The Afronubians were a world music band based in Toronto. Led by Tarig Abubakar, a Sudanese immigrant, the group produced music sung in Kiswahili, English, and Arabic. He was accompanied by guitarist Adam Solomon, lead guitarist Joe Szilagy (aka Joe Slant), and bassist Mohammed Hagelamin. Their sound was a direct reflection of the diversity of the group, as they mixed the sounds of African percussion and East and Central African guitar stylings. The Afronubians performed various genres of African music from Soukous to highlife. The AfroNubians rose to prominence in 1995 when the group was named Band of the Year at the Toronto African Music Awards. In January 1998, shortly before the band was scheduled to embark on its first U.S. tour, Abubakar took a trip to Sudan and was killed in a motor vehicle accident. Having arrived in Canada from Sudan as a refugee 10 years earlier, Tarig made it his mission to bridge the world through his music and passed away as one of the great ambassadors of African music.