الحب هو سبب رئيسي لمستقبل عظيم
love is the main reason for a great future
Ahmed Moneka is a multidisciplinary artist, specializing in acting for theatre and film, as well as Afro-Middle Eastern music. He is a citizen of both Canada and Iraq, while currently based in Toronto.
His upbringing in Baghdad, Iraq exposed Ahmed to a rich musical culture that celebrated and preserved Afro-Iraqi traditions. As an artist he aims to promote acceptance and foster a sense of global community by bridging cultures and dispelling misconceptions about Arab communities.
بصفتي فنانًا متعدد التخصصات، أتخصص في التمثيل في المسرح والسينما، بالإضافة إلى الموسيقى االافريقية العربيه أنا مواطنا كندي وعراقي وأقيم في تورنتو. لقد عرّفتني نشأتي في بغداد بالعراق على ثقافة موسيقية غنية احتفلت بالتقاليد الأفريقة -الصوفية-العراقية. كفنانا، أهدف إلى تعزيز القبول و الشعور بالمجتمع العالمي من خلال ربط الثقافات وتبديد المفاهيم الخاطئة حول تراثي العربي.
الحب هو سبب رئيسي لمستقبل عظيم
Afro / Iraqi / Sufi / Jazz / Folk
Drawing on his Afro Sufi music heritage, Juno-nominated Ahmed Moneka delivers a joyful and transcendent mix of African grooves and Arabic folk melodies, informed by contemporary funk, soul and jazz. Reflecting on his personal journey as an artist, actor and activist who arrived in Toronto from Baghdad as a refugee after an appearance in a movie about gay rights, Moneka and his all-star global ensemble draw listeners into an ecstatic celebration of life, exploring love in all its forms alongside nostalgia for one's home, through original compositions and Middle Eastern classics. Ahmed’s band has become an international group that has toured Colombia, Chile, the USA, Morocco and South Korea.
Ahmed’s sophomore Juno-nominated release Kanzafula is the first Iraqi album to be nominated for a Canadian Juno award. Also a winner of both a Dora and a Stingray Rising Star Award, Ahmed is currently working with The Tragically Hip on the 2026 production of It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, a musical based on the Hip's catalogue of Canadian classics with Come Away With Me producer Michael Rubinoff.
OTHER PROJECTS Moskito Bar Kune
Acting
Ahmed is a talented black Iraqi actor who studied theatre at the Institute of Fine Arts and later at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad. He became the youngest member of the Iraqi National Theater and the first black Iraqi to host a television program. Ahmed played the lead role of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Shakespeare Company in England.
Recently, Ahmed has collaborated with theatre companies, including the Crow's Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre, Driftwood Theatre Group, Jabari Dance Theatre, Modern Times Stage and Others. He held various positions, including artist-in-residence with Driftwood Theatre Group and a member of Noteworthy The Musical Stage & Prime Mover. Member of the prestigious Soulpepper Academy in 2021. Co-founder of TRIA Theatre Company. Nominated for two Dora Awards for Leading Role in 2023 Bangel Tiger at The Baghdad Zoo and 2024 for King Gilgamesh.
Moneka's introduction to the world of Canadian art began in 2015 when a film he had acted in screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. This was the first film in Iraq to depict gay men, which led to him receiving threats from militias in Baghdad that prevented their return. He had no choice but to stay in Toronto, where he remains today.
Writing
King Gilgamesh and the Man of the Wild
with Jesse LaVercombe and Seth Buckley Tria Theatre
(Soulpepper, LaMAMA Theatre, The Jungle Theatre)
Spaciousness
with Nicky Lawrence
(Historic Site of Fort York in 2022 and 2023)
The Onion Cellar
with Jeremy Smith
(In development at Driftwood Theatre)
It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken
a Musical based on the Catalogue of
the Tragically Hip
with Brian Hill
(in development with Michael Rubinoff)
