Global eyes magazine holiday edition

Manitoba African and Caribbean Quarterly Magazine

global eyesglobal eyesglobal eyesglobal eyesglobal eyesglobalglobalglobalglobalglobal eyeseyeseyeseyeseyes4thQUARTERDecember 2011

Manitoba African and Caribbean Quarterly Magazine

CliffRichards,

“TheMighty

Fe”Calypso

MonarchOne of the

entertainersat the

Congress ofBlack WomenUnity Dinner

HappyHolidays

to oneand all

Global Eyes Magazine Holiday Edition 2011 2

How many people get to live out a childhood dream?Monica Bailey is doing just that through one of the fewflute choirsin Canada.As a‘privilegedfaculty brat’travellingthroughEurope withherprofessorfather,Bailey,participatedin programsthat developed a great love for music. Within oneyear, she was playing 4-part baroque and renaissancepieces in recorder quartets – and, through supportiveinstruction, was capable of playing every part! Thisexperience also instilled in her a feeling of communityand non-competitiveness where any and everybodycould be ‘first chair’. The germ of a dream to create aplace for people to play flute, “to have an equalopportunity to develop, to express themselves andgrow, and to develop the instrument”, says Bailey,started over 20 years ago. In fact, the flute choir iscelebrating its 20th anniversary in 2011. This flute choir is actually two separate groupsalong with solo students that come together forperformances. Sweet Silver features the mostexperienced players. Silver Winds started off as alearn-to-play group but they all hung in there and nowsome of those flautists play with Sweet Silver as well.The choir is a diverse bunch of flute enthusiasts, whocover the spectrum of political, social, cultural, andcareer backgrounds. Many are social activists in heartand spirit. The members also vary in how muchexperience they bring to the choir and their skill set isas diverse as the individuals themselves. The choir isa safe place for members to explore and grow theirskills. Flautists get to experience playing not only thewell-known soprano flute but alto flutes, bass flutes,piccolo and, at one point, a contrabass flute – thegentle giant of the flute family. One of the things that make this choir special is theprinciple that you can make good music in a loving,supportive environment without being competitive.

Asked how the flute choir has evolved over the years,Bailey says she “focuses on the positive. Inspiration ebbs

and flowsand themembersare helpingstir thatinspirationby bringingtheir ideasandexperiencesto thechoir”. JillForbes,

who has been with the choir for 19 years credits herlongevity to Monica and “the friendships and anopportunity to play with other people as opposed to solo.It makes me happy to come and play every week”. The flute choir raises funds for instruments, music andother necessities though concerts. Their artisticprogramming is never the same as they experiment withdifferent techniques, other instruments and varied genres. Ihad an opportunity to play with the choir last year whenmy steel band, the Manitoba Pan Handlers, were guests atthe choir’s spring concert. We all thought that flute andpan would be a nice combination but when the two groupsplayed together it was magical. From traditionalCaribbean folk to European classical music the tone of theflutes and steel was pure joy. Their recent concert onDecember 11 involved music from the Renaissance periodcomplete with a procession through the audience – a scarythought for musicians who are used to staying in one placeand reading music. The latest phase in the choir’s development is a desire togive back to the community in the form of contributing theirgift of music to help fund raise for worthy causes. SaysForbes, “the performing group is happy to perform buthappier when they can help others aswell.” Some of the Caribbeancommunity both locally and abroad havebenefited from the choir’s generosity.When a call went out for performers toparticipate in a benefit concert to raisefunds for the Haitian hurricane disasterin 2010, the choir was there. The flutechoir helped celebrate the Council of

Flutes Offer Comfort and Joy - Robin Dwarka

Continued onp3


ReflectionBeatrice Watson

T’is the Season to be JollyIt’s that time of year again when

we experience that awkwardness ofChristmas, Xmas, Holiday Seasonand semantic distress about namingwhat we are celebrating.

Being politically correct cansometimes extend its reach.

