By Korbin Milo
(Korbin is a journalist with the Focus Media Arts Centre)

Mustafa The Poet, Regent Parks own performed live at Massey Hall in Toronto Downtown.
Not many artists get to play their first hometown concert at the prestigious venue Massey Hall. For Mustafa, the location was even more significant than for most. It’s a walk away from Regent Park, the Toronto neighbourhood that looms over all the songs on Mustafa’s debut album When Smoke Rises.  

Mustafa Ahmed, better known by his stage name Mustafa the Poet, is a Canadian poet, singer and songwriter who grew up in Regent Park. On 1st of December of 2021, Mustafa The Poet Performed at the Massey Hall in Downtown Toronto. His album is a tribute to his friends and family and their lives spent in Regent Park.

The full house crowd at Massey Hall was full of Mustafa’s friends and family, including the families of Ali Rizeig, an 18-year-old resident of Regent Park who was gunned down in the doorway of his home in 2017 and Jahvante Smart aka Smoke Dawg, a 21-year-old Canadian rapper who was killed outside a Queen Street club in 2018. Though out the concert, archive footage paying tribute to Smoke Dawg, played on a large screen in the background. Mustafa told the audience that having those folks in the audience was more overwhelming than the venue itself.

When Mustafa shouted out “ Regent Park is the house!”, he received a roaring response from the crowd. Mustafa also mentioned that Massey Hall is across the street from the trauma centre at St. Michael's Hospital, which many Regent Parkers are familiar with due to the gun violence and the hard life of Regent Park.

Daniels and Tridel, the developers of Regent Park, jointly provided the tickets for youth organizations of Regent Park to attend the concert including Focus Media Arts Centre, Healing As One, Shooting for Peace, Youth Enrichment Academy and others. Logistics and transportation to and from the concert was provided by TCHC. Food was also provided by the Friends of Regent Park before getting on the buses. The youth of Regent Park was very excited about the performance. Many expressed their pride to see a fellow resident rise up and represent their home.

The concert created a space to mourn and heal collectively. It was a heavy night, but also a beautiful one. For some people it was emotional, for some it was mesmerizing and for some it was Regent Park in Poems.