Issue 28: "Community is medicine. Healing happens through connection, understanding, and being present for each other." - Waleed Abdulahamed  January 16th 2025

Music, Mental Health, and the Power of Community: The Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz Ensemble

Source photo: Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz

The lead singer and songwriter of Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz band is Waleed Abdulahamed. Beyond being a musician, he’s a storyteller, an educator, and a community advocate and activist. With roots from Sudan, Abdulahamed arrived in Canada in the 1990s where he settled in Parkdale in Toronto before moving to Mississauga. The music of Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz is a blend of ancient African rhythms with American jazz improvisations. The band's "Songs for Humanity" series was born during the pandemic, and addresses isolation and loneliness, a growing concern in Western countries like Canada.

This interview was inspired because Waleed talked about how young people who feel lonely and isolated increasingly stay quiet and don't talk to anyone. In 2023, the Toronto Foundation published its annual Vital Signs Report. We reported their findings that 37% of Torontonians (925,000) say they feel lonely at least three or four days in the last week. Loneliness in high school students has doubled, with 44% feeling frequently lonely. Almost 1 in 4 adults (575,000) in Toronto report symptoms of a major depressive disorder, and almost 1 in 5 report symptoms of moderate anxiety.

Spinning Forward spoke to Waleed Abdulahamed about mental health and young people as well as other topics like the power of power of community and in-person human connections, how music can be a healing force, and the importance of advocacy, and activism today.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

An interview with Waleed Abdulhamid of The Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz Ensemble

Source photo: Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz

The Role of Music in Addressing Mental Health

Spinning Forward: Your music seems to create a unique healing space. In your band's pandemic-inspired "Songs for Humanity" series, you covered topics like isolation and community with songs like Reka Tugande (Let's Go). How do you view the connection between mental health and coming together in community?

Waleed: "I've seen it [isolation] a lot among young people. We're choosing that piece of metal [phone] combined with plastic as our best friend instead of a real human to talk to.

When people are struggling mentally, they often say 'I just want time for myself.' But if you are mentally not there and there is sadness, there is a dark space around you, we need to question that isolation. These days, when people are 'alone,' they're usually just on social media or their phones. How is that going to elevate you to a better emotional state? The power of gathering, the power of togetherness - it's the most important thing you can do for yourself and to elevate your spirit. It's a natural medicine. You don't take it by mouth; you take it with your whole being."

The Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz Band is a Village

Spinning Forward: How does the Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz band think about community?

Waleed: "We function as a village, not just a band. When you take responsibility as a collective, even if something doesn't work, we can try a different way together. Everyone feels responsible and good about what we're trying to achieve."

"There is no audience, there is no musician - we are on the stage, but without the audience, nothing will be happening. I always try to engage the audience. When I speak Swahili or French during performances, it's because we live in Canada - probably half of the audience speaks French. You have to engage everyone. If you think these people pay just to support you financially, that money won't make you rich. It's how you're reaching yourself by engaging them and elevating the whole community. I believe in the model of 'each one, teach one', where we learn from each other. I'm sure I've learned from you by the end of this interview."

Real Connections are Community Connections

Spinning Forward: You've mentioned the importance of real human connection. Can you elaborate?

Waleed: "Like trees that communicate with each other through the wind, we humans have brains, hearts, and expressions. Imagine life without another human being. I feel as an artist, I have a responsibility to remind society about our connectedness. It's like planting seeds - if you plant one tree alone, its chances of survival are limited. But plant two or three trees together, and the survival rate jumps to almost 100%. They support each other, just as we need to support each other."

Mental Health and Students

Spinning Forward: How do you address mental health as an educator with your students at Humber College and The University of Toronto?

Waleed: "As a teacher, I think our responsibility isn't just to teach in class and then leave. You're a mentor to those young people sitting, and listening to you. They look up to you. I don't mind engaging about life, social justice, mental health, homelessness. Whatever you're saying can affect their life. I try to create a safe space where we can discuss these issues through art."

Spinning Forward: What's your message to those struggling with mental health?

Waleed: "The most important thing you can do for yourself is to reach out. Community is medicine. In our band, we've created a support system where we check on each other. If someone's not feeling well, we gather. We talk. We make music together. That's how healing happens - through connection, through understanding, through being present for each other."

The Power of Music and Community

Spinning Forward: How can music build stronger communities?

Waleed: "Music breaks down barriers. When we perform, there is no audience, there is no musician - we are all one community sharing an experience. Every show is an opportunity to build connections. At our last performance, I met a neighbor I'd never spoken to before. We shared stories, and laughed together, and now we have a beautiful friendship. That's the power of music - it creates spaces for these human connections to flourish."

Social Justice, Advocacy, and Positive Change

Spinning Forward: How do you view your role around social justice?

Waleed: "Since I became a citizen, I've gone for it. We are guests here - this is First Nations land. We have to acknowledge that, but I have to serve the land and its owners by helping them not be looked down upon. If you go to any reserve, you won't feel good about it. These people should be treated with full respect, honor and integrity. When you see wrongdoing, you've got to be able to say something. I protested very hard when they started building that waterfront building. I took my drums, and gathered people. Some people ask, 'What difference are you going to make?' I want to make a difference to myself."

Advocacy for Positive Change

Spinning Forward: How do you stay hopeful for positive change in the community?

Waleed: "I remember my mom, over 35 years ago, while talking about things not going well. She said, 'If you want change, be part of it. Or you have to wait for other people to change for you, and you just complain about things.' That word, change, I've been memorizing it all my life. When it comes to any election - municipality, province, federal - I will not lose my chance to practice my civic engagement. You have to use your voice. Civic engagement is the most important thing."

Summary

Through music, teaching, and activism, Waleed shows how art can address mental health challenges by building stronger, more connected communities. His community approach reminds us that healing isn't just an individual thing but a collective experiential one where you feel happier and better about yourself through genuine connection and shared understanding.

Follow the Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz Band: To follow Waleed and his music, you can find him on various social media platforms under the name Waleed Kush Afro Jazz.