“Nasra has the gift of creating ambience that is disruptive in the best way so as to invite in healing. I have experienced them as a performer, facilitator, consultant, healer and in every one of those experiences I have been left feeling more connected to my own wholeness and a greater understanding of my own path.”

-D'orjay The Singing Shaman Singer ~ Songwriter ~ Shaman

“Nasra is an extraordinary artist, activist, and artistic leader. Their poetry is profound and provocative. Their passion and commitment to racial and social justice has made a huge impact, not only on individuals like myself, but on the entire city. I had the honour of working with Nasra for 4 years as they created BAM! (Black Arts Matter), the first professional Black arts festival in Edmonton. Their passion for creating community, their skills in bringing together artists across a large spectrum of artistic disciplines, and their ability to organize large scale events with clarity and vision is inspiring, humbling, and thrilling. Nasra is one of a kind..”

-Vern Thiessen Laureate Governor General's Literary Award

“I am not exaggerating when I say that the Edmonton arts scene would not be what it is today if it weren’t for Nasra. Because of their hard work, we have all witnessed a shift in Edmonton's art spaces' demographic. Just look at the Black Arts Matter festival's impact in bringing brilliant art that has never been seen before at the Fringe Grounds. This impact has had a cascading effect that opened doors and opportunities that had previously been unavailable to Black artists in this city. Nasra’s incredible capacity to envision and carve out spaces beyond existing ones has also allowed many of us to experience the freedom of being in spaces created for us. In their profoundly personal song and poetry writing, I am consistently amazed at how the words they write resonate in my body. I can recall reading ‘Birthright’ for a performance, and each night, the words would crack me open, and I’d be seen, and I’d weep at this phenomenal narration of the Black Girl experience. I’ve had the honor of working with Nasra on various projects and am always in awe at the ease and joy of any project they lead. In a recent blog post on Black Joy, I had the pleasure of reliving the first time I got to work with Nasra. Here is a snippet: There were times we met to just be in each other’s presence, and other times our creative juices flowed us into the next day. We recognized that the process itself was the gift, not necessarily what we produced. We trusted our brilliance and talents, and they did not let us down. What came from this process was a phenomenal collaborative piece that reflected the process: free and joyous. I would encourage any artist who gets to create with Nasra to treasure that moment. Those moments are highly ranked in my artistic highlights..”

-Mpoe Mogale Dance Artist Arts Administrator