Tara Moneka
A Black Iraqi artist born in Baghdad and based in Toronto: Tara Moneka bridges Afro-Sufi, Arabic and Swahili traditions with jazz, soul, maqam and afrobeat, in six languages — leading Dijlah, her all-women Afro-Arab band.
Biography
Tara Salah Moneka was born in Baghdad into a Sufi family. She sang from the age of four, studied music for seven years and became a well-known young vocalist across Iraq, notably after appearing on The Voice Kids (Middle East). After leaving Iraq with her family, she rebuilt her life in Canada and settled in Toronto.
Her music bridges Afro-Sufi, Arabic and Swahili traditions with jazz, R&B, soul, funk, blues, maqam and afrobeat. She sings in Arabic, English, Urdu, Spanish, Turkish and Swahili — music as a universal language.
In 2021 she founded Dijlah — named after the Tigris, Iraq's river — an all-women Afro-Arab band advocating for women's rights. She has performed at the Aga Khan Museum, Koerner Hall and The Opera House in Toronto, and in Axé WorldFest's EWMI 2026 program in Ottawa-Gatineau.
Stages and milestones
2026 — EWMI (Axé WorldFest) — Ottawa-Gatineau · Aga Khan Museum — Toronto; Koerner Hall — Toronto; The Opera House — Toronto
Upcoming dates
- Tuesday November 17, 2026 — Vitrine officielle — Mundial Montréal 2026 (soirée d'ouverture) · La Sala Rossa, Montréal (Canada) — Official page ↗
Public dates — collected from the artist's official channels on November 9, 2026.
Discography
First single released in December 2022 · Album in preparation — album release show at St. Volodymyr Institute, Toronto
Calendar
- Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 10:40 p.m. — Mundial Montréal (16th edition) — official opening-night showcase — La Sala Rossa, Montreal
Show formats
- Tara Moneka solo or with Dijlah, her all-women Afro-Arab band
- A multilingual repertoire (Arabic, English, Urdu, Spanish, Turkish, Swahili)
On video — their Mundial Montréal 2026 showcase
The official presentation video of Tara Moneka for Mundial Montréal 2026: Tuesday, November 17, 2026 · 10:40 p.m. · La Sala Rossa, Montreal. Video © Mundial Montréal — provided to Festival TV in the festival's official media kit.