Threads of Wisdom: Where African Heritage, Art and Community Meet in Ottawa

Attendees play Awale during the traditional African games session at Threads of Wisdom

Sunday 6 September, 2026

Threads of Wisdom: Where African Heritage, Art and Community Meet in Ottawa

By Obasola Bamigbola, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

African culture and creative expression came together at Ellwood Hall at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre on Sunday, September 6, as the AfroCulture Initiative hosted Threads of Wisdom, an evening designed to connect generations through traditional games, crafts, food and cultural learning.

The family-friendly gathering brought together community members of different ages for an informal evening of cultural exchange. Alongside African drumming, traditional board games, textile, arts and food, the program featured a special grant-writing session intended to help artists and community organizations better understand opportunities available through the City of Ottawa.

Master of ceremonies Baba Africa opened the program by welcoming attendees and leading a land acknowledgement recognizing the Anishinabe Algonquin people. He then introduced Dr. Adeola Shobo, founder of the AfroCulture Initiative, who spoke about the organization’s work to preserve and promote African arts, music, history and heritage.

Dr. Shobo also used the occasion to highlight Cultivating Legacy, an AfroCulture Initiative program supported by the City of Ottawa that focused on emerging artists within the Black community.

According to Shobo, the program was initially designed for 12 participants but attracted more than 20 young people, requiring the organizers to reduce the number of participants. Some of the creative work produced through the initiative was displayed during the program, giving attendees an opportunity to see tangible results of the program.

The evening’s first major session focused on an issue that can often determine whether community-based artistic projects get off the ground: access to funding.

Yasmina Proveyer, a Cultural Funding Officer with the City of Ottawa’s Cultural Funding Support Unit, spoke about the city’s cultural funding system and how artists and organizations can position themselves to access available programs.

Proveyer, who has worked as a cultural funding officer for more than five years, explained that part of her role involves outreach to communities that may be unfamiliar with how public cultural funding works.

She emphasized that government support for arts, culture and heritage exists at municipal, provincial and federal levels, but that understanding how to navigate those systems can itself be a barrier.

Her presentation broke down the grant process and encouraged participants to view applications as a manageable, though administrative, process requiring preparation and attention to detail. She also explained the peer-assessment model used in funding decisions and the importance of ensuring that applicants understand what makes a strong application.

The presentation was followed by questions from attendees, who sought clarification about funding opportunities and the application process.

After the formal session, the atmosphere became more hands-on and interactive.

Participants gathered around traditional games including Awale, Ludo, Draft, and Snakes and Ladders, competing against one another while enjoying an assortment of African food and snacks. The games provided an opportunity for younger and older participants to interact while reconnecting with activities familiar to many African households.

The cultural learning continued with a Batik-making workshop led by Dr. Alaba Agbatogun. Participants learned the process of creating batik and had the chance to try the technique themselves.

The combination of learning and play reflected the broader purpose of Threads of Wisdom: to preserve cultural knowledge while creating opportunities for people to experience it rather than simply hear about it.

The evening also demonstrated how cultural programming can serve several purposes, from strengthening intergenerational connections and preserving traditional practices to helping emerging artists gain practical knowledge about building sustainable creative projects.

As participants moved between the games, food, craft activities and conversations, Threads of Wisdom offered a setting where cultural knowledge was shared informally. The evening ended with the sense that preserving heritage does not have to be confined to formal institutions; it can happen around a game board, through a piece of fabric or over a shared meal.

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