Zuri

Zuri is a very proud Canadian, Guyanese, Jamaican and St. Vincentian 8-year-old girl from Pickering, Ontario who loves anything to do with ART and heritage. Zuri’s bedroom shows off her proud achievements in dance and art. She visits the Nia Center, a community center for Toronto artists that helps Black youth get in touch with the arts and learn new skills. Apanaki Temitayo is one such artist who makes art pieces out of fabric – quilts – and they explain how quilts are integral to Black History and the Underground Railroad. Zuri meets Ian Keteku to learn about spoken word poetry and how it is used to inspire messages of peace, action, and community. He teaches Zuri how to perform a poem for her family, who are waiting at home to celebrate her 8th birthday. The celebration is complete with Caribbean food favourites, music, and a very special surprise from an inspirational poet that leaves Zuri SPEECHLESS!