d'bi.young anitafrika facts for kids

d'bi young anitafrika
d'bi Young
Born	December 23, 1977 Kingston, Jamaica
Nationality	Jamaican-Canadian
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 amazing work includes many theatrical performances, four books of poetry, twelve plays, and seven music albums.

Early Life and Learning

d’bi young anitafrika was born on December 23, 1977, in Kingston, Jamaica. Their mother, Anita Stewart, was also a dub poet. Their father, Winston Young, was a community organizer. Young spent much of their childhood in Jamaica. They often watched their mother perform dub poetry, which is a type of poetry that is spoken or chanted, often with music.

In 1993, Young moved to Toronto, Canada, to join their parents. They finished high school there.

A Creative Career

Young started their career acting in TV shows and plays. They played "Crystal" in the sitcom Lord Have Mercy! in 2003. They also worked with important theatre groups like Black Theatre Workshop and Theatre Passe Muraille. They were also an artist-in-residence at places like Soulpepper Theatre and Canadian Stage Company. This means they spent time working and creating art there.

In 2001, Young got a big role as "Stacyanne" in the play Da Kink in My Hair. This play was written by Jamaican-Canadian writer Trey Anthony. For this role, Young was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award, which is a major award for theatre in Canada. Badilisha Poetry X-Change, a group that celebrates poetry, has even named d'bi young anitafrika as one of the top ten poets.

Young's early poetry, including their first dub poem "once dere was a mxn" written in 1988, followed the classic 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).

Important Works

Young has created several important series of plays. These include The Sankofa Trilogy, The Orisha Trilogy, and The Ibeji Trilogy. These plays explore how historical events and modern society have affected people of African descent. They tell stories from the viewpoint of Black women. 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 find their own path and express themselves. The Orisha Trilogy is about the experiences of women from the past, present, and future who survived the difficult journey of the transatlantic slave trade. The Ibeji Trilogy features three plays about Black love. It shows how love changes and grows between friends, family, and within oneself.

Publishing and Theatre Work

Young started their own small publishing company called Spolrusie Publishing. This company helps new Black writers and supports works by Black, Queer, Trans, Indigenous, and People of Color (BQTIPOC) artists, as well as feminist works.

From 2008 to 2018, Young also 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 another program called Yemoya Artist Residency, Young helped many young Black artists in Canada and international artists of color. Some of these artists include Amanda Parris and Kim Katrin Milan.

Young's unique theatre style comes from their childhood in Jamaica. They grew up around the exciting world of dub poetry in the 1980s. They often use Jamaican Patois, which is a special Jamaican language, in their plays. They also use a style called "biomyth monodrama." This is a play performed by one person that blends real-life stories with myths and legends.

In 2021, they appeared on FreeUp! The Emancipation Day Special, a TV special celebrating Emancipation Day.

The Anitafrika Method

d’bi.young anitafrika believes that who you are (your identity) and your community are deeply connected and very important. They developed something called The Anitafrika Method. This method helps people heal and grow through creative performance. It connects ideas about identity, community, and how society works with a performance experience.

The Anitafrika Method is based on the "Dub theory" of their mother, Anita Stewart. Young has used this method in many different areas, including healthcare, social justice, art, and leadership training.

For example, from January to June 2015, Young used this method in a special project with the Women's College Hospital in Toronto, Canada. This project was called The Black Womxn's Health Research Project.

In 2018, Young began advanced studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. They focused on Black Performance practices, politics, and teaching methods.

Personal Life

Young uses "they/them" pronouns, meaning they are non-binary. This means they do not identify as only male or only female.

Selected Works

Plays Written

Year(s)	Title	Notes
2018	Once Upon a Black Boy
2017	The Orisha Trilogy	Includes: Esu Crossing the Middle Passage, Mami Wata & the Pussywitch Hunt, & Lukumi: A Dub Opera
2016	Lukumi: A Dub Opera
2016	Esu Crossing the Middle Passage
2016	Mami Wata & the Pussywitch Hunt
2013	The Sankofa Trilogy	Includes: Benu, Bloodclaat, & Word! Sound! Powah!
2011	The Sankofa Trilogy (Includes: Benu, Bloodclaat, & Word! Sound! Powah!)	Performed at Tarragon Theatre
2010	Nanny Maroon Warrior	Performed at Summerworks, Lower Ossington Theatre
2010	Word! Sound! Powah! (Part 3 of The Sankofa Trilogy)	Performed at Free Word Centre, Summerworks Theatre Festival, Toronto Fringe Festival, Canadian Stage Theatre
2008	She	Performed at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
2007	Benu (Part Two of The Sankofa Trilogy)	Performed at Summerworks Theatre Festival, Theatre Passe Muraille
2006	organ-eye-zed crime	Performed at Hysteria: A Festival of Women, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
2006	Domestic	Performed at Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts
2001-2016	Bloodclaat	Performed at Watah Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, The Rhubarb Festival, University of the Western Cape, Firehall Theatre Vancouver, GCTC, Magnetic North Theatre Festival, Theatre Passe Muraille, Solitary, b current theatre
2003	Androgyne	Performed at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Theatre (as an Actor)

