Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem ‘We Wear the Mask’ was written in 1895 and later performed by Maya Angelou in the 1980s. The poem is timeless in its depiction of what it means to ‘wear the mask’.
This term we will reflect upon the joyful use of masks in celebrations such as carnival, our experiences with the physical masks worn during the covid pandemic, and also the figurative masks worn by people of colour and other maginalised communities to protect themselves from the emotional, spiritual and even physical violence they may experience when showing up in the world as their authentic selves.
We will use artistic expression to explore what it means to ‘wear the mask’ today.