Referencing and honouring traditional African oral narrative, Black Diasporas is a multifaceted, immersive, and interactive exhibit that documents and celebrates the experiences, spaces, and places that have meaning to Black people living in Tkaronto-Toronto.

The project celebrates the spectrum of Black life in this city. Black Diasporas Tkaronto-Toronto has manifested as an exhibit and a geolocated digital archive of interviews of Black people: defined in this project as people of African ancestry who have been brought by force or made their way by choice to Canada since the colonization of the Americas. 

Black Diasporas Tkaronto-Toronto provides the opportunity for more inclusive and nuanced community-led narratives that diversity of the experiences of the 265,000+ people from the African diaspora living in this city. Black Diasporas will share life stories that encapsulate a variety of experiences: from the joys of family life; playing as a child; the history of little Jamaica on Eglinton; to the mundaneness of catching a streetcar or bus, to the tragedy of the effects of racial stereotyping; and the loss of life. The main aim of this project is to create space for community-led dialogue. No project could entirely encapsulate the diversity of character, experience, and community; however, we must begin asking questions and providing a platform to hear directly from the Black Diasporas of Tkaronto-Toronto.
 

Many thanks to the storytellers who generously shared their stories:

Abi, Adeyemi, Ahmed, Alvin, Amelia, Amina, Anna, Anton, Audrey, Chris, Christine, Clement, Cliff, Courage, Eli, Erica, Gary, Georgina, Ian, Ian, Isingoma, Jahnelle, Jay, Julien, Kathy, Kwame, Michelle, Monique, Mqedani, Nala, Nuradin, Ohemaa, Omo, Patrina, Queen, Raquel, Rok, Rosemary, Sale, Sam, Samantha, Sandra, Sasha, Shirley, Sydney, Telma, Troy, Ubah, Vivienne, Zahra.
 

Interviewers:

Abdoulaye, Abigail, Alex, Alexander, Ana, Bianca, Che, Christian, Clara, Claudine, Cliff, Daysha, Ebube, Grace- Camille, Haiat, Ian, James, Komi, Kwesi, Lindile, Lydia, Mahlikah, Marcel, Michelle, Nicholas, Nicole, Otto, Paa-Kwasi, Pulga, Ravyn, Sara, Sasha, Shemar, Tafadzwa, Tanaka, Tina, Tiyahna, Tura, Yamari, Zanira.

Editors:

Mufaro Mukoki, Sydne, Barnes-Wright, Shani McKenzie, Tafyra Poyser, Temi Gina, Yasmin, Evering-Kerr.

Film Directors:

Aisha Fairclough, Ayo Tsalithaba, Cazhhmere Downey, Chelsea Nyomi, Isabel Okoro, Nala Haileselassie,

Raoul Olou, Roya DelSol, William Selviz, Yazid Mohamednur.
 

Project Advisory:

Farida Abu-Bakare, Joseph Mpalirwa, Sandra Githinji, Tura Cousins Wilson

Project Film Team:

Joseph Mpalirwa, Davin Henson

Museum of Toronto team:

April Hazan, Bria Dietrich, Davin Henson, Heidi Reitmaier, Julie Suh, Rachel Hilton, Sarah Tumaliuan, Nadine Villasin Feldman.

AfrOURban team:

Kholisile Dhliwayo, Monica Nawanga, Phillip Johnson, Sandra Githinji, Tarirai Chivore.