Year	Title	Role	Theater	Notes
2017	For Colored Girls	Lady In Red	Soulpepper Theatre
2012	In Search Of My Father		Nu Century Arts
2008	Have You Seen Zandile	Zandile	African Theatre Ensemble
2008	Three Sisters	Olga	Soulpepper Theatre
2008	Three Penny Opera	Ballad Singer	Soulpepper Theatre
2007	Da Kink In My Hair	Staceyanne/Claudette	Hackney Empire London
2006			San Diego Repertory Theatre California
2006			Princess Of Wales Theatre Toronto
2003/2005			Theatre Passé Muraille
2001			Toronto Fringe Festival	First time playing the role
2003	Anowa	Badua	Artword Theatre
2002	Stuck	Womban	Black Theatre Workshop
2002	Three Parts Harmony	Body	Tarragon Theatre
2001	And Girls In Their Sunday Dresses	Mime	Artword Theatre
1999	Tooth And Nail	Sifiso	Mcgill Theatre

Film and Television (as an Actor)

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

Music Compilations

Title	Producer	Release Date
When Sisters Speak Live	Dwayne Morgan	2008
Love Equality Freedom Revolushun.	CBC Poetry Faceoff	2004
Blood And Animal Farm	Lost Tribes Of The Sun: Renewal	2003
Ain’t I A Woman (In Dub)	Ribsauce: Words By Women	2001
Revolution	La Vache Enragee. Planete Rebelled	1998
Johnny. Wordlife	Revword.	1998

Books Written

Title	Year	Publisher
Dubbin Theatre: The Collected Plays of d'bi.young anitafrika	2021	Spolrusie Publishing
Dubbin Poetry: The Collected Poems of d’bi.young anitafrika	2019	Spolrusie Publishing
Oya: Collection Of Writing	2014	Spolrusie Publishing
Shemurenga: Black Supah Shero Comic (Book 1)	2013	Spolrusie Publishing
Rivers And Other Blackness Between Us: (Dub) Poems Of Love.	2007	Women's Press
Blood.Claat	2006	Playwrights Canada Press
Art On Black	2006	Playwrights Canada Press

Essays Written

Essay	Date	Publication	Publisher
Black Plays Matter: Watah Theatre, Creating Safe Space for Black Artists in These Dangerous Times	2016	Canadian Theatre Review: Equity in Theatre	University of Toronto Press
R/Evolution Begins Within	2012	Canadian Theatre Review: Manifestos	University of Toronto Press
Love Equality Freedom and Revolushun	2007	Theorizing Empowerment: Canadian Perspectives on Black Feminist Thought	Inanna Publications
Revolushun III and Letter To Tchaiko	2007	Wasafiri Magazine	Open University and Routledge
Dubpoetics and Personal Politics	2007	Notes From Canada's Young Activists: A Generation Stands Up for Change	Greystone Books
	2006	Talking Book	Cumulus Press
Blood, Dub and Holy	2002	Contemporary Verse: The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writing	Canadian Magazines Publishers Association
Ain’t I a Woman (In Dub)	2007	A Canadian Anthology of Words by Women	Véhicule Press

Poetry Written

Poem	Date	Publication	Publisher
Love Equality Freedom and Revolushun	2007	Theorizing Empowerment: Canadian Perspectives on Black Feminist Thought	Inanna Publications
Revolushun III and Letter To Tchaiko	2007	Wasafiri Magazine	Open University and Routledge
Blood, Dub and Holy	2002	Contemporary Verse: The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writing	Canadian Magazines Publishers Association
Ain’t I a Woman (In Dub)	2007	A Canadian Anthology of Words by Women	Véhicule Press