Ahmed Ali, better known by the pseudonym Knowmadic, is a Somali-Canadian poet, writer, actor, musician, and youth activist.[1]
Early life
Ali was born November 28, 1984, in Mogadishu, to a nomadic father and a mother whose family were farmers. His name is a portmanteau of knowledge and nomadic.[2] His family immigrated first to Italy in 1989, then to Canada. While in Italy, Ali and his 3 older brothers stayed in boarding schools. Upon graduating, he attended Humber College in Toronto, Ontario for Comedy writing and performance.[3] Ali was introduced to spoken word in 2009 by Titilope Sonuga, who curated a regular poetry night called Rouge Poetry; She invited Ali and others to help her found the Breath in Poetry Collective.[4]
Career
In 2011, Ali and team Edmonton won the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word championship.[5] In 2013, Ali received an opportunity to be Artist in residence at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center in Seattle, Washington, initiating his career as a full-time artist. In 2017, he was runner-up for public school board trustee in Ward A in Edmonton.[6] In January 2018, Ali hosted the APAP Annual Awards Ceremony, honoring Martin Luther King.[1] He served a two-year term as Edmonton's Poet Laureate, from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2019, as its seventh Poet Laureate.[7][8]
Ali sits on community boards including the Edmonton Arts Council where he chairs the equity committee.[9] He also performs speaking engagements at local schools,[10] and has participated in vigils against violence.
