African Women Acting (AWA) is based in Toronto, Canada. The organisation seeks to promote the practise, training, and education of visual and performing arts by African women in the diaspora.

Mission

AWA’s mission is “To Empower African Women Artists and African Cultural Heritage through African Arts & Female Artistes”. AWA’s mandate is to empower, preserve and promote Women issues & the heritage of African culture through African arts and Female artistes or artistes with African expression. AWA’s goal is to fulfill this mission and mandate.  To do so, the organization seeks to create new role models of professional African female artistes (or artistes with African expression) in Canada and across through proper training/education, community projects and collaborations, productions, presentations, exhibitions. Instructional seminars are provided on topics relating to the female performing and visual arts (music, dance, theatre art, film making, literary art, creative visual and design art, media art, etc.)

 

 

How does AWA make African women count?

AWA tell us that their organisation make women count by literally giving them a voice. They believe many issues that women find difficult to discuss are easier when told by the artists from their communities.  By creating a platform for these women to “have their stories heard”, their voice echoes through the generations and across oceans.  African Women Acting Festival – AWA Festival continues to grow as a platform to showcase your art as an African Woman Acting in the arts.  AWA Concert, Cinema and Culinary Arts Series is taking Toronto by storm this summer and fall with a full night of the best of African live music, the best of African cuisine and the best of African story telling in film.  All in one night.  Three (3) art-forms and up to Three (3) artists.  African Women Acting (AWA) is built by the success of African female artists and literally relies on making African Women Acting (AWA), count.

 

 

 

Main Successes

AWA’s success is through their contribution to Toronto’s Art Scene.

1. AWA’s tribute event in celebrating the 1^st African Female Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Wangari Maathai was an international affair held in Toronto, Canada, Mondovi and Torino, Italy. 
2. AWA stages the well-recieved African Women Acting (Artists) Festival (AWA Festival) which is a platform where female African artists showcase their talent while African women mentors and icons are honoured.  
3. AWA’s Concert, Cinema and Culinary Arts series is a 3 part experience where an AWA artist takes to the stage with a concert, another AWA artist displays Africa’s finest culinary art and yet another AWA artist showcases a film - all in one setting. The theme is currently a spiritual one and many congregations are taking in the current AWA Concert, Cinema and Culinary Arts Series.  
4. 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 embark on a world tour beginning in Torino, Milan, and Rome.
5. During the production of this workshop presentation, AWA got to further impact the Toronto Arts Scene by mentoring multiple young children from a number of organizations across Canada. Mentorship is a core value central to AWA's mandate and mentorships range in the areas of music, dance and theatre.
6. 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 greater Toronto area.

 

 

 

 

Key Challenges

 

AWA’s most pressing need is funding. Support is needed in building an AWA subscription.  For an AWA subscriber, it 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 AWA subscriber would also stand to benefit from great savings while enjoying these beautiful works of art.  Following subscription, AWA subscribers 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.

Another more obvious sector of funding is…funders.  Supporters 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 on support as well as events please contact AWA at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Connect with AWA:

AWA Website

AWA's Facebook Page

AWA Twitter