SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Actor and writer Jonathan Torrens, better known for his role as the rapper J-Roc on the Trailer Park Boys, was in Yellowknife to promote literacy as part of the Peter Gzowski Invitational for Literacy tour this week.

Jonathan Torrens, who plays rapper J-Roc in the popular television show Trailer Park Boys, was in town to promote literacy in the NWT as part of the Peter Gzowski Invitational for Literacy tour this week. On top of hosting two concerts at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, Torrens visited several Yellowknife schools to teach rap workshops. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo

On top of hosting a couple of concerts to raise money for the NWT Literary Council, Torrens also visited several of the city's high schools to hold some rap workshops.

Anyone who has watched the show would probably find the idea of a delinquent like J-Roc preaching the virtues of literacy to a class full of teenagers somewhat absurd, but Torrens believes the connection between the two is not as much of a stretch as one might think.

"The ties between J-Roc and the subject of literacy in the North are actually stronger than might appear at first blush, because as I was saying to the kids in the schools, the origin of rap is kids on street corners of New York City who had a lot of stuff on their mind that they wanted to get off their chest," he said. "The thing about literacy in the North is it's not just a written tradition - it's also an oral one. Much like rap music, in a way."

Torrens, who is much more eloquent than his television personality might suggest, doesn't actually go into character when he is touring the schools. However, he said he will often share verses from some of his songs with students after they have presented their compositions. Torrens said he never ceases to be amazed by the quality of some students' writing.

"I go to these schools and I get kids to write raps, and they're often silly or lighthearted. But every now and then, a kid will stand up and read a poem that will just melt your face because it's so heartfelt and beautiful," he said.

"That's when you know that literacy is really powerful and really important."

Torrens first came to Yellowknife for the now-defunct Caribou Carnival more than 15 years ago. Since then, he has made approximately a dozen trips to the North as part of the Peter Gzowski Invitational tours, which were were founded by the late broadcaster and journalist in 1985 to raise money and awareness for literacy initiatives.

Although he plays an illiterate rapper on Trailer Park Boys, Torrens is actually an acclaimed writer - most recently with writing credits on the eighth and ninth seasons of the show. He said he has admired Gzowski ever since he was a young boy growing up on Canada's East Coast.

"The first book I really read that was my own bible as a kid was called The Game of our Lives, where Peter spent a year on the bus with Edmonton Oilers in the late 1970s. It gave me a love of hockey and a love of reading," he said.

"So when I started working at CBC and was exposed to Peter ... I became involved in the (tours), as a fan of Peter's, and a fan of literacy."

While he will likely be most recognized for his role as a barely-literate reprobate on television, Torrens said he hopes to continue coming up North to promote literacy in the future.

"The work that the (NWT) Literacy Council is doing here is incredible in all 11 official languages in the territory," he said.

"It seems like really important work."

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