Blackout Podcast

Chiedza (Shona for light/dawn) was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and moved to Halifax 12 years ago. She has been working in the non-profit sector for several years, supporting communities and organizations through project management, research, data management, evaluation, communications, grant administration and advocacy. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Strategy Implementat...

Former lawyer Sarah Birch is a Halifax-based content creator who is best known for her loud laugh and her many adventures. She talks openly about seeking therapy to help her parent, and about living with ADHD. She runs her own English/French translation business and loves to be outdoors in her free time. Find out more @littlesarahbirch

BASYL is a Palestinian artist, based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Achieving breakthrough success with his debut release “No Pants Till February” in February of 2022. Since then, BASYL has accumulated over 700,000 streams, primarily through major Spotify playlists such as Mellow Bars, Northern Bars, and Hip Hop Central. In his first year, BASYL has performed on multiple stages in Nova Scotia. Showc...

Nailah Moon (She/They/We) is a MAD writer, community worker and artist active in Mi'ma'ki. They are a Black futurist who uses mixed mediums to explore themes of immigration, alienation and Afrofuturism focusing on the beauty and power found within the African diaspora. They are often seen running through cities armed with a book and headphones. Keep up with their eccentric life @nailahmoonkipuktuk

Born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Julien grew up in a household filled with musical influences. At the age of five, Julien began playing the drums, shortly after that he started writing and recording raps. It wasn’t long before the home studio that Julien created became the neighbourhood recording studio. Being able to create a space, and provide resources, knowledge, and access to...

Robert is dedicated to spearheading a cultural renaissance on a global scale, emphasizing the essence of African creativity and ingenuity. His mission revolves around cultivating a robust community and fostering dynamic creative collaborations with visionary artists who share a profound appreciation for Africa's promising future. Through his endeavours, he aspires to pioneer a transformative revol...

Fikayo Kayode (she/her) is a 21-year-old creative artist from Nigeria. After spending a couple of years in the Philippines, she moved to Canada in 2018 for her undergraduate degree and graduated with a BA in Political Science from Acadia University. She enjoys reading anything from realistic fiction novels to academic pieces on topics like race, womanhood, and current or past politics and started...

Palm Tree Kitchen is inspired by the vibrancy of Caribbean culture, colours, and fresh, flavour-packed island ingredients. As Halifax’s only rum bar, Palm Tree Kitchen is bringing a splash of the Caribbean to Quinpool Road. Offering sandwiches and handhelds by day, and small plates by night. Palm Tree Kitchen is a small place that brings big island love. Need a vacation? Come and feel the island v...

Lumen Lux is a multifaceted performer who fell in love with the arts at a young age. Beginning her fire journey in 2016, Lumen progressed from spinning fire to eating fire to breathing it. Their many talents also include hooping, flow arts, gogo and burlesque. Lumen Lux has performed at festivals such as Evolve Music Festival, Fire and Water Cultural Festival, Nocturne, Future Forest, Fredericton...

MichNat Fashion is an Afrocentric fashion brand and the epitome of bespoke and customised fashion. One of the main goals of Michnat Fashion is to help our clients stay true to their identity by reflecting this in their fashion styles. All garments are carefully constructed with strategic cut-outs to emphasize the natural curves and this great attention to detail makes us stand out and distinct. Th...

Having lost her parents at only 15 years of age and subsequently placed into foster care, Patricia refused to let her past hinder her future. As a Creative Director and visual storyteller, she firmly believes that everyone has a compelling story to tell. Elevating voices, whether for individuals or for business brands, is where her passion lies and what drove her to start her creative agency. She...

Yasmine Wasfy is a fashion/textiles designer who graduated from NSCAD University in Halifax in 2019. Yasmine developed the concept behind Ange while working with handprinted/ painted silks for her graduation project that hit the runway at her university’s gala in 2018. The project was based on hand-painted sheer white silks and elegant duchess satins. Yasmine worked as a bridal consultant and this...

