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That ’70s Shootout: How a Calgary Lunch Sparked a Retro Creative Playground

August 10, 2026 in Photography

Curiosity Refresh Workshops creates immersive photography experiences designed to inspire creativity, build community and elevate photographers at every skill level. Through thoughtfully styled shootouts, hands-on workshops and themed events, participants learn, collaborate and create portfolio-worthy images alongside talented models, stylists and industry professionals.

AITC - August 2026

Featured

Identity, Music

Afros in tha City - August 2026 - Adrian Younge

Identity, Music

For our August cover story, Afros in tha City sits down with Adrian Younge to explore the sounds, relationships and creative philosophy behind Afro-Disco Makossa—a record born from his long-held desire to create music for the dance floor without surrendering the depth, musicianship or historical consciousness that defines his work.

Identity, Music

Music

Valerie June on the Practice of Joy

Music

A fifteen-minute festival interview with Valerie June begins with crossed schedules and a quiet moment of evaluation. Then the conversation finds its rhythm, becoming something much larger than an exchange about her latest album, Owls, Omens and Oracles.

In “The Practice of Joy,” Kimberley Dooshima Jev speaks with the Grammy-nominated artist about spirituality, independence and building a creative life that remains aligned with your values. June shares how meditation and affirmations become part of ordinary routines, why “small is powerful,” and how she measures the impact of her music through human connection rather than charts, algorithms or scale.

Their conversation also turns toward the ways Black women’s experiences are routinely flattened—and the freedom of creating new platforms instead of waiting for permission to belong. June’s declaration, “I’m keeping my joy because they would want me to,” transforms joy from a fleeting emotion into remembrance, responsibility and an inheritance carried forward.

What begins as an interview about music ultimately clarifies the values guiding Afros in tha City: community over scale, creation over permission and resonance over metrics. It is a reminder that joy is not escapism. It is a deliberate practice—and sometimes, an act of survival.

Read “The Practice of Joy” in full at Afros in tha City or in our print publication.

Music

Lowkita - In Her Own Time

Music

After nearly a decade between full-length projects, Lowkita returns with Why(Te) Tee—a deeply personal record shaped by motherhood, grief, burnout and the quiet confidence of an artist moving in her own time.

In “In Her Own Time,” Kimberley Dooshima Jev traces the Calgary-born, Vancouver-based artist’s years of rebuilding. Lowkita never stopped creating: she performed, produced, DJed, designed clothing and found new ways to sustain herself while raising her daughter and navigating profound personal loss.

The story also explores the meaning behind Why(Te) Tee. What began with the image of a white T-shirt as a symbol of starting over evolved into a larger meditation on purpose: the “Why” behind continuing, “TE” as a reminder that timing is everything, and the belief that every pause and setback has helped build the project’s foundation.

More than a comeback, Why(Te) Tee is an invitation to meet the person behind Lowkita’s bright, energetic presence. It captures an all-around artist who has learned that consistency does not require constant visibility—and that showing up, on your own terms, can be its own form of success.

Read “In Her Own Time” in full at Afros in tha City or in our print publication.

Music

Identity, Music

The Blueprint of Reggae - Leroy Sibbles Looks Back on Six Decades of Rhythm

Identity, Music

Few musicians are as inseparable from reggae’s foundations as Leroy Sibbles. As a pioneering bassist and arranger at Studio One and the legendary lead vocalist of The Heptones, he helped create the rhythms, basslines and vocal sound that continue to reverberate through contemporary music.

In “The Blueprint of Reggae,” Cara Eyre speaks with Sibbles about six decades of innovation, from late-night rehearsals in Trench Town and groundbreaking recording sessions with Clement “Coxsone” Dodd to hearing new generations sample and reinterpret the music he helped build.

The conversation also traces the personal journey that brought Sibbles to Canada in the 1970s, where he helped cultivate Toronto’s reggae scene and established a lasting connection to his adopted second home. Looking back, he measures his legacy through the musicians he inspired, the careers he strengthened and the joy his work continues to create.

At the heart of it all is a message of unity. Sibbles’ music has crossed oceans, bridged generations and brought millions together—and after six decades, his invitation remains beautifully simple: “We all sing together.”

Read “The Blueprint of Reggae” in full at Afros in tha City or in our print publication.

Identity, Music

Music

Walking in Purpose and Royalty A Conversation with Jemere Morgan

Music

Born into one of reggae’s most celebrated musical families, Jemere Morgan carries a powerful inheritance. But as the grandson of pioneer Denroy Morgan and the son of Gramps Morgan of Morgan Heritage, he is not simply preserving a legacy—he is building one of his own.

