Canadian presenter unites Africans through music

Nadine McNulty is opening her show, ‘Karibuni’ at the CIUT radio station in Toronto, Canada to give her listeners a taste of African music.

Nadine was inspired to create a show dedicated to African music 15 years ago after extensive travels on the African continent.

“The radio programme basically is a voice and it is a platform not just for African artists in Canada but also for all of the communities who they are hailing from. We have large populations of African artists and community members living in Toronto and across the country. So I look at my radio programme as a way to provide a voice to provide visibility to communities that are under served and not heard in the mainstream,” radio presenter Nadine Mcnulty said.

Toronto has one of the most diverse populations in Canada, that includes a large community of Africans from all over the continent.

The show has helped popularise African music here in Toronto.

“ I have a lot of visitors usually every week and sometimes people tell me they are coming and sometime they don’t. But I have the open door policy in the sense that I do want to welcome all African artists and members of the community who have something important to say about culture,” Nadine added.

Ruis Da Silva, a native of Angola is one of the people who has benefited from Nadine’s training on the show.

“She mentored me on how to present, how to be on air. Because one thing is talking in person another thing is talking on the radio. And she – we were introduced by a friend who also has passion in music, introduced me to Nadine. Nadine invite me to the show and people they like what they heard – the voice. And she helped me to operate the board and run the show , co-presenter, Rus Da Silva said.

Nadine has also created the Bakuti Music Society, which connects culturally diverse African performers with audiences in Toronto.

Through this initiative, artists from various parts of the continent come together at the annual Habari Africa festival. It is open to established and upcoming artists.