I remember yesterday: An evening of vinyl sharing at Café Cantinova

The Pan-African Student Union celebrates the 35th anniversary of Black History Month in Montreal

Fringe ArtsWinie Coulanges — Published March 1, 2026 0 minutes

PASU collaborated with Montreal-based DJ Aniika to host a vinyl listening evening, inviting attendees to bring their own records to share and enjoy. 

“When we say we want to bring Pan-Africanism onto campus, that means all aspects of Pan-Africanism,” PASU general coordinator Danayit Bobrowski said. “Specifically, music and dance and cultural manifestations are a core part of the African tradition.” 

DJ Aniika decided to organize this event after working with PASU and wanting to create something that showcased and commemorated Black creativity. 

“I love to kind of reflect not only music that I'm familiar with but that I know bears cultural significance,” DJ Aniika said.

Pan-Africanism emerged in the early 20th century as a global movement determined to unite people of African descent and the diaspora in the fight for true liberation. 

PASU at Concordia was formed during the 2024-25 school year and has since held several events that highlight Black experiences and unite students.

For Black History Month, PASU hosted a screening of the film True North in collaboration with Cinema Politica and an Ethiopian dinner in collaboration with the Spinach Collective. 

“We're hoping that with different events like this, people can find unity and that this unity can lead to momentum to make change and have actual material impacts,” PASU vice coordinator Angel Hounnou said. 

The union believes it’s important to hold space for Black resistance and Black joy simultaneously. Hounnou sees similarities between PASU’s initiatives and those of historic Black unions in Montreal. 

“If we look in history, even before the Sir George Williams affair, they had conferences for authors and different students coming together, and that's when they built unity,” Hounnou explained. 

In 1969, Black students occupied the ninth floor of the Henry F. Hall building to protest racial discrimination.

While introducing some of her vinyl collection to the audience, DJ Aniika highlighted albums such as Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly. She described the album as pivotal to her musical journey.

“[To Pimp a Butterfly] has kept me pretty grounded,” she said. “A lot of the collaborators speak to experiences that I relate to.” 

Amanda Ajeneza Bana, a McGill University student, heard about the event through a friend and emphasized the importance of third spaces. 

“I realized how much we miss those little community moments that were more intimate than private,” Bana said. 

Cantinova owner Mehdi Kazemian said he opened the café because he needed a second space to store broken equipment from his other repair shop, Audiophonie, in Little Italy. 

He embraces the café aspect because he believes coffee and vinyl go well together. 

“You take your time when you're sipping coffee or when you're listening to vinyl, you can't really skip it to the next song and whatnot,” Kazemian said.

DJ Aniika agrees and points out that vinyl has a sensorial element that differs from streaming or CDs. 

“Vinyl, honestly, is really special, because it's not just a form of the music you can play, but it's also artwork,” she said. “It's something you can display.” 

Kazemian added that he is happy to share the space with a community group celebrating culture.

“I think it's part of our mission to create and open doors to share music,” he said. 

Naïla Gravel-Baazaoui, a Concordia student in attendance, brought Black on Both Sides by Mos Def, a record that a friend introduced her to. She reflected on what she had learned from sharing music.

“She showed me how being Black is an experience in itself and how it influences music,” Gravel-Baazaoui said. “Since I'm not [Black], for me, it was a privilege to be exposed to that storytelling.”

The evening ended the way it began. With records spinning and students listening closely to stories pressed into vinyl, the event wound down to the sounds of Donna Summer’s iconic I Remember Yesterday and the café temporarily transformed into a discotheque.