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May 2010

A voice to be heard: An Interview with Meryem Saci, as she embarks on her first solo project

Submitted by admin on Mon, 05/31/2010 - 10:03

If you have ever been fortunate enough to see Meryem perform on stage, as one of Nomadic Massive’s lead singers, you have undoubtedly been blown away by her unmistakably powerful voice and stage presence. While I had seen Meryem perform numerous times before, I had no idea where this undeniable inner strength came from. Born in Algeria and raised by a single mother, Meryem shared with us the challenges that she and her mother have had to face as women in a predominantly, patriarchal society.

From Mogadishu to Montreal: how music took Empress Deeqa from her family, and how music helped her find them again

Submitted by admin on Thu, 05/20/2010 - 14:56

After not seeing each other for months, I was pleased to bump into Deeqa, a long time acquaintance and notable local reggae singer. During that brief encounter, to my surprise, she mentioned how she had just recently found her family after having being separated from them for almost 20 years! Intrigued by this sudden confession, I naively replied, “20 years? Wow!” In that moment, I thought to myself: how did she loose her family in the first place, and how was it that she wasn’t unable to find them for almost two decades?