Mohammed Boonaa was born on April 14, 1987.
Boonaa Mohammed, who has been dubbed the “voice of a generation,” is a critically acclaimed award-winning writer and performer. Among her accomplishments are a playwright residency at Theatre Passe Muraille, a short story published in the Penguin Canada anthology “Piece by Piece,” and a number of slam poetry titles, including “Best New Artist” winner of the 2007 CBC Poetry Face-Off.
Millions of people have watched his well-liked YouTube videos to date, and as an artist, he has traveled and lectured all over the world alongside some of the most well-known thinkers and performers of our day. He routinely leads writing seminars and workshops, mostly for young people from all walks of life, sharing his knowledge and skills in spoken word storytelling.
Mohammed is an Oromo immigrant from Ethiopia who arrived in the second generation. His parents were involved with the Oromo Liberation Movement in Ethiopia and fled to Canada as political refugees seeking shelter there.
He was deeply active in the street life while attending Oakwood Collegiate Institute and grew up in the downtown Toronto region. Before enrolling at Ryerson University and completing the Radio and Television Arts degree there in 2011, he graduated from high school in the top of his class and was named Valedictorian.
Mohammed, who also founded Safina Media, an Islamic media production firm, has carried the tradition of storytelling across a variety of media channels in addition to poetry and theater.