Powering the Voices of African Descent Youth through conversation, collaboration, creation and performance.
The Team
Deanna Shields, Dae
Afro Van Connect – Founder, Executive Director
Dae Shields is the founder and Executive Director of Afro Van Connect Society, Community Advocate, Musician, Designer and Events Coordinator.…
Silas Balabyekkubo, Babaluku
Co-Founder, Mentor
Silas Balabyekkubo is the Founder of The Bavubuka Foundation, youth activist and entrepreneur, creator of The Bavubuka Dynasty.…
Moses Brown Andeku, Kor
Co-Founder, Director
Moses Brown Andeku, who performs as Bruni Kor, was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. His parents immigrated to North America from Uganda in the late 80’s.…
Our Mission
The mission of Afro Van Connect is to power the voices of African Descent Youth.
Our core values are to heal our community, create opportunity and educate our Youth.
impowering the voices of African Descent Youth through conversation, collaboration, creation & performance. Establishing a gathering of young vibrant creative minds dedicated to innovating authentic solutions, to increase the visibility of the underrepresented diaspora communities.
Offering a creative capitol platform where shared opportunities and resources are designed to support liberating education and community sustainability. Building a platform to celebrate our shared story through our collective accomplishments.
Dae Shields is the founder and Executive Director of Afro Van Connect Society, Community Advocate, Musician, Designer and Events Coordinator. As an Emcee under the stage name ebonEmpress, Dae aims to share her lived experience as a Jamaican Canadian with her community. She is Bassist and Front Woman for Ital Blue formed in 2017
Ital Blue strives to spread awareness about the injustice that African communities face to this day and to show the impact that people of African descent have had on Canadian culture, and cultures around the world. In service of this goal, Ital Blue actively spreads the ideals of great civil rights leaders. Messages of hope, unity, love, and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race.
Dae began Afro Van Connect April 2019 to create a platform for young creatives to come and express themselves. One of the initiatives started by Afro Van Connect is hosted by Ital Blue. They use healing through the culture to serve their community with weekly gatherings called The Remix Cafe. These BLACK SPACES allow young creatives to come and express themselves, share ideas and connect. They are established to create opportunities for the youth of African Descent to access equipment, education, training, networks, and opportunities, empowering them to creatively and economically flourish; building on their unique gifts and perspectives from their heritage and diaspora cultural experiences.
Silas Balabyekkubo
Silas Balabyekkubo is the founder and executive director of The Bavubuka Foundation, creator of The Bavubuka Dynasty as well
as an award-winning musician, producer, community youth activist and social entrepreneur. Born and raised in Uganda until the
age of twelve and then experiencing the opportunities that Canada had to offer during his late teens and early twenties has given
Silas a unique and powerful perspective on how to effectively bridge the gap and create dynamic global partnerships that are
profitable, positive and empowering.
Since 2005 Silas has successfully completed thirteen multi-month mission trips to Uganda for the Bavubuka Foundation and
implemented over twenty-five youth and creative programs that provide a platform for positive expression of thought and
community building. Silas’ work in Uganda has directly impacted thousands of youth and the tools and experience they have
gleaned from Bavubuka have created positive change in their families and communities.
As a visionary entrepreneur Silas is responsible for creating Bavubuka Dynasty, an international platform that celebrates
indigenous culture, which has already been featured in Natural Awakening NYC, The Georgia Straight, Vancouver Magazine,
Shared Vision, Canadian Immigrant, Newvision Entertainment and Monitor LifeStyle. This movement has a rapidly expanding
following of socially conscious musicians (Michael Franti, Okai Musik, The Reminders, Candice Davis Antique), fashion
designers, visual artists, poets, motivational speakers and loyal consumers. This creative platform has birthed Uganda’s most
popular graphic tee movements Bavubuka All Starz, We Ride Bodaz, Spoken Truth and African Queen. Through Bavubuka
Dynasty Silas has created opportunities for youth to conceptualize, design and execute their own entrepreneurial visions and he
has created a bridge to a global audience and market.
Silas is passionate about connecting communities on a global scale and has travelled extensively promoting hip hop as a
powerful tool to teach leadership, build peace and strengthen relationships. He has been a Guest Speaker at John F. Kennedy
Centre for the Performing Arts, Howard University, The American University, Trinity College, Trinity International Hip Hop
Festival, Remixing The Art of Social Change Teach - In, WBL Hip-Hop Festival, Kalamazoo Arcus Centre for Social Justice
Leadership, TEDX Kampala, Woodrow Wilson Centre of Scholars, The United States Institute of Peace and The Pablo Neruda
Academy.
Instagram: @bavubuka
Moses Brown
Moses Brown Andeku, who performs as Bruni Kor, was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. His parents immigrated
to North America from Uganda in the late 80’s, seeking refuge after a military coup. Kor grew up in a large immediate family as
the youngest of sixteen siblings. Raised in an Islamic household with strong African Cultural beliefs. He was fortunate to have
lived all over the lower main land around different cultures and ethnicities. Witnessing the spectrum of precarious street activity to
affluent domestic suburbs. Which he references as the source of his musical influences and inspirations. He was an average
student who enjoyed writing, first stories and poems, and then lyrics.
As a child he was always interested in music, however he
only began to put his lyrics to music in his late adolescence. Kor has released music under the name Kor Kase, posting a series
of covers and remixes on his sound cloud and YouTube, which has brought him a following and local attention. He is currently
working on his debut full length recording, UGX, Underground X, which will be released in the summer of 2019.
Instagram: @osmoses
Humphery Uzoma Elenwa
Humphery Uzoma Elenwa, who performs as Sam Raven, is a Nigerian-born recording artist and songwriter hailing from
Vancouver, British Columbia. He moved to Canada in 2009 to study Film and Video Production at the University of Regina. Sam
Raven’s songs fluctuate between English lyricism and poetics in his native languages Ogba, Igbo and Pidgin. Sam started his
professional career in 2015 through an independent label in Saskatchewan. His most recognized songs “Rock Your Body",
"More", and “Free” have received national recognition. Sam's Nigerian-inspired vocalizations coupled with his lyrical ability sets
him apart from other artists within Afrobeats. His influences are Akon, Tuface, D'Banj, K'naan andMaleek Berry.
Instagram: @official_samraven
