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TORONTO, ON – In celebration of Black History Month, Harbourfront Centre proudly presents the 16th edition of Kuumba, a weekend-long festival (Feb. 3-5, 2012) that invites members of the public to explore and celebrate the heritage, traditions and culture of African-Canadians.
This year’s festival features a rare live appearance by legendary reggae music producer, Clive Chin. VP Records/17 North Parade Celebrates 50 years of Jamaican Music is a once-in-a-lifetime music event that commemorates Jamaica’s Anniversary of Independence with an exclusive DJ workshop on the history of Jamaican music led by Clive Chin. He is best-known for establishing dub as a standalone musical form and for producing hits for some of the greatest reggae musicians including The Wailers, Dennis Brown, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Augustus Pablo, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs and Black Uhuru. Chin is a musical pioneer, producing the Java Java Dub album in 1973, arguably the first-ever dub album and will be signing copies of the album following the event.
Known (Un)Known, hosted by former MTV personality Tika Simone, is one of Toronto’s most buzz-worthy, all-ages, independent-artist events to showcase urban music stars of tomorrow, today. The inaugural Known (Un)Known session features local artists on the cusp of superstardom including R&B songstress Rochelle Jordan (who Vibe Magazine has dubbed the “female version of Drake”); 2011 Stylus Award-winner Shi Wisdom; 88 Days of Fortune, a Toronto-based urban music and multi-media collective featuring hip hop artist and recording/mixing engineer KJ, MC Spek Won and Abstract Random, a young Toronto-based group featuring Jamilah Malika, LoverSun and Ayo Leilani.
Other musical highlights include the Honey Jam Then & Now ($10) special Black History Month reunion concert and photo exhibit showcasing iconic images from the past 16 years of Honey Jam, the longest-running talent showcase in Canada. Hosted by Michie Mee, this event features Honey Jam alumni performing original songs including Jemeni, Belinda Brady, Kellylee Evans, Kim Davis, Eternia, Natasha Waterman, Saidah Baba Talibah and more!
Kuumba goes high-fashion at Fashion Blackout—a multi-faceted event that shines a spotlight on black and diverse designers, models and influencers in the fashion industry. The event kicks off with a screening of The Colour of Beauty, a shocking documentary that examines racism in the fashion industry, followed by a Walk This Way fashion workshop with Canadian model Stacey McKenzie and panel discussions with fashion designers and influencers including top fashion blogger Miss SLY (Noëlly Sam), leading agentNorwayne Anderson (NAM) and fashion journalist Sarah Nicole Prickett.
full festival lineup here:
http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/kuumba/
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