MamanaR

Mamanar is a student, artist and connector of ideas. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Nigérien-Senegalese parents, they spent most of their childhood and teens in Toronto and its eastern suburbs. Her love for creativity, culture and community organizing is life long. As a youth, she wrote screenplays and poetry in her free time, and started a student journal and Black Student Association in her high school. Currently, they are a student at University of Ottawa, majoring in communications with a specialization in strategic design and minoring in feminist and gender studies. Their artistic practice is rooted in creative writing, film, collage and performance. Experimentation, play and curiosity are at the heart of their ethos, an ode to their return to their creative roots after caving and choosing a “respectable” career path. Their media project, Musings with Mona, leans into their lifelong practice of journaling to document their journey as a creative, coming into their process and the artifacts that inspires them. When away from school, they volunteer their time for local shows and festivals, studying the intersections of culture, media and art, and spending time in nature. Drawing inspiration from her dualistic background, love for pastiche and following where her tastes bring her, Mamanar’s colorful and unique style follows her to various creative practices including DJ’ing, graphic design, zine-making, music production, illustration and dance. Now with Pass the Vibes, she is committed to using this creative approach to reaching the youth who will benefit the most from art and music based programming to connect, explore and heal.