Afeni

Fringe 2026

Afeni

"An incredibly important, significant, and powerful story" ★★★★★ - AYTC
Onika Henry returns as Afeni Shakur, the Black Panther who fought for the freedom of 21 wrongly accused activists, while imprisoned herself. Afeni is more than the mother of Tupac, she is a powerful woman whose story will inspire you to be... revoltionary!

Writen by Adam Bailey who's previous works with historicly inspired storytelling includes The Life Henri, All Hail Mrs. Satan, and Franz Ferdinand Must Die, which have been deemed "overall absorbing" by the CBC, and have won mutiple awards including Best of Fringe, Critics Pick, and Patrons Picks.

Onika Henry has been seen in Balance Board , and Chanzo (★★★★⯪ - Edmonton Journal), as well as last years's debut of Afeni where she "commanded the stage with raw emotion and strength, telling [this] powerful story... Truly moving and unforgettable."

Plain Language Description

Afeni is the story of Afeni Shakur, who joins the Black Panthers after dropping out of the New York School for the Performing Arts in the late 1960s. Arrested under false charges, she and a group of Black Panthers are held under an impossibly high bail. To gain their freedom, Afeni creates a plan to build out unlikely coalitions. She also makes the daring choice to act as her own lawyer. In the courtroom, she directly confronts the undercover cops who arrested her. She ensures her truth is heard during the trial, driven by the fear that she will never have the chance to tell her story again.