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Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, artistic director of Obsidian Theatre
Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, artistic director of Obsidian Theatre
Black Futures Month: The acclaimed theatre creator is expanding the Black stories that are told on stage and screen By Kelsey Adams
Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu
became the artistic director of Obsidian Theatre, Canada’s premier Black theatre company, at a tumultuous time: it was the thick of the pandemic, in the midst of worldwide protests against anti-Black racism and theatres were shut down.
Obsidian’s first major project with Otu at the helm, 21 Black Futures, responds to the question: What is the future of Blackness? It’s an anthology of 21 filmed monodramas, written by 21 Black playwrights, performed by 21 Black actors and directed by 21 Black directors from across Canada. It airs weekly on Fridays on CBC Gem from February 12-26.
Rodney Diverlus, co-founder, Black Lives Matter Canada
Rodney Diverlus, co-founder, Black Lives Matter Canada
Black Futures Month: The artist and activist has a monumental year planned for Black Lives Matter By Kelsey Adams
Samuel Engelking
Before the federal government launched CERB, Black Lives Matter-Toronto adapted to COVID by running an emergency fund to help out-of-work Black Torontonians cover daily living expenses. This mutual aid model is something Rodney Diverlus, one of the group’s founding members, sees as integral to the way we build back after the pandemic. Diverlus calls himself an “artivist,” creating work that exists at the intersection of art and activism. He is the director of Wildseed Centre, a multi-purpose co-working space for the city’s Black community to organize, meet, create art and heal. He feels we’re on the precipice of a Black renaissance, laying the groundwork for sustainable organizing for generations to come.
NOW Magazine
Renee Jagdeo, student at the University of Toronto
Black Futures Month: First-time political candidate pushes policy change to benefit the city’s youth By Kelsey Adams
Feb 4, 2021
Renee Jagdeo made headlines when she ran in the Scarborough-Agincourt by-election earlier this year. The 19-year-old was the youngest person in the race of over 25 candidates. Her platform included improving green and recreational spaces, free Presto cards, supporting businesses, workers and renters during COVID-19 and developing accessible and affordable housing. She didn’t win, but the University of Toronto urban planning student isn’t deterred from pushing for policy changes that reflect the needs of young Torontonians. She knows the future is theirs to inherit and she wants to make it more equitable.