Haitian-born Emilie Lafortune is a 30-year-old woman of determination and passion. At the age of 18, she left her native Haiti for Argentina, where she began a new life, juggling studies and work.

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In 2021, Emilie emigrated to Canada, bringing with her her rich culinary culture and infectious enthusiasm. With no great expectations, she began sharing cooking videos on her social networks, simply as a hobby. However, one day, one of her recipes generated an unexpected buzz, propelling her social accounts into the spotlight.

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Her iconic slogan, "LE GOÛT DE ÇA", quickly became synonymous with her success, to the point of becoming the name of her food brand. Today, Emilie Lafortune continues to captivate and inspire with her culinary creations, while sharing her love of cooking with an ever-growing audience.

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Dejha Carrington is a practitioner and leader in the arts.

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In 2017, Dejha co-founded Commissioner, an art membership that helps peoplecollect the work of contemporary artists in their cities. She serves as ExecutiveDirector and has thus far introduced the program in Miami, Detroit, New York,Montreal, Mexico City, and New Orleans.

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From 2015 to 2022, Dejha served as Vice President of Strategic Communications for YoungArts, the national foundation forthe advancement of artists. Previously, she led public relations initiatives with Kimball Art Museum, the Medellin Biennial inColombia, and the National Film Board of Canada.

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Dejha is a board member of the national performance arts funder MAP Fund in New York, and The Black School, an experimental schoolhouse in New Orleans. She is also a professional advisory member of Miami-Dade Art In Public Places, New York University’s Center for Black Visual Culture, and University of Miami’s Center for Global Black Studies. 

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Dejha teaches the Business of Art at New World School of the Arts at Miami-Dade College.

Boubacar Djiba, is among Africa’s music industry’s prolific change agents with over 15 years’ of experience in the music industry in Senegal. He is an entrepreneur who evolves in the creative industry, technology, and communication sector. He is a consultant, music producer, designer and sound engineer passionate about the change and development of Africa through his youth. Connected in the global creative industry, he discovers and develops talents through his label Vazy Music.

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In Jan 2024, Boubacar launched the first instant AI mastering platform in Africa, Senmixmaster after years of research. Senmixmaster is the first AI technological start-up evolving in cultural and creative industries in Senegal, more precisely in music and audio content. Senmixmaster uses AI and reinforcement learning, its engine works like a real engineer, making original decisions as the mastering progresses by tweaking the music to remove technical errors while applying necessary enhancements or anything preventing a great music listening experience.

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Eager to build a strong creative ecosystem, Boubacar is a sure bet for the development of the creative industries in Africa with the use of technology.

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