Two concerts are happening this weekend along the TransMountain Pipeline Expansion route to energize opposition to the massive government project.
“Black Snake Killas Tour - Back to the Land” will be in unceded Nlaka'pamux territory in Merritt, BC, on Friday Oct 2nd, and then in unceded Secwepemc territory in Kamloops, BC, on Saturday. The concerts will also be livestreamed and people are encouraged to watch from home.
The lineup includes soulful rock duo Old Soul Rebel, Iranian MC Mo Moshiri, Secwepemc artist Estiqw, and singer/songwriter Xhalida September.
The two hosts are Secwepemc Say No TMX, which is a recently formed group “dedicated to asserting Secwepemc Duty to the Land, the salmon, Clean Water and watershed protection,” and Nlaka’pamux Grassroots, a group of “people united to protect our territory from environmentally devastating projects” since 2017.
“Our nations are traditional allies, and our respect and value for our land and water are the same,” reads the event description. “We’ve struggled through the same invasion, survived the same genocide and are united to protect our territories from the destructive Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion.”
The tar sands expansion pipeline was bought from Kinder Morgan by the government of Canada in 2018 for over $4 billion, and construction costs are estimated at over $12 billion. Despite the pipeline going through First Nations territory without consent, Canada’s courts have approved the pipeline after earlier rejecting it. Options to stop the pipeline in the colonial legal system seem to be running out.
The concert hopes to raise funds for both grassroots groups in their fight to defend the land and waters against the ongoing construction of the pipeline.
The concert organizers encourage people to bring your camping gear to stay the night as there is space on both sites. Regarding COVID-19 safety, they write, “We ask that everyone mask up and practice social distancing. We will have masks and sanitizer on site.”
“All donations will be redistributed and evenly split between the Secwepemc and Nlaka'pamux groups.