d'bi.young anitafrika facts for kids

d'bi young anitafrika
d'bi Young
Born	December 23, 1977 Kingston, Jamaica
Occupation	Dub poet, performance artist, actor, playwright
Notable work	The Sankofa Trilogy; The Orisha Trilogy; The Ibeji Trilogy; Da Kink in My Hair

d’bi.young anitafrika is a talented Jamaican-Canadian artist. They are known as a dub poet, an activist, and a singer for the band D’bi and the 333. Their creative work includes exciting theatrical performances, four books of poetry, twelve plays, and seven music albums.

Early life and education

d’bi young anitafrika was born on December 23, 1977, in Kingston, Jamaica. Their mother, Anita Stewart, was also a dub poet, and their father, Winston Young, was a community organizer. Young spent much of their childhood in Jamaica, often watching their mother perform dub poetry. In 1993, they moved to Toronto, Canada, to live with their parents and finished high school there.

Career

Young's early career included acting in the sitcom Lord Have Mercy! (2003) as the character “Crystal.” They also worked in theatre with groups like Black Theatre Workshop. Young was an artist-in-residence at several places, including Soulpepper Theatre and CanadianStage.

In 2001, they became well-known for their role as “Stacyanne” in the play Da Kink in My Hair. For this role, they were nominated for a Dora Award, which is a big award for theatre in Toronto. Badilisha Poetry X-Change has even named d'bi young anitafrika as one of the top ten poets.

Young's early poetry, like their first dub poem "once dere was a mxn" written in 1988, followed the traditional style of dub poetry. In 2013, Young was a main performer at the Human Rights Concert in Harare, Zimbabwe. There, they worked with Zimbabwean musician Victor Kunonga on a song called "Ruvengo" (which means Hate).

Key works

Young has created three important series of plays: The Sankofa Trilogy, The Orisha Trilogy, and The Ibeji Trilogy. These plays explore how historical events and ideas have affected people of African descent. They often look at these topics from a Black Feminist point of view. Each trilogy is made up of three plays.

The Sankofa Trilogy tells the stories of three Jamaican women: Mudgu Sankofa, her daughter Sekesu, and her granddaughter Benu. Each play shows how these women, connected by family, find their own strength and express themselves in powerful ways.

The Orisha Trilogy is about women from the past, present, and future who survived the Atlantic slave trade. In each time period, the women face challenges and social changes, often with the help of spiritual guides called Orishas.

The Ibeji Trilogy includes three plays that explore Black love. These stories show how love changes and grows through different relationships, like friendship, romance, and the bond between a mother and son. They also explore deep self-love.

Publishing and theatre

Young started Spolrusie Publishing, a small publishing company. It helps new Black writers and supports works by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and feminist artists.

From 2008 to 2018, Young also founded and ran The Watah Theatre. This was the only Black-focused performance art school in Canada. The Watah Theatre offered free training programs for artists. Through The Watah Theatre and the Yemoya Artist Residency, Young guided many young Black artists from Canada and other countries. Some of these artists include Amanda Parris and Kim Katrin Milan.

Young's theatre style comes from their childhood in Jamaica, where dub poetry was growing in the 1980s. They often use Jamaican language in their plays. They also use a style called monodrama, where one actor performs.

They appeared on the 2021 FreeUp! The Emancipation Day Special, a special TV show.

The Anitafrika Method

Young's work highlights how our identity and our community are deeply connected and important. The Anitafrika Method is a creative process that helps people understand themselves better through performance. It connects ideas about identity, community, and social ideas into a powerful performance experience.

This method is based on the Dub theory developed by Young's mother, Anita Stewart. Young has used this method in many areas, including health care, social justice, art, and leadership training.

From January to June 2015, Young used the Anitafrika Method in a special project with the Women's College Hospital in Toronto, Canada. This project was called The Black Women's Health Research Project.

In 2018, Young began studying Black Performance at Goldsmiths, University of London for their postgraduate degree.

Personal life

Young identifies as non-binary and genderqueer.

Selected works

Plays

Year(s)	Title	Notes
2001	The Sankofa Trilogy	Includes: Benu, Bloodclaat, & Word! Sound! Powah!
2006	organ-eye-zed crime	Performed at Hysteria: A Festival of Women
2017	The Orisha Trilogy	Includes: Esu Crossing the Middle Passage, Mami Wata & the Pussywitch Hunt, & Lukumi: A Dub Opera

Theatre (actor)

Year	Title	Role	Theater	Notes
2001	Da Kink in My Hair	Staceyanne/Claudette	Toronto Fringe Festival	First time in this role
2003/2005			Theatre Passé Muraille
2006			San Diego Repertory Theatre California
			Princess Of Wales Theatre Toronto
2007			Hackney Empire London

Film and Television (actor)

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Lord Have Mercy!	Crystal
2024	Village Keeper	Dr. Anitafrika