Arts Leader, Kenya and Canada
Stewarding art organizations dedicated to professional and artistic growth: Sekoya East Africa (Kenya) established in 2020 and Boma Afrikan Artists Association (Toronto, Canada) established in 2025.
“Afrikan representation in the arts starts with being seen, known, remembered, present in relevant spaces.”
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@afrikanartiststoronto
Boma Afrikan Artists Association, Toronto -CA
Birthed from the desire to see more Afrikan artists from the continent in the Toronto arts scene, this association is the place for connection, professional development, collaboration and advocacy.
The initial project is building a database of Afrikan artists so that curators, directors, managers can have a place to go to when needing someone specific to work with. I am reminded the need everytime I am watching a theatre show with an actress who has been coached to play an Afrikan accent and they are struggling. I know we can fill such roles and bring our rich cultural and creative experiences to Toronto stages, exhibitions, museums, communities. People just need to find us.
Artists in the association will have access to arts management training, events, work opportunities, networks in the arts.
Fill the form below to register and join. Registration is currently free!
Sekoya East Africa, Kenya
“Nope, you can’t build a community organization alone. You need an entire village so open up your dream to others. I can’t say enough thank yous to those who have cultivated this village”
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@sekoyaeastafrica
Established in 2020, this non-profit arts organization run by youth builds professional capacity in emerging to mid-career artists through arts management training, creative entrepreneurship masterclasses, mentorship, social art & craft events, a virtual peer arts network.
Notable milestones:
Publishing the first East African crafts and culture magazine, featuring artists from the region, Dubai and Canada
Premiering an annual series of entrepreneurship masterclasses for artists in the country with over 100 sign ups for in-demand topics like marketing and brand building
Growing a virtual community of 170+ artists and creative professionals for information sharing and collaboration
Building a rotating core team who volunteer annually to run programs. About 10 artists volunteer at a time, with upto 3-15 hours offered weekly per volunteer!
Integrating deaf communities in artistic projects through workshops in schools, charity homes and incorporating Sign Language interpretation for deaf adults to access art and craft workshops
Building relationships annually for in-kind space access. Our dream is to have a space of our own, if you know a good deal let me know please!
Facilitating an international arts exchange project between Jamii Esplanade, Toronto (Canada) and Kenya resulting to Canadian artists collaborating on a community event with Kenyan artists, and dancer Maulid Owino representing Kenya in Jamii’s summer programming in Toronto.