Two decades after Blood.claat premiered in Toronto, d’bi.young anitafrika returns to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Sankofa Trilogy.
This episode marks a deeply personal, full-circle moment for me and AfroToronto.com. Twenty years ago, in November 2005, I sat in the backspace of Theatre Passe Muraille during the Stage3 Festival with director Weyni Mengesha and playwright-performer d’bi.young anitafrika. They were workshopping blood.claat, a daring new monodrama that would become the foundation of what we now know as the Sankofa Trilogy.
Two decades later, I sit down again with d’bi.young to reflect on this extraordinary journey. What began as a raw exploration of voice and healing has blossomed into an award-winning trilogy (blood.claat, benu, and word! sound! powah!) that has become a cornerstone of Canadian theatre. Through these biomyth monodramas, three generations of Sankofa women tell stories of identity, matrilineal power, Yoruba spirituality, and liberation.
This conversation is about theatre, but also about lineage, mentorship, and memory. It’s about the seeds planted twenty years ago and how they have grown into a thriving forest of Black Canadian creativity.
Conversation highlights
- The original workshop of blood.claat in 2005 at Theatre Passe Muraille and how it set the roots for the Sankofa Trilogy
- The influence of elders and mentors such as Amma Harris, ahdri zhina mandiela, Janet Sears, and Audrey Zina Mandiela
- How d’bi.young spent seven years abroad completing a master’s and PhD in Black women’s theatre in London, and how that work deepened their practice and gave rise to a globally recognized decolonial framework
- The present landscape of Black Canadian theatre and the emergence of new voices nurtured by institutions like Obsidian Theatre and the Black Theatre School
- The meaning and mechanics of biomyth monodrama, blending autobiography, mythology, and ensemble griot traditions
- What audiences can expect from the 20th anniversary productions of the Sankofa Trilogy at The Theatre Centre in 2025
Selected timestamped quotes
Origins of the Sankofa Trilogy
[00:05:30]
“I knew I had something to say about being a young Black woman whose experiences were not celebrated. The healing that happened then set the foundation for my work today.”[00:06:42]
“It set me on a path to distill and cultivate African oral storytelling forms, and to determine how I wanted to live as a practitioner and share my approach with others.”
Mentorship & community
[00:08:34]
“SummerWorks has been there from day one for me. Almost all the work I’ve created has had the privilege of being shared on a SummerWorks stage.”[00:09:26]
“The Theatre Centre again provided the space for me to have a community celebration before I left for my PhD. That kind of ritual, that kind of support, set me on my path.”[00:10:32]
“This moment is full circle for me as I reflect on how I benefited from the foundation laid by Amah Harris, Janet Sears, Audrey Zina Mandiela, Roma Spencer, and so many others.”
The state of Black theatre today
[00:14:05]
“The roots planted by our elders created fertile soil for African and Black storytelling to grow into something beautiful.”[00:14:50]
“The forest is growing. That’s what it looks like for me, having returned. Other people might have another idea, but for me, it looks like the forest is growing.”[00:15:39]
“You should have seen the brilliance of the practitioners in Obsidian’s Young Gifted and Black program—beyond anything I could imagine.”[00:16:55]
“In terms of being present, being here, the garden, the woods, the forest, the ocean—it’s bountiful.”
Scholarship & PhD journey
[00:19:19]
“I had the opportunity to be amongst international artists and just discover how I make work. I needed that space to be in the circle, not always the elder or teacher.”[00:21:48]
“Those Covid years gave me the space because the whole world paused. It gave me the space to look at Black women in theatre and to look at my own work more deeply.”[00:22:29]
“For the first time in my life, if you ask me what my artistic practice is, how I name it, how it can be replicated—I have an answer. And that feels so good.”[00:23:46]
“Ubuntu reminds us: I am because you are, because we are. The PhD allowed me to see that I’m not in a vacuum, but part of a lineage.”
Artistic practice & biomyth monodrama
[00:26:44]
“Biomyth is not autobiography. It’s the creation of something fictional that emerges from the meeting place of the biographical and the mythologized.”[00:28:43]
“I return again and again to the exploration of Yoruba deities—Yemeya, Oshun, and Oya—and their stories weave through my work.”[00:29:16]
“My approach is very athletic. The physicality, the breaking of the fourth wall, the engagement with the audience, and the musicality are all fundamental.”[00:30:01]
“I’ve invited practitioners to form what I call a griot posse—to experiment with ensemble biomyth making, mixing sound, choreo-poetry, and sonic scapes into something new.”
Topics covered in this episode
- 20 years of the Sankofa Trilogy and its legacy
- How blood.claat evolved from a workshop piece into a Dora Award–winning play
- The development of the Anitafrika Method and its global impact
- Mentorship and the responsibility of passing down knowledge
- The creation and launch of the Black Theatre School
- Reflections on Toronto’s evolving Black theatre scene
- The upcoming 20th anniversary repertory productions at The Theatre Centre
About the Sankofa Trilogy
The trilogy tells the stories of three generations of Sankofa women:
- blood.claat: Mudgu Sankofa, a 15-year-old girl, navigates menstruation, violence, and cycles of family history.
- benu: Sekesu Sankofa battles postpartum depression and the neglect Black women face in healthcare systems.
- word! sound! powah!: Set in Jamaica’s 1980 election, Benu Sankofa joins a radical dub poetry collective to confront political injustice.
These biomyth monodramas are a fusion of biography, mythology, music, and movement, designed to both heal and liberate.
The 20th anniversary production will run September 23 to October 12, 2025, at The Theatre Centre in Toronto, with a culminating marathon weekend and celebratory dancehall party.
Guest bio – d’bi.young anitafrika
d’bi.young anitafrika is an internationally acclaimed dub poet, playwright-performer, director-dramaturge, and activist-scholar. They are the creator of the Anitafrika Method, a Black-queer-feminist decolonial arts praxis taught and shared worldwide. A three-time Dora Award winner and Siminovitch Prize finalist, d’bi.young has authored twelve plays, seven albums, and four poetry collections. Their work has influenced generations of artists and continues to expand the possibilities of storytelling as a tool for liberation.
Website: dbiyounganitafrika.com
Instagram: @dbiyounganitafrika
