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Somali rapper in Edmonton Monday

K’Naan’s story highlights challenges faced by immigrant youth


By Ben Gelinas, edmontonjournal.com
Friday, November 26, 2010

CONCERT PREVIEW

OUT OF THE DARKNESS: AN EVENING WITH K'NAAN

Hosted by: The River Community Church

Where: Westin Hotel (10135 100th St.)

When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $40 at Tix on the Square or Sunday at the River Community Church

The note on the poster for Monday's K'Naan show stresses: "This is not a concert." With the beats stripped away, the Toronto rapper, born in Somalia, will instead talk at the Westin Hotel on his immigrant roots and troubled past.

Organizers say K'Naan's story, entitled Out of the Darkness, will illustrate the challenges faced by youth who sometimes find themselves falling into a life of crime after immigrating to Canada. The rapper has spent a long while guiding youth against gang influences.

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"K'Naan himself went through a difficult settlement. Coming from the failed state of Somalia, he ended up in Toronto as one of many immigrants and had brushes with the law from running with the wrong crews," says the church's Tracy Apoll, who helped organize the event. "But something allowed him to choose a path out of the darkness."

The event is part of the River Community Church's annual speaker event, now in its fourth year.

Funds raised will provide support for immigrants settling in the Edmonton area, as well as development projects in Zambia.

Source: Edmonton Journal

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