Roots and Seeds Playwrights Theatre Centre/Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House
Every Saturday morning, a group of Urban Farming Poh-Pohs (Chinese grandmothers) gathers at the corner of East Hastings and Jackson to grow fresh veggies, friendship and a strong sense of belonging. This initiative was launched in April 2018 by the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House and Carnegie Community Centre.
In 2019, community members joined the Urban Farming Poh-Pohs, Artist Kathy Feng, and Theatre Creator Veronique West to celebrate what the gardeners had harvested and explore questions of inheritance, resilience, and legacy. All were invited to eat dumplings, drink tea and talk. Roots and Seeds emerged out of the gardeners’ weekly gatherings, Kathy's practice on diasporic memory, and Veronique’s investigation of mental health across generational and cultural difference.
A podcast was created alongside the Roots and Seeds community event. You can listen to the podcast in Cantonese, Mandarin, or English by following this link.
