The Covid lockdown was a trying time for many, but Canadian sisters Aiza and Kamana Ntibarikure found a way to make the best of it. They used their voices and drew upon their amazing talents to create a weekly chat show on Instagram Live. It was well-received.
After some time of using their platform for the show, they took notice of how the presence and stories of back women and non-binary blacks were underrepresented. That fact cut to their heart. It wasn’t long before they came up with the idea to create their own show, Real Blackity Talk. It’s a brand-new docuseries where each show will speak to different aspects of the human experience but share topics, messages, and impact through the eyes of the black experience as it relates to black women and non-binary blacks.
Aiza and Kamana are super excited to debut their new show premiering on March 18th on CBC Gem, a Canadian channel, and they are even more excited for you to see it. Join them as they entertain while igniting awareness and empowerment in you.
Meet Aiza and Kamana as I chat with them about their new show.
Tell us a little about yourselves growing up as sisters and what led you to get into the entertainment industry? What is each of your talents?
Kamana: Aiza and I both went to the same high school which had a music department, and every year, they would present a musical. I remember watching the rehearsals for Chorus Line and wondering ‘’How do you do this for a living?’’ I was hooked! From there, I developed my talents as a singer, dancer, actor, producer, writer, and now director, and who knows what else is in the pipeline. I always try to stay open-minded and honest about what I want. That’s how I got here.
Aiza: Growing up, many different genres of music were playing at home at all times. Our father used to sing and play guitar for us when we were kids, so I think that’s where my love for music started. The day I saw Kamana in her high school musical production of The Lion King, I was blown away and thought, “If she can do it, I can do it too!” I went to study Professional Theatre in college, and afterward, that was the beginning of a symbiotic dance between my acting and music careers. I’m very creative and it’s always such a joy to discover new facets of myself. My sister and I have worked together on so many projects throughout the years and it’s always been a joy to create with her.
You have a new docuseries called, Real Blackity Talk premiering on March 18th. How did the idea for the show and title come about? Also, in the show, you feature “Blaxperts.” What do you mean by that?
Aiza: When the pandemic hit, Kamana and I were living together in midtown Toronto. About a month into the first lockdown, we started hosting a live talk show on Instagram and it turned out to be such a life-giving experience. Less than a month after that, CBC (think Canada’s CBS) launched a creative relief fund to finance original Canadian content, so we decided to pitch our talk show concept to them. Out of the 9000 applicants across the country, only 100 projects were selected by the network and just ten in the Unscripted category; we happened to be one of them. From there, we dove deeper into the concept of our show. Right off the bat, we knew that this was an amazing opportunity, not only to tell our stories exactly the way we wanted to, but also a chance for us to bring a crew of inspiring black women and non-binary black people along for the ride – our Blaxperts. They join in on our conversations with bits of wisdom, humor, and their majestic presence.
Kamana: The original title of the show was “Blackity Black” but it was not specific enough. So, we knew we wanted to keep Blackity because it’s catchy, then “Talk” because it’s a talk show, and “Real” because the show is all about authenticity, we keep it real; hence, Real Blackity Talk.
What can people expect from the show?
Aiza: With Real Blackity Talk, we created the show we’ve always wanted to see. It’s full of music, humorous skits, and juicy conversations. Expect to be empowered, inspired, and delighted by all the melanin on screen.
If you had to describe your show in one sentence. How would you describe it?
Kamana: Real Blackity Talk is the freshest take on the Black Canadian experience told through the lens of Black women and non-binary black folk.
How did your production deal come about?
Aiza: We spent close to a year in development and transitioned into a production deal once we delivered a more fleshed-out concept of the show to CBC. We’re a brand-new production company, so our journey is quite literally unheard of. In retrospect, it didn’t take much time between us talking to our phones in our living room to us being on set in full production for our talk show. The entire experience feels surreal.
What does it feel like to see your dream become a reality?
Kamana: It feels really good! It feels good to be rewarded for doing the work. We’ve poured all of ourselves into this project so it’s a mix of joy, pride, gratitude, and a deep sense of accomplishment.
Aiza: At the age of 11, I was asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” I remember telling my teacher that I wanted to become the host of my own talk show. Never in a million years did I imagine that I would one day get to live out this dream with my sister by my side. I am beyond grateful and proud of us.
Why do you think it’s important to have a show directed towards black women and non-binary black people? And for those who don’t know, what do you mean by non-binary people?
Kamana: It’s crucial because representation matters. We need to be able to see ourselves and our stories told just as much as everyone else because we matter just as much as everyone else.
Aiza: For those who don’t know what “non-binary” means, I would say get with the program and google it, haha! But in short, our non-binary peeps live outside of society’s heteronormative and binary gender norms. Neither men nor women. They are genderfluid and move through the world as such.
How would you describe yourselves and what each of you brings to the show?
Aiza: We are both self-assured, entertaining, and easy on the eyes. I think that our viewers will appreciate how unapologetic we are in the show.
Kamana: I would say that we’re both grounded, talented, and very funny.
You have a production company called Balling Y’all Productions Inc. Tell us about your company and how you came up with the name?
Kamana: Balling Y’all Productions is our black-owned Canadian production company and we are focused on creating art that empowers, educates, and entertains. We came up with the name because when Aiza and I lived together in Toronto, we lived in a two-floor penthouse on Balliol Street.
Aiza: Haha, yes! We had never lived in such a fancy spot before and so we started saying that we were Balling Y’all on Balliol.
Kamana: Exactly! And what started out as an inside joke became our top choice for a name when the time came for us to start our production company. We called it “Balling Y’all Productions” because we wanted everyone to know just from the name that we create successful endeavors and that we have a lot of fun doing so.
What’s next for the two of you individually, and then as a company?
Kamana: A vacation! Some well-deserved rest and reflection on what we just accomplished so we can launch ourselves into the future feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and reloaded on creativity.
Aiza: Cheers to that! I’m also in the midst of finishing up my debut album so I can deliver that good-good to my music fans this year. As first-time producers, we were mentored by an incredible production team called Vérité Films. We plan to pay it forward in the future by nurturing other up-and-coming Canadian talents. In the meantime, I’m just excited to see what kind of doors our series is going to open for us and the community at large.
You can follow them (and the show) by clicking the links below:
Follow the show, Real Blackity Talk: Instagram │ Facebook │Twitter
Kamana: You can follow me on Instagram
Aiza: Yes! And you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Writer, Debbie Stokes is a contributing writer. You can follow her on Instagram @ iamdebbiestokes
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