For these artists, Montreal is a cultural crossroads rich with possibility
In Same Other, Franco Egalité and Moridje Kitenge Banza talk about the city that inspires and connects them
This video was produced by Laetitia Angba, Christian Boakye-Agyeman and Florence M. Rosalie as part of the CBC Creator Network. Learn more about the Creator Network here.
Being a citizen of a metropolis as diverse and multi-faceted as Montreal means being exposed to the "other" at every turn.
What if that "other" is a fellow Black artist?
Lumped together by their race and their creative impulse, Montreal visual artists Franco Égalité and Moridja Kitenge Banza have, in fact, little in common.
Born in Montreal and of Haitian descent, Égalité embraces abstract expressionism and cubism. He is a muralist whose dynamic, colourful paintings grace walls around the city, and he illustrates books and magazines.
Banza, originally from Congo, came to Montreal a little over a decade ago. He is a multidisciplinary artist — a videographer, photographer and painter — who travels the world exhibiting his art.
In this piece for CBC's Creator Network, producers Laetitia Angba, Christian Boakye-Agyeman and Florence M. Rosalie explore the concepts of sameness and otherness by introducing Égalité and Banza to one another to talk about the city that inspires and connects them.
The Creator Network, which works with emerging visual storytellers to bring their stories to CBC platforms, produced the piece. If you have an idea for the Creator Network, you can send your pitch here.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
