The journey of politically driven independent films reveals the tension between bold storytelling and the systemic constraints of the film industry.
The journey of politically driven independent films reveals the tension between bold storytelling and the systemic constraints of the film industry.
Despite their differences, from the time of independence in the ‘60s, African revolutionary leaders have always called for a unified political and economic continent. In this interview with Prof. Zeyad El Nabolsy (York University), we talk through the historical trajectory of this philosophy, from the continent to the diaspora.
In a time where fiction threatens reason and misinformation reigns supreme, it may seem unwise to raise criticism against an institution as essential as medicine.
That life and death are riddled in every choice we make.
That sometimes we need to choose between resigning ourselves to death by a thousand paper cuts or death beneath a single scalpel.
To what degree have they, Africans on the continent or anywhere else in the world, been miseducated, blinded, co-opted around this business of passports, its presumed strength or weakness faced with stringent visa requirements for some or blasé passage at immigration control for others, is always questionable.
My time in school had always been wasted, like every moment of my life was a penny in a billionaire’s trust fund. Not just my time, but my body too.
I dreamt of having a classroom of my own one day, teaching real students that I didn’t bribe with a week of chores.
When we talk about violence in Toronto, the focus tends to be on crime committed by the poor. By the struggling and unwanted parts of the city.
The truth is, if we want our stories told, we must create our own spaces to do so.
Tyra Erskine finds herself as one of the many prominent actors in the anti-Black racism movement in Calgary
“I believe there is a reason that He [God] has made me a Black person. I’d like to believe it is because He loves me the most.”
“It's very cool to be Black right now,” Adams says, but only in a specific manner. If an artist isn’t interested in jumping headfirst into mainstream R&B or rap, or trying to sound like a variation of Drake, Daniel Caesar or Tory Lanez, then it becomes much harder to build a fanbase and gain any sort of income in Toronto off of music”.
As this month comes to an end, we’re celebrating a mashup of literary work that puts Blackness, both past and present, into perspective. We have also taken special interest in including literary works by Black Canadian authors who are creating the context and scholarship to widen the knowledge of erased struggles of Black Canadians both historically and newcomers alike.
Imagine if we had enough room for love; if we could meet each other with the same patience we took to love our mothers, our children, our closest friends, our lovers. Imagine a world like that.
When 96 moved back to Toronto, he was uncertain about what was going to happen next. After a decade-long stint in Calgary, he was moving back to the city to reconnect with old friends and finally pursue music in the way that he wanted to. But nothing felt certain.
West’s new brand of Christianity pushes him further into the good-books of the alt-right, and further away from the communities that prop him up.
I compiled these images together from a larger project titled: PH Blue which I made on my last trip back home to Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 2018.
