Sankofa

Sankofa was born in Manchester, Jamaica. He sees himself as an Afrikan Child who is firmly committed to learning about Afrika and her peoples wherever they reside in the world. Sankofa is a community worker, a poet, a teacher, a radio host and socio-economic business owner. He has been planning and performing poetry/community events for the past seven years. Sankofa writes to provoke, incite and awaken unconscious minds to the reality of Afrikan peoples, the oppressed and dispossessed. He writes from the depths of his soul and cannot be commanded to write but must be inspired. His style of poetry is unique in that he never performs the same poem, the same way twice. His performance is like a conversation between friends or a meeting place where dialogue occurs freely and without much care for political correctness but is honest and true. Sankofa has self-published two albums of poetry on CDs titled, ‘Sankofa in Cipher’ & ‘The Diary of a Son’ in 2003.

Photographs by: MACPRI

He’s currently working on his third album titled, ‘Sankofa: Ancestral Roots with Divine Empresses’ due to come out in 2005. Sankofa has performed for many diverse audiences such as schools (middle, high school, colleges and universities), Churches, Community Festivals & Fund-Raisers. He has shared his poetry with audiences in Ajax, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Ottawa, Nova Scotia, Windsor, Hamilton, London, Calgary & Jamaica.

Sankofa volunteers with the JCA Youth Affairs Committee and co-founded two non-profit organizations, The Westside Cipher & Prospect Primary Alumni Association. The Westside Cipher is a group of storytellers, spoken word artists and community activists who use the arts to spread knowledge to the people. Prospect Primary Alumni Association’s main purpose is to assist Prospect Primary school located in Manchester, Jamaica with renovations, scholarships for students and the building of a school library and computer facility in 2001.

In addition, Sankofa hosts two shows on our beloved community radio station at York University, CHRY 105.5 FM. Every Friday from 5 pm – 6 pm you can tune in to Sankofa while he addresses socially conscious issues affecting Afrikans and disenfranchised communities in Canada & around the world. He gives voice to the voiceless. He also host the Urban Griots show every second and fourth Sunday of the Month from 4 am – 7 am. Audience can hear dub poetry, conscious music, speeches and story telling to uplift the soul. Sankofa implores communities to stand up for their rights, be the change they’re seeking and to invest in their children.

Sankofa, ‘One who must return to the past, in order to go Forward’