Boonaa Mohammed (born April 14, 1987) is a Canadian spoken-word poet and writer of Oromo descent.

Early life

Mohammed is a second generation Ethiopian immigrant of Oromo ancestry. His Parents came to Canada as political refugees seeking asylum in the country after their involvement with the Oromo Liberation Movement in Ethiopia. He grew up in the down-town Toronto area and was heavily involved in the street life while attending

Oakwood Collegiate Institute Oakwood Collegiate Institute (commonly known as OCI or Oakwood) is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the neighbourhoods of Regal Heights, Oakwood-Vaughan and Bracondale Hill. History and Alumni Oakwood was foun ...

. He graduated at the top of his class and was named Valedictorian before enrolling in Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and graduating from the

Radio and Television Arts The RTA School of Media is a school within the Faculty of Communication and Design at Toronto Metropolitan University located in the Rogers Communications Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It offers two Bachelor of Arts (Media Production and Sport M ...

program in 2011.

Career

In 2007, Mohammed won the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

Poetry Face-Off "Best New Artist" award. He also has a playwright residency at

Theatre Passe Muraille Theatre Passe Muraille is a theatre company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Brief history One of Canada's most influential alternative theatres, Theatre Passe Muraille ("theatre beyond walls") was founded in 1968 by director and playwright Jim Gar ...

in Toronto. He has appeared on TedX Toronto and has had a short story published in a Penguin Canada anthology called "Piece by Piece" Besides poetry and theatre, Mohammed is the founder of Safina Media, an Islamic media production company and has continued the art of story-telling through various platforms of media.

References

External links

* 1987 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Oromo people Canadian people of Ethiopian descent Canadian Muslims 21st-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian schoolteachers Writers from Toronto Toronto Metropolitan University alumni Canadian male poets Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian male writers {{Canada-poet-stub