In “Walking in Purpose and Royalty,” Cara Eyre speaks with Morgan about spirituality, personal growth and the responsibility he feels each time he creates music. From the uplifting message of “Keep Blazing” to the relationship lessons behind “Know Better,” every song must carry intention and leave listeners with something meaningful.

Morgan also reflects on collaborating with Damian Marley on his third studio album, a more mature and vulnerable project exploring love, emotional growth and life’s difficult seasons. Throughout the conversation, he returns to a guiding belief: music should offer joy, connection and upliftment in a divided world.

For Morgan, legacy is not something fixed or protected. It is a living mission—shaped by experience, carried forward with purpose and strengthened each time the music reaches someone who needs it.

Read “Walking in Purpose and Royalty” in full at Afros in tha City or in our print publication.

Music

Afros Picks - August 2026

Music

From emotionally revealing R&B and modern jungle to fújì, Afro-Soul, reggae and global pop, this edition of Afros Picks brings together six releases shaping contemporary Black music across borders.

Masego turns inward on Fix Your Face, pairing his signature musicianship with vulnerability and self-reflection. Asake expands his global sound without losing his Nigerian foundations on M$NEY, while Nia Archives makes vulnerable songwriting feel at home alongside exhilarating breakbeats on Emotional Junglist.

Elsewhere, Nigerian Canadian newcomer Osé emerges as an Afro-Soul voice to watch with Feels Like Home. Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 join Kabaka Pyramid on “Problems,” reconnecting Afrobeat and reggae through a shared language of resilience and resistance. Tyla, meanwhile, embraces global pop on A*POP while remaining grounded in the South African identity that first introduced her to the world.

Together, these selections capture artists looking inward, reaching outward and carrying their musical foundations into new territory.

Discover all six Afros Picks at Afros in tha City or in our print publication.

Music

Beauty, Wellness

Rooted & Radiant - Where Trust Begins

Beauty, Wellness

Trust often begins long before professional care—in conversations with someone who has consistently made us feel safe.

In “Rooted & Radiant,” Kimberley Dooshima Jev explores the partnership between Nancy Nixon, founder of Neena’s Pink Room, and Tina Ashiofu, founder of Ilera Psychological Services. Together, they are creating the kinds of culturally grounded spaces they once needed themselves.

The story examines how salons can become trusted places for conversations about grief, relationships, migration and mental health—and how beauty professionals can serve as bridges to care without being expected to replace therapists. Drawing on Nancy’s relationships with her clients and Tina’s experience as a Nigerian Canadian psychologist, the feature considers representation, cultural understanding and why beginning therapy can feel more difficult than attending it.

At its heart, Rooted & Radiant is about expanding what community care can look like. It reminds us that healing does not always begin in a clinical space. Sometimes it begins exactly where trust already lives—with someone willing to listen, recognize when more support is needed and help another person take the first step.

Read “Rooted & Radiant” in full at Afros in tha City or in our print publication.

Beauty, Wellness

Music

Ahmed Moneka - Rooted Like a Tree

Music

In “Rooted Like a Tree,” Moneka shares how the Arabic Maqam traditions of southern Iraq coexist with jazz, funk, reggae, blues, soul and Afro-diasporic rhythms in his evolving musical language. For the Black Iraqi artist, music is more than performance. It is a sacred ritual connecting past, present and future—and a responsibility to the generations on either side of us.

Music

Photography

That ’70s Shootout: How a Calgary Lunch Sparked a Retro Creative Playground

Photography

Music, Lifestyle

Rooted in Nigeria, Rising in Calgary: Cris Kester Is Still Becoming

Music, Lifestyle

Rooted in Nigeria and rebuilding in Calgary, Cris Kester makes music shaped by rhythm, faith, resilience and the determination to keep moving when life refuses to make things easy.

In “Rooted in Nigeria, Rising in Calgary: Cris Kester Is Still Becoming,” Kimberley Dooshima Jev traces how Kester’s upbringing in Cross River State and northern Nigeria continues to live in his storytelling. Through songs including “Can I Speak?,” “Las Las” and “Colourful,” he creates space for pain without surrendering hope, building an emotional bridge between listeners across cultures and borders.

The profile explores the immigrant experience of beginning again, the challenge of introducing yourself to a new city and the faith required to keep creating when life does not yet resemble what you imagined. Standing between the foundation he built in Nigeria and the life he is creating in Canada, Kester is not choosing between two worlds. He is building from both—and he believes his best is still ahead.

