Kuumba Festival @ Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON - Fri Feb 10th & Sat Feb 11th!

With so many great events, we’ve expanded Kuumba over two weekends! This year, we explore the themes currently affecting our global community including Black Lives Matter, Women’s Empowerment and The Invisible Majority. We also focus on women’s voices by showcasing musicians, filmmakers and artists who bring attention to the stories of women of colour in Canada.

For over 20 years, Harbourfront Centre’s Kuumba has sparked discourse and conversation around current and historical debates within the African-Canadian community. Kuumba 2017 continues this tradition, creating awareness and dialogue and celebrating contemporary and historical forms from across the African diaspora

Various events including;

Kuumba Film: Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of the Light

Kuumba Sounds:  Spirit of Calypso Warm Up

Hip Hop and Soul Showcase: Woke

Kuumba Films: Celebration of Viola Desmond

& More!

For full list of events click here

Kuumba Film Series: Black Identity - Shorts (REMEMBER AFRICVILLE, COLOUR OF BEAUTY and BLACK SOUL) @ Studio Theatre, York Quay Centre, Toronto, ON - Sun Feb 9th!

Three short films will be featured within the hour:

Remember Africville (35 mins)

This short film depicts Africville, a small black settlement that lay within the city limits of Halifax. In the 1960s, the families there were uprooted and their homes demolished in the name of urban renewal and integration. More than 20 years later, the site of the community of Africville is a stark, under-utilized park. Former residents, their descendants and some of the decision-makers speak out and, with the help of archival photographs and films, tell the story of that painful relocation.

nfb.ca/film/remember_africville

Colour of Beauty (16 mins)

Renee Thompson is trying to make it as a top fashion model in New York. She's got the looks, the walk and the drive. But she’s a black model in a world where white women represent the standard of beauty. Agencies rarely hire black models. And when they do, they want them to look “like white girls dipped in chocolate.”

nfb.ca/film/colour_of_beauty

Black Soul (10 mins)

Martine Chartrand’s animated short dives into the heart of black culture with an exhilarating trip though history. Watch as a young boy traces his roots through the stories his grandmother shares with him about the events that shaped their cultural heritage.

nfb.ca/film/black_soul

Everyone: FREE

Sunday, February 9, 2014

2:30PM – 3:30PM

Location, Studio Theatre, York Quay Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON

For more info click here

Word Up!!! Bring On Da L.O.V.E. @ York Quay Centre, Harbourfront, Toronto, ON - Sat Feb 2nd!

Word Up!!! is an exciting, exploratory spoken word and performance showcase that brings together youth from different neighbourhoods in the GTA. 

Developed by professional writer, multidisciplinary artist and youth arts advocate Anne-Marie Woods, the third edition of Word Up!!! – Bring On Da L.O.V.E. (Letting Our Voices Evolve) – explores writing and performance as a form of expression and healing for young people. The event will look at the obstacles and triumphs of youth looking for love, living with or without love and showing how love can change communities and lives. The six featured young poets each come from different backgrounds with different life experiences, but when it comes to their writing and creativity, they are all on the same page.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

7:00PM – 8:30PM

Miss Lou’s Room

York Quay Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON

ADMISSION IS FREE 

For a full listing of Kuumba festival events visit,

http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/whatson/seasonalfestivals/index.cfm?festival_id=124

dance Immersion Tribute (A Moving History of Canadian Blacks in Dance) @ Fleck Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON - Feb 1st & 2nd!

Tribute presents an unforgettable night that celebrates the history, artistry and contributions made by Canadian Blacks in dance in a multidisciplinary presentation.

An ensemble of gifted youth choreographed by Kevin Ormsby, anchors this production paying Tribute to nine iconic dance artists who have enriched the Canadian and global dance ecology. Honourees include Len Gibson, Dr. Jeni Legon, Dindi Lidge, Zab Maboungou, Paul Pettiford, Kevin Pugh, George Randolph, Jean Sheen and Sharlene Thomas. The programme includes presentations by Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata, with remounts by Ronald Taylor Dance, Tamla Matthews and Danny Grossman.

• Fri, February 1, 2013
  8pm
• Sat, February 2, 2013
  8pm

Prices

$18 - $28

Location:  Fleck Dance Theater, Harbourfront Centre,  207 Queen's Quay West, Toronto, ON

For tickets and more info visit: 

http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/nextsteps/danceimmersion/?utm_source=whatson&utm_medium=enews&utm_campaign=whats+on+20130128

 

Film Screening: Late Night Kuumba Films: The Story of Lover's Rock @ Harbourfront, Toronto, ON - Fri Feb 1st!

Often dubbed "romantic reggae," lover’s rock is a unique genre of British music, developed against a backdrop of racial tension, the Brixton riots and sound systems in the late '70s and '80s. It went from being a small UK scene to become a global phenomenon that defined a generation through artists such as UB40 and Maxi Priest.

Directed by award-winning director/producer Menelik Shabazz, The Story Of Lover’s Rock combines comedy, live performance, interviews and archival footage to shed light on the music and the generation that embraced it. Contributors to the documentary include UB40, Maxi Priest, Levi Roots, Linton Kwesi Johnson, comedians Angie Le Mar, Robbie G and Eddie Nestor, alongside new artists such as Ava Leigh and Lovella Ellis.

Best known for his award-winning feature film Burning an Illusion, Menelik Shabazz is one of the pioneers of black British cinema. The Story of Lover's Rock marks his return after a 30-year absence from cinema.

Directed by Menelik Shabazz
96 minutes | UK | 2011
In partnership with CaribbeanTales Film Festival.

Location:

Harbourfront Centre,

Studio Theatre

York Quay Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON

Admission:  FREE

Don't miss our other Late Night Kuumba Films screening over the weekend: I'm Santana The Movie.

For a full listing of Kuumba festival events visit,
http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/whatson/seasonalfestivals/index.cfm?festival_id=124

Kuumba Festival @ Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON - Fri Feb 3rd - Sun Feb 5th!

Join Harbourfront Centre for an exploration of African roots through a 21st-century perspective. This year’s festival also highlights the incredible role women have played in shaping the history of black culture and pushing it to new frontiers.

With artist showcases, round table discussions, storytelling, fashion, music, dance and children’s programmes, Kuumba presented by TD has something for everyone.

This event is part of TD's Then and Now series, an inspiring and entertaining cultural showcase of one of Canada's prominent communities. The lineup of events includes films, concerts, exhibitions, and performances by a host of Canadian and international artists. Visit td.com/thenandnow for more information.

Note: Most events are free

Location: Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen's Quay West, Toronto, ON

For the full list of events and times visit: http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/kuumba/events.cfm?festival_id=99&ref=fp