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{{Distinguish|Raffi Ahmad}} {{short description|Canadian singer-songwriter and children's advocate (born 1948)}}
{{Distinguish|Raffi Ahmad}}
{{about|the children's entertainer|the Armenian novelist|Raffi (novelist)|other uses|Raffi (disambiguation)}}
{{lead too short|date=April 2021}}
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|caption = Raffi in 2007
|birth_name = Raffi Cavoukian
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|7|8|mf=y}}
|birth_place = [[Cairo]], [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]]
|death_date =
|death_place =
|occupation = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter|author|essayist|lecturer}}
|origin = Canadian
|years_active = 1970s–present
|genre = {{flatlist|
*[[Children's music]]<br />
*[[Childrenchildren's literature]]
}}
|website = {{URL|raffinews.com}} {{URL|raffifoundation.org}}
|imagesize =
|instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|ukulele}}
}}
'''Raffi Cavoukian''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|OBC}} ({{lang-hy|Րաֆֆի}}, born July 8, 1948), known professionally by the [[Mononymous person|mononym]] '''Raffi''', is an [[Armenian-Canadians|Armenian-Canadian]] singer-lyricist and author [[Armenians in Egypt|born in Egypt]] best known for his [[children's music]]. He developed his career as a "[[troubadour|global troubadour]]" to become a [[music producer]], author, [[Entrepreneurship|entrepreneur]], and founder of the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring.
==Early life==
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As of 2017, Raffi continues to perform and appears occasionally across Canada and the United States. His most recent album is "Penny Penguin", a collaboration album with Canadian trio [[The Good Lovelies]] which was released in 2024.
===2024 Segregation controversy===
At a show in May 2024 at the [[The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts]] in Hartford, Connecticut, Stefan Burns, a 33 year-old man with [[Angelman syndrome]] was sitting in the front row waiting for Raffi to begin the show, cheering and screaming along with children & families in the audience. Security approached Burns & his family and insisted they move to the back, because "the artist could hear you in his dressing room and will not perform if you stay in these seats."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stannard |first1=Ed |title=Man With Disability Made To Leave His Seat At Raffi Show |url=https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/07/16/man-with-disability-made-to-leave-his-seat-at-raffi-show/30969/ |website=Disability Scoop |access-date=17 July 2024 |date=07/16/2024}}</ref>
Stefan's mother said,"Stefan’s been to hundreds of shows, and he’s never disrupted the show, including shows on Broadway... As soon as the show would have started he would have been in awe and just listening... If he was disrupting the show, of course we would take him out; we would leave. But he wasn’t doing that. The show hadn’t even started yet. There were other kids that were screaming just in excitement. And Stefan was saying hi. It was so sad. It was heartbreaking.” The family said in the days following, neither Raffi nor the theater reached out to them. Eventually, Roberta called the theater and received a refund and apology.<ref>https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/07/16/man-with-disability-made-to-leave-his-seat-at-raffi-show/30969/</ref>
The Raffi organization issued a statement saying:
“Before the show was to begin, Stefan was extremely loud, loud enough to be heard throughout the theater and backstage. Acting on behalf of both the artist and the audience, Bushnell staff asked Stefan and his family to move further back in the hall, where his vocalizations would be less likely to disrupt the performance.
Raffi has a long history of inclusion at his concerts. Over the years he has met with hundreds of children, paying particular attention to all children with special needs. Of course we are saddened by Stefan’s experience, and we extend our best wishes to him and his parents.”
===Advocacy===
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