While it is true that we are livingin a multicultural, multiethnic,pluralistic society and by and largeno matter how it looks with thewindow dressing, as a society, weprivilege Christianity over otherreligions. This is not a criticism. Itis how we, as new comers to thiscountry, came and experienced thiscountry and we have to respect that.We have to respect that change doesnot happen overnight and therefore tocreate a fuss over an office having aChristmas party is uncharitable anduncalled for in my opinion.

We all get Christmas holidays andlove it because it’s time off work tospend with our families and truth betold, Christmas is celebrated in oneform or the other by people from manyreligions including Jews and Muslimsadherents.

Which child doesn’t like the mysteryof Santa Claus or Father Christmas,the gifts under the tree they wake up toon Christmas morning or decoratingtheir house with flickering lights?I have heard many of my friends fromvarious religious backgrounds talkabout Christmas preparations andbaking and giving gifts to others.

I think the most reluctant group in allthe groups I have seen is followers ofthe Jehovah Witness who pridethemselves in celebration nothing.

My mother became a member of thisChurch in her later years. Thank Godfor that. I could not imagine a lifewithout the joy of Christmas as achild There will come a time whenliberal minded folks will celebrateeach other’s religious holidays withgusto as we do in the Caribbean.Growing up in the Caribbean, I wasexcited about Eid and Phagwah holydays and looked forward to festivalof lights, holikah burning and sharingin the delicious foods during Eid.And like established multiculturalsocieties, each religion will be givenequal prominence. We are workingtowards that. For now, there is noshame in celebrating Christmas withour Christian friends. HappyChristmas to one and all.

Caribbean Organizations of Manitoba’s 30th anniversary this year. The flute choir is a wonderful place to develop and experiment. Monica’shope is that adult gets a chance to congregate with others and make musictogether whether it’s playing an instrument or singing. “There are two thingsthat are important to happiness: exercise and creativity,” says Monica. To me,that thought gives me great comfort and joy especially during this holidayseason.

(Photos of the flute concert courtesy of Island Vibes.

Flute Choir - continued from p2 Caribbean 55 PlusOldies Goldies Night

a Big Hit


Global Eyes is an independent magazine devoted topromoting cultural awareness of the African andCaribbean communities of Manitoba and to highlight theissues and concerns of these communities. It also aimsand promoting cultural diversity and appreciation. Itsmandate is to be a quarterly publication featuring articles,and the achievements of local, national and internationalpersonalities that are of interest to the African/caribbeancommunity, promoting healthy living by providing healthtipsand recipes as well as editorials with African/Caribbeansensibilities and letters to the editor. The Magazine isproduced under a volunteer editorial committee thatassists with proof-reading, publicity and distribution.

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Mail cheque/Money Order to: Global Eyes Magazine 671 Rathgar Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 1G6

IN THIS ISSUERegulars:Local BriefLetter to my children p11Global Counselor p11Gaffin wid Buddyp26Healthwise 18Zizi the continuing story p20

Flutes Offer Comfortand Joy - RobinDwarka

The Importance of aWill Lara Badmus-p13

Are you takingChristmas for Granted- Nadia Thompsonp13

Open Letter to theCommunity p26

Guyanese Associationof Manitoba celebratesWinners p18

CBW celebrates CarrieBest p9Piecing togetherMemories 30

Human trafficking p10

Kwanzaacelebrations p12

Poetry By Neil p21


GLOBAL EYES

MAGAZINE

Neil Pitamber,Caribbean Shield

Robin Dwarka, BoardMember, CommunityVibe

Lara Badmus, LLB

A prolific writer, poetand owner, CaribbeanShield

GEM’s RegularContributors

Discipline CounselThe Law Society of

Manitoba

Distributed to local businesses, and in Winnipegand via email to individuals in Manitoba andformer Manitobans in various parts of theworld.

To receive Global Eyes by mail please send acheque for $15.00 to:Global Eyes Magazine671 Rathgar AvenueWinnipeg, Manitoba R3L 1G6Phone: [email protected]

All contents are (c) 2011 and may not bereprinted without the express or written consentof the author or Editor.

