My name is Ayindé. I'm an actor, writer, and performer. I wrote a one-man show called 16 Summers, and it's based around three lessons that my father was always trying to teach me while he was alive. Vision, Faith and Patience. The the show, which is comprised of stand-up, drama, music and spoken word, started off with a seed that Baba planted in my mind, which was, "You should do stand-up." It took a lifetime, but I started doing stand up and then I wrote this piece initially dealing with the loss of my father after he passed away in 2021, in the height of COVID.

I performed an abbreviated version of it at the beginning of the year, and something very interesting happened. Men in the audience would come up to me afterward and say, "Hey man, you really touched me." "I really gotta call my father" or "I need to talk to my son" and "I gotta make peace with my father," etc. And I realized that this piece wasn't just for me; it is actually something that can help heal masculinity.

I know that's a tall order, but I think male healing starts with healing your relationship with your father, and that starts with conversation on common ground. 16 Summers has become a mission, and I know the world needs to hear it, so I am taking it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2025. I have already paid for my hotel, my travel, and the venue, which is about $10,000, and I still need to pay for promotion, flyers, posters, banners and PR. Edinburgh is a huge festival, the third largest event in the world after the Olympics, with 3,000 shows a day. So, this being my first time, I'm learning that we have to make an impact, and that just means promotion. And everything is in pounds, which is a lot stronger than the dollar at the moment, so I need some help to bring this vision to life. A friend once told me "we're going to change the world" I said how? She replied "with art silly." I would love your help to bring this art to the world. Thank you. Keep the faith!

Flyers/posters Banners: 3k Pounds

PR 1k Pounds

Web ads 2k Pounds

Misc cost: i.e shipping, poster hangers and incidentals