Culture for me is embedded in the scents lingering on clothes from Arab markets or the slang originating from other languages adopted by gen z’ers on the TTC.
I’ve always loved to tell cultural stories. As an Iraqi-Canadian, I often gravitate to tethers to my homeland, foods that remind me of my mom and scents that remind me of my aunts’ houses back home.
So, when I was given the opportunity to be the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) media fellow, I couldn’t say no. This means that over the course of the next year, I’ll be producing stories, guides, listicles and videos made about and for different cultural groups across the city.
It’s all part of The Green Line’s CRRF-funded project, “Toronto’s culture through community,” which is a social-first video series that highlights how overlooked diasporic communities shape Toronto’s cultural identity.
I’m on the lookout for stories about the topics listed below, so if you’ve got any tips, please let me know.
- Food culture
- Arts
- Local slang
- Faith-based spaces
- Diasporic community institutions
- Strip malls
- And more!
- Food culture
- Arts
- Local slang
- Faith-based spaces
- Diasporic community institutions
- Strip malls
- And more!
So far, here are a few of the hidden gems I’ve covered.
- Where to find traditional Chinese clothing in Chinatown
- How to interpret street art in Little India
- What we can learn from Parkdale’s Tibetan community on strengthening cultural identity through faith
- Where to find Arab and Persian ingredients in Toronto
- Where to find traditional Chinese clothing in Chinatown
- How to interpret street art in Little India
- What we can learn from Parkdale’s Tibetan community on strengthening cultural identity through faith
- Where to find Arab and Persian ingredients in Toronto
While I focus on reporting on and about the diasporas that make Toronto the city it is, each story chosen and crafted doesn’t belong to one cultural group. It extends to everyone — it’s also for non-diasporic people who want to learn and explore identity and different community-building initiatives.
The Little Tibet piece isn’t just for Tibetans. It’s for all people that live between two cultural identities so that they can feel close to the land they no longer live in.
That’s what’s driving my work so far and in making such beautiful stories, I understand that this is more of a collaboration than just something to “report on.”
If you have a cultural story, a faith-based space or a yummy place you’d like to share, please email me at aia@thegreenline.to.
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