Editor: Beatrice Watson

Out and About

Dr. Fiona Joy Green’s Practis-ing Feminist Mothering bookwas launch was held at theMcNally’s Robinson Store onDecember 4th to a large audi-

ence. Professor of Womenand Gender Studies atthe University ofWinnipeg, the bookexplores the realities offeminist mothering forboth mothers and theirchildren. The book isbased on in-depth inter-views of 16 feministmothers and their adultchildren conductedbetween 1995 and2007. It is a easy to readbook and highlyrecommended. It wouldmake a perfect gift.

GLOBALVIOLENCE

AUDIT?

Dr. MarilouMcPhedran Principal,Global College

UN Women Winnipegin conjunction with the GlobalCollege, U of W held aninformation session to discuss theimpact of military interventions,femicides and state repression inseveral hot spots. Held at the University ofWinnipeg, with ProfessorMarilou McPhedran, studentsChelsea Caldwell and MaddiePearlman from the Universityof Winnipeg Global Collegewith Song for Africa founderDarcy Ataman, presentedfacts and figures for thehighly motivated larger thanusual audience on the currentglobal trends in violenceagainst women andhighlighting new strategicresponses in differentcountries.


Local briefs

The Annual Sunrise Memorial Ceremonysponsored by the Manitoba Women’sAdvisory Council saw an increase inparticipation this year with guest speaker,Francine Pelletier, Journalist who was alsoon the list marked for murder by MarcLepine.

On December 6, 1989, Marc Lepinewalked into Ecole Polytechnique inMontreal and cold bloodedly murdered 14women in the Engineering program beforeturning the gun on himself. It has becomeone of those monumental memoryreference points for people to recall whatwas happening where they were and whatthey were doing when they heard the news.Marc Lepine had left a suicide note whichthe police hid from the public as a benevolentact to protect women from fear.

Montreal journalist Francine Pelletier,guest speaker said she fought for therelease of Lepine’s letter and when it wasreleased she said it became clear that this

Sunrise MemorialCeremony

cont’d on p17

Honourable Jennifer Howard, Minister of the Status of Womenand Francine Pelletier. Above is the lighting of 14 candles inmemory of the 14 people killed.


Editorial - Take One

Black Odyssey - by Dr. Marion James (final instalment)

The Spirit of Christmas is simple butbusiness has turned into a complicated,miserable mess with its demand for usto buy, buy, buy.

We all love to shop but when moneyis tight, the inability to respond to the

commercial messages leaves us feeling like being inthe dog house. Yes, keeping up with the Joneses is partof the commercial Christmas spirit. If someone givesus a gift we feel compelled to return the favour. Whatis the point in giving? Let’s call it gift exchange and ifyou do not want to participate in the exchange youought to be able to opt out. On many occasions wewaste precious dollars buying gifts and giving them topeople who will never use them but pack them in theirnext Canadian diabetes pick up. I think I like the ideaof giving gifts to charitable organizations that providefor the underprivileged in a person’s name than getting

a gift that will clog up my house.When we get to certain stage in our lives another

trivial gift becomes a clutter. Who needs anothermug? Another candle, another mouse trap? Iremember when my children’s grandmother startedsending them notices that she had sent a donation toa charitable organization in their name, they wereupset at first throwing away the card and feelingcheated from their gift but they now appreciate itand want to follow in that footstep. It is better togive than to receive. It is better to give a gift tosomeone who cannot afford to return the favour. Ofcourse, there is a place for gift exchange but let’sbe clear about that. Christmas should not stresspeople out; it should expand our hearts in love andcompassion. Pay no attention to the pervasivecommercials that urge you to buy.

