Stolen From Africa / Volé D’Afrique is a nationally incorporated, nonprofit arts education organization based in Toronto that promotes cultural and historical awareness of the African Diaspora.

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STOLEN FROM AFRICA® began as a t-shirt campaign in 2004. We found that highlighting social justice issues and stories of oppression on everyday street apparel sparked interest, ignited ideas and encouraged dialogue. The increase in gun violence deaths in 2004/5 and the release of the 2006 Student Census by the Toronto District School Board of a 40% drop-out rate among Black youth initiated the launch of our mixtape, "Banning Guns Won't Stop Gun Violence, Changing Mindsets Will." Our mixtape brought together various artists from some of Toronto’s most underresourced communities to address collective causes. This project led to a partnership with the TDSB and launched several speaking engagements at high schools and community events. During these outreach sessions we looked not only at the current problem of youth violence and marginalization but the historic circumstances which have allowed this and many other issues to persist.

 

For the past 13 years, SFA has worked diligently on developing culturally-relevant educational resources and programming for youth and students experiencing exclusion in our education system. Through project funding from all three levels of government, the Toronto and Ontario Arts Councils, private donations and project funding from the TDSB and the Toronto Catholic District School Board, we’ve produced short educational documentaries, youth-led research projects and alternative multi-media arts education programming and curricula for schools and community groups in the Greater Toronto Area and across Southern Ontario.

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