Read the full story at Afros in tha City or in our print publication.

Music, Lifestyle

Art

DOTUN POPOOLA The Man Redefining Africa's Creative Future One Piece of Scrap Metal at a Time

Art

Dotun Popoola was four years old when he first started experimenting with colour and texture, and nine when his father, recognising the seriousness underneath what looked like a child's restlessness, enrolled him in a local art studio for an apprenticeship.

Art

Music

NO NATION (AYAKATA) Ginton & ODUMODUBLVCK Reach Across Generations to Rework A Fela Kuti Classic

Music

By Kimberley Dooshima Jev

Decades after Fela Kuti released “Beasts of No Nation,” its confrontation with power, corruption and political authority remains unfinished.

In “No Nation (Ayakata): Ginton and ODUMODUBLVCK Reach Across Generations to Rework Fela Kuti,” Afros in tha City explores how Amsterdam-based producer and guitarist Ginton and Nigerian rapper ODUMODUBLVCK approach an official contemporary reworking created with the involvement of the Fela Kuti Estate.

The story traces the political weight of Fela’s original recording, Ginton’s history of connecting electronic production with global musical traditions, and ODUMODUBLVCK’s continued commitment to his sound, community and principles. Together, they bring different eras of African music into conversation without attempting to replace the work that came before them.

Fela’s era. Ginton’s interpretation. ODUMODUBLVCK’s generation.

Read the full story at Afros in tha City or in our print publication.

Music

SOUND BEFORE SIGHT - How Killer Mike & The Mighty Midnight Revival brought Atl to tha Folk!

Music

Long before Killer Mike stepped onto the Calgary Folk Music Festival stage, the voices of The Mighty Midnight Revival travelled across Prince’s Island Park.

In “Sound Before Sight,” Kimberley Dooshima Jev reflects on encountering an artist whose music has accompanied her life—from OutKast and ATL to Run the Jewels and Michael Render’s evolution as an artist, entrepreneur, community leader and public voice.

Blending personal history with reflections from Calgary artist TeaFannie, the story explores how hip hop, gospel, soul and testimony transformed one festival performance into something larger: a meeting place for memory, legacy and community. It is also a reflection on the stories, songs and cultural touchstones that travel across borders and generations until they meet us where we are.

Read “Sound Before Sight” in full at Afros in tha City or in our print publication.

Music

Photography

ISLAND IN THE SUN

Photography

Through Emma Ryan’s lens, the 2026 Calgary Folk Music Festival comes alive in colour, movement & connection. From intimate stage moments to the energy of the crowd, her photographs capture the artists, audiences and shared joy that filled Prince’s Island Park. Explore this visual celebration of live music, community and a summer festival weekend that brought the city together. Photos by Emma Ryan.

Photography

Art, Beauty, Business, Creative Arts

PURPOSE IN MOTION - JUDITH DEMOSTHENE

Art, Beauty, Business, Creative Arts

Welcome to the Summer Omnibus

With the release of our July 2026 Summer Omnibus, Afros in tha City brings together seven months of reporting, photography, and storytelling into our most ambitious issue to date.

This special edition revisits some of the people, ideas, and moments that have shaped our editorial journey in 2026, while introducing new voices from across business, fashion, music, arts, and community. From exclusive interviews and cultural commentary to original photography and expanded feature stories, the Summer Omnibus celebrates the people building the future of the African and Caribbean diaspora in Canada and beyond.

Judith Demosthene's story is just the beginning.

As the cover feature, her journey reflects the spirit of this issue—one of resilience, entrepreneurship, and purpose. Inside, readers will also discover exclusive features on Funmi Osatuyi, Adrianne Williams, Afeni, Africa Fashion Week London, Nancy Nixon, Femi Jr., DJ Mr. Skitovich, and much more.

Continue the journey in the Afros in tha City July 2026 Summer Omnibus, available now in digital and print.

Art, Beauty, Business, Creative Arts

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July 2026 - The Omnibus - Print

CA$50.00

The Summer Omnibus is our most ambitious issue yet. Bringing together seven months of journalism, photography, and storytelling, this special collector's edition celebrates Black arts, business, fashion, music, and community across Canada and the diaspora.

Featuring exclusive cover stories with Judith Demosthene, Funmi Osatuyi, Adrianne Williams, Nancy Nixon, Ayokunle Akinsebikan, Femi Jr., and more, this 70-page volume captures the people, ideas, and conversations shaping culture today.

Beautifully printed in limited quantities, the Summer Omnibus is designed to be collected, shared, and revisited long after publication.

Limited print copies available.