Serving punchlines delivered timely with rizz and a phenomenal flow, F$rgo is a songwriter, rapper and singer From Ekiti state Nigeria. Born and brought up in the streets of Agege, Lagos state. Check him out @fsrgoo

Luke 2.0, an out-of-the-box thinker with an unorthodox style and sense of humour, adds a touch of personality to each piece of work. With a decade of knowledge from cartooning, animation,  illustration,  video editing, graphic art, and logo design; Luke will not hesitate to stop until your expectations are exceeded! From years of self-education as well as learning skills from film school...

Nami is a South Asian entrepreneur with ADHD who moved to Canada from Oman at the age of 18. She always enjoyed a balance of creativity and analytics and was able to make the most of it by starting her own social media marketing business, namely, DreamTalk Creative. DreamTalk helps small-to-medium-sized businesses make the most of their social media presence by creating content that efficiently ar...

Ibe Ananaba, born in Belgium and raised in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria, is a multidisciplinary visual storyteller. He graduated with Distinction from the Institute of Management and Technology, specializing in Painting. Ibe explores cultural and socio-political themes and their influences on contemporary living in his art using traditional and unconventional mediums. In addition to his studio art pra...

Pamela is the owner and seamstress behind Stone Sewn, a small business that provides custom sewing services and textile products in Halifax. She creates playful, colourful designs inspired by nature, architecture and family connections intrinsic to used fabrics. After completing her undergrad at NSCAD University, she began sewing for local businesses and taking on commission work. Pamela’s passion...

Blanche Israël is a multilingual Moroccan-Canadian cultural strategist and musician. Originally from Montreal, Blanche moved to Nova Scotia in 2020 and quickly integrated into the music community here. As a funding specialist, she has helped artists and arts organizations raise over $10 million in grants and donations since 2015. As a cellist, she has performed and recorded with artists inclu...

Benjamin is a Vietnamese Canadian Filmmaker/Cinematographer/Photographer working in the NS film industry and abroad.  He believes in sharing the truth on the creative industries. Community and learning are the main drives to his goals to make it in the game, working hard relentlessly is just part of the formula.  He shares more that’s below the surface compared to what people see.  ...

Damini Awoyiga is a 16-year-old high school student. She is an activist, spoken word poet and Halifax’s Youth Poet Laureate. Damini is the founder of Damini Creatives and the Afro-Indigenous Book Club. Learn more @damini.awoyiga

Omotola Oyefodunrin is a Nigerian digital artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His artistic disciplines include concept art, illustration, Background Design, Graphic design and Video editing. Omotola's art style is defined mostly by vivid colours with inspiration drawn from life, entertainment, experiences and a God-given imagination. He believes his best version is yet to come and he wants to un...

Originally from the Maritimes, Shawna Garrett has held registrarial and enrolment management positions at Acadia University, NSCAD University, College of the North Atlantic – Qatar, and Mount Allison University. She has also worked as a superintendent, principal, and dean at international schools in Japan and China. Shawna holds degrees from the University of Prince Edward Island and Acadia Univer...

Badisun is currently represented by Soli Management based out of Halifax. After completing her first runway shows last summer, Badi’s love for fashion heightened and inspired her to start her line "Chaotic Luxury" in 2023. Badi is coming out with new items in the summer for “Chaotic Luxury”. Badi continues to create content on her social media platforms and is exploring new ways to collaborate wit...

Jimmy P Torres is born Chilean, Canadian by choice, who moved to Nova Scotia 14 years ago. Jimmy is a sound engineer who works doing films and photography. He has been a published photographer in many international magazines and is always open to new ideas, concepts and challenges. Jimmy loves chasing the light in a creative way. Check him out @jimmyptorres

Mary Beth Piper is a metal artist who recently returned home to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Piper works mainly in sterling silver with freshwater pearls and semi-precious gems, as well as reclaimed materials such as copper and wood. They are interested in making unique jewellery that explores humanity’s place within the natural world and the constructed nature of identity. Piper’s work has been exhibite...