Expressions croisées : nos arts, nos voix, nos mondes (Crossing Worlds, Crossing Voices)

How do you bring your story to life? In Mississauga, 15 Afro-descendant Francophone youth chose to do so through colour, movement, words, and personal testimony.

Led by Vital Vision, the project unfolded through preparatory gatherings, artistic workshops and a community mini-festival. The group explored their identities, cultural heritage and relationship with the French language. This process gave rise to works on canvas, an Afro-contemporary choreography, body painting creations and video testimonials.

In a largely English-speaking region, these creations celebrate a vibrant Francophonie shaped by diverse heritages, life journeys, and voices that come together in the present.

Many Ways to Express a Voice

In Expressions croisées : nos arts, nos voix, nos mondes, each art form offers a new way to tell one’s story. The youth drew on painting, dance, spoken word, and imagery to express their roots, identity, and place within Ontario’s Francophonie.

On the canvases, African fabrics, cowrie shells, decorative stones, and symbolic motifs evoke inherited traditions, family memories, and cultural pride. They also tell stories of identities that continue to evolve and take shape.

Tamia Kouakou works on her piece Héritage en lumière during the mini-festival, incorporating African fabric, cowrie shells and paint into a work exploring heritage and transmission.

Some works speak of resilience and intergenerational transmission. Others affirm the right to be oneself, to smile freely, and to fully embrace one’s culture in the present.

Afro-contemporary dance carries these reflections through the body and movement, while body painting transforms the skin into a space for creation. The video testimonies give young people a direct voice and reveal what the French language, belonging, and cultural heritage mean in their lives.

Young participants take part in the Afro-contemporary dance workshop led by Carine Acquah, where movement becomes another way to express identity, culture and belonging.

Together, these creations reveal a Francophonie with many faces, shaped by journeys and ways of living one’s identity that intersect and enrich one another.

Of the 15 works created through the project, seven are presented here with their title, artist and description.

Héritage en lumière (Heritage Brought to Light)

Tamia Kouakou

African fabric, cowrie shells, and white acrylic paint

The profile of an Afro-descendant woman appears against a black background. Her clothing, headscarf, and cowrie-shell necklace evoke resilience, ancestral heritage, and transmission between generations.

Visages de la Francophonie (Faces of the Francophonie)

Maria Anne

Stretched canvas, acrylic paint, rhinestones, and adhesive decorative stones

Women representing different regions of the world appear side by side. The colours of their faces are inspired by those of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. The work highlights the global dimension of the Francophonie and the role of women in transmitting languages, cultures, and traditions.

Symboles en dialogue (A Dialogue of Symbols)

Ibrahim

Stretched canvas, acrylic paint, rhinestones, decorative stones, and marker or black paint

Colourful geometric shapes and symbols inspired by African traditions are connected by black lines. The work explores the transmission of knowledge, protection, identity, and the bonds that unite people beyond their differences.

Mon sourire, ma vérité (My Smile, My Truth)

Odelia Heumani

Stretched canvas, acrylic paint, rhinestones, and decorative stones

The work challenges beauty standards associated with smiling. It celebrates authenticity, self-acceptance, and the right to express joy without conforming to society’s judgments.

Culture : les racines qui nous unissent (Culture: The Roots That Unite Us)

Melkisedek Gnaoré

Stretched canvas, acrylic paint, rhinestones, decorative stones, and marker or black paint

The word “CULTURE” occupies the centre of the composition. Surrounded by a sunflower, a drum, and motifs inspired by African art, it presents culture as a source of identity, growth, transmission, and connection.

Vivre Afro : racines en mouvement (Vivre Afro: Roots in Motion)

Daniel Gnaoré

Acrylic paint on canvas and marker or black paint

A mask, decorative shapes, floral motifs, and the inscription “Vivre Afro” come together in this work. It affirms an identity lived with pride and presents cultures as dynamic realities that remain connected to the past while continuing to evolve.

La puissance de nos voix (The Power of Our Voices)

Eva N’goie

Stretched canvas, acrylic paint, and marker or black paint

An African woman shares her origins through an array of vibrant patterns and colours. The work connects self-expression, cultural pride, and the diversity of Afro-descendant and Francophone experiences.

A Celebration of Creativity

Before creating their works, the youth gathered to discuss their language, culture, and sense of belonging. Together, they explored the colours, symbols, materials, and artistic forms that would allow them to tell their stories authentically.

On April 18, 2026, this collective process became a celebration of creativity at the Cercle de l’amitié. Nearly 50 people gathered to discover the artworks, participate in workshops, attend artistic performances, and share a moment of connection across generations.

Young participants take part in artistic workshops during the mini-festival at Le Cercle de l’amitié, a moment of creativity and exchange at the heart of Expressions croisées.

The youth were at the heart of the event, both through their creations and through their contributions to organizing and facilitating the day’s activities.

Through Afro-contemporary dance led by Carine Acquah, body painting facilitated by Georgette Amihere, poetry, conversation, and the discovery of the artworks, creation became a space for connection. Everyone had the opportunity to participate, share their perspective, and celebrate a vibrant, inventive Francophonie proud of the diversity of its voices.