Quite honestly, if you are Black in Canada and of the Afro-Canadian generation that has seen a multitude of changes in attitude toward the African sound not just in our cities but across the country, you’d have had to have been living under a rock to not have caught flashes of the high-energy images and videos online that come out as a result of a Kuruza party in Toronto.
If you truly are a sound enthusiast and ride for the Afro genre, you will have most likely experienced the undeniable feeling of missing out on a Kuruza party due to the simple fact of distance and how this affects connections in Canada.
You don’t have to be from Toronto to have heard of the legendary nights presented by the group who burst onto the scene 5 years ago.
It goes without saying the Kuruza DJ Collective and Soundsystem have caught a vibe, so much so that Nike supported the group with an Air Force 1 campaign and you know how we feel about our Air Forces. You know that it’s one of the biggest co-signs an artist, musician or sports enthusiast can ask for. Don’t ask us why. It just is. If you know you know.
Across the country, as Afrobeats, Amapiano, Afrotech and more Afrocentric blends and genres come to light, we’d be shocked to hear you weren’t hip to the news of the weight this sound crew carries. Just from pictures and Instagram reels alone, the sound energy this group embodies is what legends are made of. It shines bright with love and community.
For a moment there is a feeling or a reminder of what life was like in college, for some of us high school, rocking parties in friends’ houses when parents went away for weddings or burials or just to the village away from their children.
“It's fantastic to hear about the positive impact and cultural significance of the Kuruza collective in Toronto's entertainment scene,” says SheDJsCanada co-founder Moonchild, an ally who has worked closely and tirelessly with Umoja Sessions to open the doors for the underrepresented in the music scene in Western Canada.
“The ability to bring people together from diverse backgrounds through music is a powerful way to foster unity and understanding. It’s a powerful way to allow for a community to build resilience to adjusting to systems unknown to them in a country they call home away from home,” continued Moonchild.
Kuruza has become a cultural phenomenon not just in Toronto, but across the country. The group toured Canada from east to west about a month ago and the response from Calgary to Vancouver speaks to the collective's ability to create a welcoming and inclusive space for people to enjoy music as well as connect with one another. Monthly party series like Kuruza often play a crucial role in shaping and enriching a city's cultural landscape.
The insight shared by founders Kiga and Hangaëlle provides valuable context about the motivation behind creating Kuruza and the cultural gap they observed in Toronto's entertainment scene. The desire to establish a safe space for people who migrated from different parts of the world and moved to Toronto is a commendable goal. It reflects the recognition of the importance of community and a shared cultural experience, especially for those who might feel disconnected in a new place.
The observation of a disconnect in the entertainment district era not just in the East but in Canada, with its emphasis on top 40 music, dress codes, bottle culture, and a lack of diversity in the musical experience, highlights the need for alternative spaces that break away from these norms.
Kuruza, in contrast, seems to embody a more inclusive and vibrant atmosphere reminiscent of the party culture they were accustomed to in their home countries.
Creating an environment that aligns with the energy and community spirit of their home countries is a powerful way to not only bring a sense of familiarity to those who have migrated but also to introduce a refreshing and diverse experience to the local scene.
It's stories like these that showcase the transformative potential of grassroots initiatives in shaping the cultural landscape of a city and fostering a sense of belonging for diverse communities.
Of the 5-year celebration, DJ and producer Dooshima of the sound collective TheyThem and co-creator of SheDJsCanada as well as the online publication Don’t Stop Rolling says “Movements like this are what sound is about. It’s an incredibly beautiful time. We have paid close attention to the moves of Kuruza who launched at the same time as the Afros in tha City-sponsored monthly Umoja Sessions which held residency and injected events into establishments such as The Hifi Club, The Glenbow Museum, and Esker Foundation to name a few. Umoja carries the same mission of connecting the diaspora across the country. To see the Kuruza rise positively has been a beautiful motivation for us to keep strong.”
Observed and also recognized for pushing diversity in Western Canada, Dooshima, who is signed to We Bad Management, an all-purpose agency dedicated to pushing artists outside of their regulated boxes, says Kuruza has set the path ablaze for all from east to west. “If you sat all of us down in a room or a festival you would honestly hear the same problems, but what we have embedded in us is a resilience that stems from being African,” they continued.
Other collective leaders such as Oga Rossco of Shayo Saturdays in Vancouver and the Moonshine collective of Montreal come to mind as well as Afrobeats YYC, Icarus Sound located in Calgary, Alberta and LA Connexional in Edmonton are steadily rising in rank as dedicated leaders for the Afrocentric sound of Canada.
Where we all once could barely step into venues to even participate as audience members, it’s an amazing feat for Kuruza to see 5 years of progress and growth. While certain collectives still battle difficulties such as location security and promotion in the media. The Kuruza Collective deserve a huge round of applause for going where no collective has gone before. Kuruza has not just put Afrocentric celebrations on the map for Toronto alone but for Canada as a whole.
“At Umoja Sessions, this is the energy we all need to embody. We rise by uplifting others and on this day we salute Kuruza and all their supporters who do the work to ensure they stay level and supported,” said Dooshima/TheyThem.
On this day we salute all collectives pushing forward despite objections, despite no brand deals and despite venue and political objections to the freedom and comfort required to openly celebrate the Afro culture in sound.
Happy Birthday to the Kuruza Collective and we are wishing all collectives from east to west success in the motion to keep on rolling. No matter what. Not all cities are built equal but with dedication and perseverance we believe in time, recognition and support will come for all.
The recognition of the impact of Kuruza underscores the broader movement toward diversity, inclusion, and celebration of cultural heritage in the Canadian music scene.
*This feature is the first of the Afros in tha City/SheDJsCanada collaboration series entitled "WERISE - In Music We Trust” - Images via https://www.madrukent.com/projects/nike-join-forces