Ahmed Moneka, a two-time Dora-nominated actor, Juno-nominated musician, and writer, arrived in Toronto from Baghdad 10 years ago. Since then, he has collaborated with numerous artistic institutions, including the Canadian Opera Company, Crow’s Theatre, Aga Khan Museum, Mirvish Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre, Tafelmusik, Toronto Jazz Festival, Koerner Hall,Modern Times Stage, Jabari Dance Theatre, Driftwood Theatre, Theatre Centre, and Aluna Theatre etc. He is co-owner of Tria Theatre, a founding member of Moskitto Bar, and the creator and leader of Moneka Arabic Jazz, which was a 2025 Juno-nominated, 2024 Dora-winning sound design of the play Gilgamesh, 2019 Stingray Rising Stars Finalist at the Toronto Jazz Festival, and won the Stingray Rising Stars 2022 Mundial Montreal.

In Baghdad, Ahmed studied theatre at the Institute of Fine Art and then at the prestigious Academy of Fine Art. During his formative years, he also learned Afro-Sufi singing and drumming in the tradition of his family, who came to Iraq from Kenya in the 7^th century. He was the first Black Iraqi to host a television program, the youngest member of the Iraqi National Theatre, and he played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad at the Royal Shakespeare Company in England. Other performances with The Forum Theatre, Iraqi Theatre Company, Street Art Company, and Baghdad Theatre Company took him to Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, and many other festivals. He co-wrote and starred in the film The Society, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015 and resulted in his exile from Iraq because of its subject matter of homosexuality.