Ivan Touko speaks on the importance of culture and why sticking to your roots is vital in modern society. Ivan is a founding member of La Connexional, a dance instructor and a current student in an Environmental & Conservation Sciences undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta.

Originally from Cameroon, Ivan moved to Edmonton about 6 years ago and started training in West African Traditional Dances in 2014 while he was part of SANGEA. Ivan then went on to form an Afro Fusion Dance group named IOLA with his friends and performed regularly around the city for over two years. He has now been teaching Afrobeats & Afro Fusion dance classes and workshops for about 2 years and currently teaches at the UofA as part of their Recreation program and with La Connexional, a startup he co-founded that aims to build capacity and showcase the talents with communities of Afro & Latin Descents.

My favorite quote is: "If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far go together" This quote is the perfect embodiment of what La Connexional stands and where my love for building communities comes from, as well as, how important it is to build resilient and strong communities that do not only build together but build each other.

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