Title
Executive & Artistic Director, African Women Acting (AWA)
What are your expectations for the Manyatta Cares (MCares) Event?
AWA’s expectations of MCares Event are to celebrate our successes in our 3 short years of existence and receive all the love and support from the Manyatta family as we live our mandate of tackling African issues and propelling African Culture and African Art from the perspective of African women in Canada and beyond. Critical to the continuation of these successes is funding. As such, AWA expects commitments from Manyatta’s network of sponsors and partners to move forward the work of empowering African Culture and Arts through African Women artistes and artists with an African expression.
What is AWA’s contribution to Toronto’s Art scene?
AWA’s tribute event in celebrating the 1st African Female Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Wangari Maathai was an international affair held in Toronto, Canada, Mondovi and Torino, Italia. Also, AWA’s contribution to Toronto’s Art Scene is mapping itself with the well-receivedAfrican Women Acting (Artists) Festival (AWA Festival) which is a platform for femaleAfrican artists showcase their talent while we honor African women mentors and icons.
AWA’s Concert, Cinema and Culinary Arts series is a 3 part experience where an AWA artist sets the stage (on fire) with a concert, another AWA artist displays Africa’s finest culinary art and yet another AWA artist showcases a film-all in one sitting. The theme is currently a spiritual one and many a congregation are taking in the current AWA Concert, Cinema and Culinary Arts Series-contact AWA for details-dates booking FAST (had to plug that).
Toronto’s Art Scene has already sampled AWA’s recent workshop of the African spiritual musical “VOICES OF ORISA”. This sold out play is set to the stage for an impending world tour. Next stop, Torino, Milano, Roma in Italia. These and we are just getting started.
AWA got to further impact the Toronto Arts Scene by mentoring multiple young children from a number of organizations based in across North York to Scarborough and as far Pickering and beyond. Mentorship is a core value and is central to our mandate. AWA mentors in the areas of music, dance and theatre.
Most recently, AWA has led the local global outcry on behalf of the over 270 kidnapped Chibok girls with the Bring Back Our Girls rallies held and concerts at Dundas Square and City of Toronto Chambers-respectively among other parts of the GTA.
You know the meaning of the word “Manyatta”. What does this group mean to you?
To AWA, Manyatta is the gathering of Africa’s intellectual, business, policy, arts and social apex in Toronto. The best of Africa gathers in Toronto at Manyatta!
What is AWA most pressing need? How can the Manyatta community help outside of the MCares event?
AWA’s most pressing need is funding. The kind of support the Manyatta community can provide outside of the MCares event would be to assist build an AWA subscription. An AWA subscription would mean exposure to the best of African film, music and theatre from the perspective of African women and artists with an African expression. As such, the Manyatta community would also stand to benefit from great savings while enjoying these beautiful works of art as subscribers. Following subscription, the Manyatta community can further help by sharing widely in their network about the work that AWA is doing and help build the support necessary to allow us to do what we do best.
The Manyatta community can also help by offering support themselves through donations to AWA and/or investing conversations and contacts in the corporate community and other sponsors/donors in support of AWA. AWA offers tax receipts for donations that are over $25. For details please contact AWA at africanwomenacting@gmail.com.
How to reach AWA?
Website – http://africanwomenacting.org/
AWA’s Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/AfricanWomenActing?ref=hl
AWA Twitter – https://twitter.com/AWAtweet
AWA video link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD5ZdIjOZbg