Born in Dar-Es-Salam, Tanzania in East Africa, Shafin Karim's family immigrated to Canada in 1974 seeking a better life and escaping political dictatorship. He later completed his bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology, with plans to pursue a masters degree in counseling and education. However, Shafin decided to take a break from his studies to re-visit his childhood love of performance. After a series of successful theatre productions, Shafin re-focused his career towards film & television, sinking his teeth