What if you could go back in time and dive into the history of Black Canadians and learn everything you didn’t from your old textbooks?
Well, now you can thanks to “Black Community Mixtapes,” a five-part docuseries that shines a light on life-changing moments in the Black Canadian landscape.
The show, now airing on CityTV, follows two young Black filmmakers as they seek to rediscover significant Black social movements in Canada.
The series is broken into a handful of episodes with each touching on separate themes that all encompass life through the Black experience.
Episodes include the history of Hip Hop, the Toronto Caribbean Carnival (also known as Caribana), Black photography and literature.
Now Toronto spoke with the host of the series, KhaRå Martin, and talked about what this show means for Black people born and/or living in Canada and what others can learn from Canada’s overlooked history.
WORKING TO HIGHLIGHT BLACKNESS IN CANADA
“Black people in this country make up I think 10 per cent of the population, yet our cultural influence is so grand,” Martin said.
“Arguably Toronto culture is Black culture, both Caribbean and African culture,” she continued.
Martin also shares that as a filmmaker she sometimes finds herself having to prove that Black history is Canadian history.
“It’s this universal subject told through the Black lens told in a way we’ve never seen before by a marginalized group,” she said. “It’s history that we’re uncovering because we should be learning about all aspects of Canadian history.”
WORKING WITH OTHER WOMEN ON SET
As a Black woman in the industry, Martin shares that one obstacle she has to face is proving to others that she knows exactly what she’s doing.
“I’m constantly having to prove myself, my worth and prove my knowledge in this industry,” she said.
According to her, one of the best parts of working on this series was that the show was made possible with the help of a female-led production team.
“There were a lot of women [of colour] on set from cast, crew, make-up artists to production designers. Women are out here doing it,” she said.
WORKING ON THE SHOW’S THEME SONG
Martin has worn many hats throughout this project, including writing and laying down vocals for the show’s theme song which is reminiscent of early 90s hip hop.
“It’s a little weird to hear my voice in that way because I’m rapping and I am not a rapper,” she laughed.
“But I thought it would be cool to have this show that I started out as a researcher on, that I’m hosting, and it’s my song and it’s my voice and it just really feels full circle for me.”
WORKING TO SPREAD AWARENESS
Martin believes that it’s just as important for non-Black Canadians as it is for Black Canadians to support the work her and her team have put into this project, as well as acknowledging Blackness in Canada.
“As long as someone can watch this series and say ‘Oh, I didn’t know that’ or ‘Oh, I learned something’ then it [becomes] a call to action for people to get up and do things in their real lives.”
You can stream “Black Community Mixtapes” on CityTV on Sundays.
