Celebrate Black history through film and music
Take a journey through Ottawa's Black artistic heritage
Take a journey through Ottawa's Black artistic heritage
On Feb. 25, audiences gathered at the Ottawa Public Library's Greenboro branch for a special evening celebrating Black history through music and film.
The event was hosted by CBC Ottawa's Rachelle Elsiufi and featured a screening of a portion of the documentary, Bridging the Gap: Legacy in Harmony, by local filmmaker Fitch Jean.
The documentary weaves together the stories of pioneers, contemporary music voices and emerging talents, reflecting the city's rich cultural tapestry.
- Watch CBC's Rachelle Elsiufi break down the night.
The evening also included a Q&A with the filmmaker and a live music performance from local musician and singer-songwriter, NAMBI, who's also featured in the documentary.
Meet filmmaker Fitch Jean
Fitch Jean is a Haitian-Canadian filmmaker known for his emotionally-driven storytelling that explores themes of identity, resilience and cultural heritage. His work focuses on underrepresented communities and bringing authenticity and depth to the screen.
Fitch creates films, documentaries and branded content that elevates untold stories. His projects blend creativity, cultural depth and technical excellence to inspire audiences worldwide. His films are currently streaming on multiple media platforms and have been screened at Canadian and international film festivals.
Meet singer-songwriter NAMBI
Ottawa-born singer-songwriter NAMBI is a powerhouse of acoustic soul. She weaves together popular genres of R&B, neo-soul, folk and reggae to form her version of what she calls "R&B street folk."
NAMBI has previously shared stages with Jack Johnson, Tash Sultana and Vieux Farka Touré. She's toured in East Africa and the UK, has been featured on CBC and the BBC, and sold-out performances at Canada's National Arts Centre and Ottawa Bluesfest.
NAMBI's most recent EP released in January 2025 was an ode to the late '90s/early 2000's female R&B era called latebloomer vol. 1. She's currently putting the final touches on the follow-up EP latebloomer vol. 2 set to be released in the early Spring of 2025. NAMBI is also working on her third studio album ALLOFWE: The End of a Trilogy with her band The Rhythm.
