Keeping arts & culture alive during the pandemic

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Category: Arts

Written by Meres J. Weche

Born in Kingston, Jamaica and currently based in Ajax, Ontario, social entrepreneur Sanaaj Mirri is genuinely passionate about empowering youth through traditional African dance. She's the founder and director of the Afiwi Groove School, operating in the Durham Region. Founded in 2013, her non-profit's programs promote positive self-esteem, confidence, and an active lifestyle while educating and connecting participants to the African Diaspora's arts and culture.

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Dance for the people

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Category: Arts

Written by Meres J. Weche

Broadway tap dance performer Lisa La Touche talks about her Fall for Dance North show, her Calgary roots and artistic journey in Chicago and New York, and tells us why her art form needs to be back in community centres.

Lisa La Touche has an inspiring story of being exposed to dance at a young age growing up in Alberta, Canada, and ending up as a professional dancer in Chicago and New York — with such highlights as performing live at the 70th Annual TONY Awards and appearing as a principal stage dancer on episode 6 of Amazon's Original TV series Z- The Beginning of Everything.

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From LEGOs to Legacy: Ekow Nimako envisions Africa’s bright future

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Category: Arts

Written by Adele Ambrose

The AGA KHAN Museum presents Caravans of Gold Fragments in Time, from September 21, 2019 - February 23, 2020. The exhibit showcases pieces from around the continent, including Ekow Nimako’s Building Black Civilizations.

Caravans of Gold focuses on various collections to paint a compelling and expansive story about medieval sub-Saharan Africa.

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Finding agency through the lens

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Category: Arts

Written by Meres J. Weche

An interview with Sandrine Colard — curator of The Way She Looks photography exhibition, organized by the Ryerson Image Centre. Colard is an art historian, writer and curator based in New York, United States, and Brussels, Belgium.

"The reading of being black is very different growing up in Europe — in contrast to my experience living in New York today; or when I travel to the Congo," said art curator and professor Sandrine Colard. She gave AfroToronto those insights during a recent discussion where we discussed her dual heritage. 

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Dwayne Morgan discusses the inaugural Toronto Spoken Soul Fest

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Category: Arts

Written by Meres J. Weche

The inaugural 3-day Toronto Spoken Soul Fest is taking place from August 16-18, 2019 at the 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media and Education in Toronto. Created by the SpokenSoulTO Collective, comprised of multifaceted Toronto artists Dwayne Morgan, Paulina O'Kieffe-Anthony and Randelll Adjei, the festival aims to provide an annual platform for talented black poets, storytellers, musicians, and signers.

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Bringing Nuit Blanche to Scarborough

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Category: Arts

Written by Meres J. Weche

Few people I've come across have mastered the art of the side hustle like Toronto-based creative director and art curator, Ashley McKenzie-Barnes. In fact, she's been so successful at simultaneously managing her established corporate career within Toronto's vibrant advertising agency world and her numerous passion projects — spanning well-known community initiatives such as The Remix Project, Manifesto and Honey Jam — that it's hard to see where the side hustle starts and ends.

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