A Cultural Hotspot Signature Project by AstroSankofa Arts Initiatives

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Digital Impressions: Urban Griots (DIUG) 2.0 is a visionary reimagining of cultural storytelling, rooted in community connection and powered by artistic innovation. As a Cultural Hotspot Signature Project, DIUG 2.0 expands on the West African tradition of the griot—oral historians, memory-keepers, and truth-tellers—by merging ancestral practices with Afrofuturist expression, public art, and cutting-edge digital media.

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This six-week multidisciplinary program, hosted at Jane-Finch Mall, brings together young people ages 6–16 to explore and express their identities, community histories, and dreams for the future through hands-on artmaking, storytelling, and mentorship.

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 What’s New in 2.0?

 

 DIUG 2.0 is a leveled-up experience—offering more structured mentorship, deeper intergenerational connections, and new technologies. Upgrades include:

• Expanded digital curriculum with 3D scanning and enhanced AR animation development

• Modern African Batik workshops led by legendary artist David Kibuuka, introducing youth to rare textile storytelling techniques

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Why It’s Unique

 

• Afrofuturist & Ancestral Fusion,

• Multi-Modal Learning,

• Intergenerational Engagement,

• Public Exhibition

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Aligning with AstroSankofa Arts Initiatives' Mandate

 

AstroSankofa Arts Initiatives is a Black-led inter-arts not-for-profit organization committed to empowering the next generation of creatives while challenging anti-Black racism, disrupting harmful narratives, and creating platforms for Black public art and digital storytelling.

DIUG 2.0 reflects our core principles by:

• Uplifting youth voices from the Jane-Finch community through high-quality, culturally rooted, and innovative arts education;

• Embedding the Sankofa principle of learning from the past to shape the future;

• Offering access to professional mentorship and emerging technologies to support long-term creative development;

• Activating public space as a civic canvas, ensuring that our communities are seen, heard, and celebrated.

Through Digital Impressions: Urban Griots 2.0, we are not only preserving community narratives—we are projecting them into the future with brilliance, boldness, and Black imagination.