Toronto’s African Women Acting will celebrate their 10th anniversary this fall with The African-Canadian Fusion: A Cross-Cultural Celebration of Art, Music & Poetry.
On Saturday, Oct. 28, Daniel’s Spectrum, a cultural center on Dundas Street in Toronto’s Regent Park, will be transformed into a home of music and other performing arts that celebrate the African diaspora in Canada. The event will feature Cameroonian Afropop singer Jbwai, spoken-word artist and singer J Nichole Noel, Susan Heaten, and Nigerian vocalist Sonia Aimy, who founded AWA back in 2011.
Dabbling in genres including classic rock, reggae and pop, Noel has been performing for over 20 years on stages in Canada, the U.S., Spain, the U.K. and Jamaica. She has recorded three CDs as well as published books of poetry and stories for children. Aimy, or the “velvety voice of Africa” as she’s called, has released several albums. In 2021, she released the quarantine-era Reconnect, an upbeat meditation on Pan-Africanism which feels out of Fela Kuta’s lab. One of several October performers who is truly a Jane of all trades, Aimy also released her film TRACE: Tracing African Canadian Extraordinaire, which focuses on the accomplishments of seven African-Canadians making impact in the country.
The event will also feature Afrobeat selections by DJ Moussa, who has played multiple Toronto-area haunts and is sure to keep the party going. African-Canadian Fusion will run from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.. The $50 admission includes food and wine tasting. Founded in 2011, AWA is a nonprofit focused on empowering, preserving and promoting women issues and the heritage of African culture through African art. It also hosts the long-running annual Niagara Festival. Get tickets and more info HERE.
