Shaumba Yandje Dibinga
The Barr Foundation recently named Shaumba Yandje Dibinga to its 2011 class of Barr Fellows.
Emphasizing leadership, the Barr Fellows program honors contributions of the “Boston area’s most gifted and experienced” nonprofit and school leaders. As the state’s largest foundation focused on improving the lives of Boston residents, the foundation provides its fellows with an opportunity to enhance their leadership skills.
Dibinga is the founding executive and artistic director of the OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center in Roxbury and was selected based on her longstanding commitment to Boston’s youth. Founded in 1994, OrigiNation aims to empower youth aged 5-13 years old by providing a safe haven to learn the importance of self-respect, health, nutrition, education, self-esteem and the extent of African influences on various contemporary art forms.
In 2007, Dibinga established the Youth Empowerment Through the Art Tour which enabled Origination to travel to Senegal, South Africa and England.
Dibinga attended the Alvin Ailey Summer School Intensive in New York and the University of Massachusetts. She lives in Boston with her husband Anthony, son Taalib-Said and daughter Shaumba Subira.
