE.com Her last album was heavily influenced by Indigenous Studies and her times on the front lines. Quetzala studied Māori Studies at the University of Otago and is currently finishing her degree in Native Studies and Latin American at the University of Alberta. There Quetzala serves as the president of the Native Studies Students' Association where she organizes with students towards decolonial futures. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx