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Boonaa Mohammed


Title and Organization:		Storyteller, UN
Gender and Age:		Male, 22
Location:		Toronto, Ontario
Country of Residence:		Canada
Country of Birth:		Canada
Languages:		English



Website:		http://www.boonaa.com
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About Me

The name ‘Boonaa’, in Afan Oromo, means proud, and his work, up to this point, has made a growing audience very proud. Child of refugee parents from Oromia, a part of Ethiopia still under a colonial regime, Boonaa learned about the power of words at a very young age. His parents left the country because their outspoken criticisms of the current government put themselves and their children’s’ lives at risk. As a child, Boonaa faced many issues being a first generation Canadian; the cultural gap between his parents forced him to navigate much of his youth alone. Since the summer of 2006, Boonaa has been writing poetry as a means of dealing with the stress he faced living in Toronto. His experience as a youth activist has shaped most of his content. ‘Now Magazine’ declared his debut CD “Boonaafide” one of the Top 5 Canadian albums that should not be slept on. “Crystal clear lyricism and childlike innocence helps catapult atomic thought-rock at Goliath-sized Target” (Nov 22-28th 2007 Vol, 27th No. 12).

Still early in his career, Boonaa has kept his work fresh by experimenting with unconventional approaches to storytelling. The relative success of his first CD has only raised the expectations for his sophomore release entitled “Lost Traditions”. A powerful mix of hip-hop, afro-beat, jazz, and spoken word poetry, this album is sure to become a fan favorite. Produced entirely by award-winning African composer Waleed Abdulhamid (Toronto African Music Awards, Band of the Year Award, 2000), the two have also done various shows around the city backed by Waleed’s band ‘Radio Nomad’. The growing spoken word audience in Canada has given Boonaa the opportunity to reach a large and diverse audience. With the introduction of music behind his poetry, Boonaa is sure to take it to the next level.

Known in arts circles across Canada, Boonaa first made a name for himself on the slam poetry circuit by winning most major competitions in Toronto. He represented Toronto twice at the Canadian festival of spoken word, was the first ever winner of the Luminato Poetry Slam, a two-time winner of the ESC Poetry Slam, and was crowned the 2007 CBC Poetry Face-Off “Best New Artist”. Boonaa was also the only spoken word artist featured in Canadian Music Week, opening up for underground hip hop icon Pharaoh Monarch. Boonaa wrote and starred in the Team Ryouko presentation of “Impact”, an inspirational showcase of dance, martial arts, and gymnastics. The multi-talented artist has also been able to use poetry as a platform to get into the world of film by working on a project for PEN Canada that deals with guerilla poetry and freedom of expression. This project will be released in the spring of 2008 and is being directed by Boonaa in collaboration with award winning documentary director/producer Min Sook Lee.

Known for his unique sense of humour and riveting stage presence, Boonaa has been commissioned to write for the CBC and the Mayworks festival in Canada. In addition to just writing and performing, Boonaa frequently conducts writing workshops and seminars, sharing his experience and expertise with mainly disenfranchised youth across the country. Truly a future force in Canadian arts and culture, his sophomore release entitled “Lost Traditions” alongside various side projects will help to catapult this star into the sky.