This one-of-a-kind gala is dedicated to the celebration of the positive work being done within the African Diaspora.
In commemoration of this year's theme, “ Together We Rise”, we are teaming up with People to People Aid Organization Canada (P2P). P2P is a Canadian non-profit organization leading the fight against HIV and Aids in Ethiopia. The proceeds of this year’s event will be contributed to the work in areas of philanthropy in the African Diaspora.
Come expecting a night of glamour, entertainment, networking and most importantly an opportunity to give back.
Vantage Venues
150 King Street West, Toronto, ON
SunLife Financial Tower (27th Floor)
5:00 PM
COCKTAIL HOUR
Fried Chicken Sliders
with house made hot sauce and blue cheese aioli
Mini Beef Patties
Lettuce Roll
with peanut sauce
Corn Fritters
with scallion dip
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6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
GALA
Highlights include:
live music by the Jay Danley Band
a great selection of food from the African Diaspora
Keynote address by Prof. Ato Quayson
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DINNER
King Fish
Jerk Chicken
Ox tail
Rice & Peas
Curry vegetable and chickpea with coconut milk
Coleslaw
Garden Salad with dressing
DESSERT
Coconut pineapple upside down cake
Cheesecake lollipops
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10:00 p.m. to 2 a.m.
THE OFFICIAL AFTER PARTY
Advance ticket purchase required
NEW: Late Night Snack Bar, 10pm - 12am.
Limited Quantites! First Come First Serve!
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Cash Bar
Dress Code: Black tie or formal African wear
This year, Manyatta Network is partnering with People to People Aid Organization Canada (P2P).
Founded in Toronto in 1999, P2P is a non-profit organization started by a group of concerned Ethiopian-Canadians committed to reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other preventable diseases.
P2P aims to break the silence within Ethiopian communities in Canada and on the continent and to pursue the following core objectives — provide care and support for those affected by HIV/AIDS, increase awareness about preventable diseases, and contribute towards addressing determinants of health (physical, social, economic, and cultural) including mental health.
Manyatta Network is to partnering with P2P Canada on its orphan sponsorship program for children affected by HIV/AIDS:
$30 per month per child
$30 covers shelter, food, education and medication for the children who are HIV positive
Age range: 3-18 years old
P2P Canada currently sponsors 200 children
Individual sponsorship is also encouraged
The flagship program is supported by 2 local (Ethiopian) charities
Funds raised will allow P2P to sponsor more children and provide communities in Canada and Ethiopia with HIV/AIDS education.
More information about People to People Aid Organization Canada (P2P) can be found at www.p2pcanada.org
Prof. Ato Quayson is Professor of English and Director of the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto, where he has been since August 2005. He completed his BA at the University of Ghana and his PhD from Cambridge University in 1995. He went on to the University of Oxford as a Research Fellow, returning to Cambridge in Sept 1995 to become a Fellow at Pembroke College and a member of the Faculty of English where he eventually became a Reader in Commonwealth and Postcolonial Studies.
Prof Quayson has published widely on African literature, postcolonial studies and in literary theory.
Dalton Higgins
Dalton is a public relations strategist and publicist, author, National Magazine Award-winning journalist and arts festival producer whose client list includes everything from Fortune 500 companies to Grammy Award nominees and BET Award winners. Higgins' six books and 500+ live event and concert presentations have taken him to Denmark, Australia, France, Colombia, Spain, Curacao, Germany, Cuba, England and throughout many parts of the United States.
Handpicked as one of 30 Torontonians by the Toronto Star - Canada's largest daily newspaper - to blog about ways to make the fourth largest city in North America more livable - Higgins has worked as an award show scriptwriter for Gemini Award-winning comedian Russell Peters. Higgins' biography of rapper Drake, Far From Over, is carried in Cleveland’s Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame & Museum collection, and his best-selling Hip Hop World book is carried in Harvard University’s hip hop archive.
Jay Danley blends music from around the world with modern Jazz. Influenced by the classic sounds ofthe "golden age"of Ethiopian music like Mulatu Astatke and Mahmoud Ahmed, classic James Brown recordings from the early '70's, Afro-funk and Afro-Cuban music, Jay has developed a distinctive individual voice.
The Jay Danley Band's performances are energetic and engaging, where the band's enthusiasm and vitality really reach the audience.
Website - http://jaydanleyband.wixsite.com/jaydanleyband
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Jay-Danley-Band/382380791810672
Twitter-https://twitter.com/JayDanleyMusic
Born in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Amadou Kienou was initiated as a griot - an oral historian, preserving and transmitting the history, culture, and values f his people. Nowadays, bringing the traditional to the contemporary, he delights international audiences with his unique polyrhythmic expression of emotions and memories.
The djembe is Amadou’s principal instrument. As he describes it, “the djembe is more than a musical instrument; it is an extension of the musician through which he expresses his life, his emotions.” Amadou plays several other traditional African instruments - the dunduns, n’goni, and tama, not to mention the Western guitar and drum set.
As a griot, musician-composer, dancer, choreographer and instructor, Amadou Kienou is active throughout North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, India and the Caribbean. He has performed with great artists, including Miriam Makeba, Manu Dibango, Angélique Kidjo, Salif Keita, Youssou N'dour and Kassav, and with his own ensembles Foteban and Djeli Sira. He has recorded many CDs and DVDs comprising performances and djembe instruction. In recognition of his artistry, he has received numerous awards, including Best Artist of Burkina Faso in 2011, Cultural Ambassador of Burkina Faso in Canada in 2014 and Male Artist of the Year in 2016 (Radio Kilimanjaro, Canada). He is president of the Burkina Faso Association of Canada.
Originally from the Ivory Coast, in West Africa, JV Kouamé is a multidisciplinary artist who has been spinning music since 1994.
He calls his style "LITIX", an energetic music built on a fusion of genres.
From Abidjan to Calgary, through Moncton, Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton, to quote only these cities, JV Kouame has been genuinely inspired by his journey.
Thanks to his magical skills, he mastered the art of mixing the melodies and the bewitching rhythms remind him of his origins amongst those of Hip Hop, Dancehall, R'N'B and many other musical genres.
The rest of the story is one of a passionate DJ, deeply attached to his cultural roots, which he masterfully uses and exploits with an unshakeable conviction: to share with the world the magic of music.
It is also that of an entrepreneur, founder and leader of GoldStar.
JV Kouamé a.k.a JV-LITE intends to put his mark and seal his part in the event scene.
DJ G Jackson is a DJ producer from Paris influence by Hip Hop, Afrobeats, Rnb, ethnic musics and electro. His music combines aerial melodies, technic and samples. Autodidact and passionate, he loves to make music themes.