Character Profile
Imani Sabana
Name:
Imani Sabana
Age:
25
Occupation:
Corporate Social/Environmental Responsibility Consultant by day, DJ by night, fundraising event co-ordinator and volunteer on the weekends;photojournalist throughout.
Where do they live (geographic coordinates or location)?
Toronto, Canada
Why did they choose to live where they live?
She was born in Ottawa. Her father is an engineer, while her mother is a diplomat. Both her parents had several international projects so she moved to many different places as she grew up. She lived abroad in Malaysia during her childhood, and went to international school until she graduated from high school. While trying to decide where to go to university, Imani decided to seek advice from her pen pal – Abele. Abele is an Ethiopian-Canadian Social Worker in one of the “high-risk” neighborhoods in Toronto. Abele was working on a community development arts project with youth and convinced Imani to visit Toronto to document the project. While Imani was there she fell in love with the city and its multicultural feel and developed a deep connection with Toronto. After little more than two weeks of absorbing the Toronto energy and taking in the diverse foods and cultures, Imani applied to the University of Toronto to complete a double major in Architecture and Political Science.
What kind of dwelling do they occupy?
A loft in the Art and Design district of Toronto (Queen West).
With whom do they live?
She is sharing her loft with her former pen pal, Abele.
How do they get to work?
She walks
How do they get around their community in general?
Toronto Transit Commission (public transport)
How do they relate to the people in their community?
She makes it a point to get to know all the business owners in her community and engages in town and community hall discussions. She also volunteers at a local shelter/youth facility down the street.
Who do they interact with most?
The 99 year-old next door neighbor who has the best stories, and her roommate, Abele.
Do they travel?
Ever chance she gets.
Where have they commonly traveled?
Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Morocco, London
What is the furthest distance they have travelled? Where?
Port Morseby, Papua New Guinea (to visit her other pen pal, Curtis).
What is the one place they would like to visit and why?
Jerusalem – to revel in the history and architecture of the city, and see the intersection of religions and cultures that have had such influence on the world.
What is their attitude toward food?
Few things in life make her happier. She loves fresh organic vegetables, fruits and whole foods! She enjoys seafood, and only eats meat if it’s from an ethical source. She occasionally eats white meat, but rarely eats red. She also refuses to buy fast food, frozen meals, or a microwave.
What is their favourite meal? What is something they have never eaten but would like to try?
Favourite dish: Enjira and Ethiopian lentil stew, and vegetarian thali.
She would like to try fresh mangoes and sticky rice from the Floating Market in Thailand.
She would like to try fresh mangoes and sticky rice from the Floating Market in Thailand.
What is the highest level of education they pursued/completed?
Bachelor degree. Currently applying for a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies.
How much do they earn monthly?
CAD$3,500
What was their most expensive purchase?
A new lens for her Nikon D500.
How do they relate to material wealth?
She is not materialistic but likes to live comfortably by her standards. She likes to be able to travel and experience the foods and cultures of the places she visits. She doesn’t buy into materialism in terms of fashion but loves to have enough money to support ethnic, ethical and organic businesses. She lives according to her means, in a comfortable, but not excessive style, and gives her time and money when and where she can.
What is their global footprint? To what do you attribute the largest part of their footprint? (ie travel, purchases, food)
She buys local produce, and walks or takes public transport, so her largest global footprint is air travel.
What are their hobbies and interests?
Faith, art, music, photography, architecture, design, food, culture, people. Gardening on the rooftop of her loft. Exploring urban spaces. Getting lost on purpose.
What is their favourite colour?
The colour of her favourite sweater that her grandma knit her when she was a child – a deep, rich blue.
Who is their favourite music band?
She enjoys music with positive lyrical content and upbeat composition; she digs instrumentals.
She is against music with negative messages, and makes it a point to pick up an album of a well known independent local artist from every city she goes to.
Her favourite artists include Michael Jackson, U2, Ella Fitzgerald, The Roots, Lauryn Hill, and Bocelli.
She is against music with negative messages, and makes it a point to pick up an album of a well known independent local artist from every city she goes to.
Her favourite artists include Michael Jackson, U2, Ella Fitzgerald, The Roots, Lauryn Hill, and Bocelli.
What was the last book they read?
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
What is their attitude toward technology and why?
She can’t live with out it but she understands its negative effect on society and tries to reevaluate her dependency on it.
What technology could they not live without?
Digital photography: photo/video editing abilities, and the internet which is her main resource for planning, sharing and communicating with all her friends around the world
What are their key values?
Spirituality, sustainability, community, health, artistic endeavours, generosity, love, empathy, compassion, honesty.
How would you describe their upbringing? How have things changed?
Nomadic. Unconventional. Humbling. Fortunate. Not much has changed, but she tries not to take her privileges for granted and strives to live up to her potential.
What are their personal strengths and weaknesses?
She realizes how privileged she is so she endeavours to put her skills towards good use. She is very passionate, has great leadership qualities, works very well people and can adapt to different situations and environments.
Admittedly, she has challenges with punctuality and keeping her work space organized.
Admittedly, she has challenges with punctuality and keeping her work space organized.
What is their next big life event?
Her next big life event is a UN-Habitat Youth Crime Prevention Conference in Durban, South Africa. She recently entered a competition proposing a youth photojournalism program and is one of the 20 youth selected from around the world to be sent and represent her country and ideas at the conference. She has been very busy preparing and researching for the conference, and is also looking for ways to expand her photojournalism project to other countries including Ghana and Nigeria.
What do they care about?
God, family, people, the world!
What six words would describe their personality or character traits?
Loving, driven, optimistic, balanced, humble, humourous.
What do they believe in and why?
God – because of her numerous encounters with many different spiritual environments and realms throughout her life. She sees a unifying force in all things, in all religions and in the beauty that graces her photographs and the stories she shares with people around the world. Within that beauty that we all share, she believes, with no equivocations, that everyone has the ability to do good for the world in their own way - however big or small.