Kuumba Artist Feature: Witch Prophet
Harbourfront Centre’s Kuumba festival is spotlighting a different Black artist each day of February. Today we’re sharing the story of Witch Prophet.
Witch Prophet adorns her living space with plants, candles, crystals and incense. Tribal masks and oil paintings hang from the walls, many of them done by her wife, Franccesca Nocera (who goes by SunSun). Witch Prophet likes to surround herself with artefacts that have a positive influence on her work. She has a fascination with the arcane, like the Fibonacci sequence and golden ration, which she admits is a little “hippie.” True to her name, she believes in magic, though she doesn’t practice witchcraft. The “prophet” moniker comes from her habit of writing down her dreams, of which 80 percent seem to come true in some way.
Witch Prophet draws her inspiration from a variety of places — mental health, family, friends, world politics and religion, magic, dimensions, and the unknown. She adds, “My most recent project, DNA Activation, was inspired by biblical myths, stories, my family tree and connecting with my Ethiopian and Eritrean ancestry.” Creating this work has turned into an opportunity for introspection and self-reflection. “By researching my past, it allowed me to tap into a part of me I had pushed aside, a part of me I tried to hide while trying to assimilate into North American culture.” She made the decision to sing in Amharic and Tigrinya, as well as English, to preserve her family’s history through music, though she also recognizes that, as a queer child of the diaspora, there are limitations to her authenticity.
Through Kuumba and Wavelength Music, Witch Prophet will be performing via livestream later this month, on February 27, 8–9pm. “I’ve been going to Harbourfront Centre from as far back as I can remember. As a child, my family would go on the weekends in the summer and I would participate in the day camps. As a young adult, I came down to Harbourfront with my friends for the free concerts and markets.” She calls Harbourfront Centre a staple of her Toronto upbringing, adding, “As an adult, I’ve pivoted to being one of the many artists who’ve had the wonderful opportunity to perform on both outdoor stages, as well as the venues inside.”
Though her career is studded with accolades, Witch Prophet sees her son, Darshan, as her greatest achievement. She gave birth to him when she was only 19, a difficult decision that turned out to be one of the best of her life. Before she had him, she says she was an average teenager: selfish, unbalanced, reckless and unhealthy. Having him, and learning to be a mother, helped make her a better person, turning her life around and making her into the person she is today. As a mother, she tries to follow her dreams because she wants her son to know the importance of following his. Family is important to her. She wants to be a role model for her son, and looks to her wife, mother and sister for inspiration: her wife for her artistic fearlessness and trusting heart, and her mother and sister for their strength, humbleness, intelligence and humour.
Witch Prophet is a queer, Ethiopian/Eritrean, singer-songwriter, member of grunge/hop/experimental group ATS and the Co-CEO of Heart Lake Records. Through Kuumba, she will be performing via livestream on February 27, 8–9pm. You can register for the event here. You can find her work on her Instagram (@witchprophet) and website (www.witchprophet.com).