In early 2010 I attended thepremier of the film “Bill” co-produced by Ernesto Griffith (amember of my church St.Bartholomew) and WinstonMoxam at the Park TheatreSouth Osborne.Our hero, William Beal wasborn in Massachusetts, USA.His family then moved toMinneapolis after the death of

his mom and paternal grandmother His father remarriedan Englishwoman; they lived in a white neighbourhood.It is believed that he likely had post secondaryeducation in Montana. On return to Minneapolis racism was pervasive yethe elected to move to Swan River Manitoba especiallyto escape racism. His early history is vague at times.He may have read a Black newspaper “broadaxe”which carried the article in which Manitoba’s PremierR.P. Robin encouraged people to move north. Hedecided to move to Swan River ostensibly to be afarmer but he was a steam engineer. Beal met racismofficials at the Emerson International Border but in thefilm, solving this dilemma was hilarious. Manitoba

despite having diverse cultural backgrounds wasnot free of racism.In March 1911 Customs Officers subjected 200black farmers from Oklahoma to a most rigorousexamination at Emerson even thought they hadmet all the requirements. The officials to theirchagrin couldn’t prevent entry. That year citizensfrom several Western cities including Winnipegpetitioned the Federal government to haltmovement of black onto the Prairies. The federalgovernment implemented a law whereby Borderguards could prevent entry of blacks or any otherindividuals by declaring them medically unfit.There was no appeal to this decision.Billy Beal moved to Swan River. He was theonly Black for miles around, therefore not amenace while there were instances of racism, thelove of a couple helped him through thesechallenging times. The Gunsons were not fair-weathered friends.Billy packed a pistol, was not only a steamengine engineer, a skilled carpenter, electricianand photographer but also had a workingknowledge of medicine. Chemistry and was well versed

cont’d on p24


Musical Chair brings out the competitive spirit of children of all ages

Oldies GoldiesGirl revisited

Santa chats with a fan

Council of Carribbean Organizations Family Day a Success

There were games, food and lots offun on family day but unfortunatelyit coincided with grey cup weekend

The Guyanese Cultural Organizationof Manitoba held its annual seniors supperat the Caribbean Cultural Centre. Theevent was well attended. The seniors werewell fed with a delicious supper accompa-nied by home-made ice-cream. As always this event is one to lookforward to because it is well organizedand the food is always a treat for thepalate.Daniela Archer (left) performed asolo as well as some of the seniorssang choruses.

and the fans showed up a bit laterthan sooner but it was a greatevent.


Congress of Black Women Celebrates Carrie Best

The Congress of Black Women’s UnityDinner 2011 was a formal affair with aclassy flair through and through. Thehall was beautifully decorated in whiteand yellow with lovely floralarrangement on each table. It was acelebration of culture and in particularCarrie Best who was honoured with astamp by Canada post in February 2011. Eleanor Coopsammy, journalist andanchor at CTV’s Morning Show andguest speaker highlighted theachievements of Carrie Best and thestate of affairs of black women in themedia today. Coopsammy’s packed alot of information using multimediaformat to bring her story about CarrieBest to life.

“The Clarion”. She was known forher selflessness in advocating for therights of others. She joined with ViolaDesmond who mistakenly sat in the‘whites only” section of the theatreand was charged, convicted and finedin 1946, to lobby the provincialgovernment to repeal its segregationlaw which she lived to see happen in1954. That same year Best’s radioprogram “The Quiet Corner” hit theairways. She was also a human rightscolumnist for the Pictou Advocate andcontinually spoke out againstsubstandard conditions on Nativereserves and discrimination againstblack property owners. A role model for generations of BlackCanadians, Carrie Best received theOrder of Canada, Queen ElizabethMedal, several honorary doctoratedegrees and served on the Task force onthe Status of Woman. Coopsammy said it was difficult to findinformation on Carrie Best until shecame upon her biography LonesomeRoad self published in 1977.Coopsammy said Carrie Best built abridge for other people from marginalizedbackgrounds to walk over.The entertainment was provided by DellaGaudy, Métis Youth who played thefiddle, Clifford Richards, masterCalypsonian from Trinidad and YouthHighland Dancers.Four deserving young women receivedscholarships to help with theircontinuing education at the universitylevel: Omudhohwo Oshobe, SandraAgahon; Natasha Mukumba;Tamara Lynch

Coopsammy said it waschallenging to find any blackjournalist on the air today. She was hopeful in feelingthat things are starting to change.She said that when anyonesuggests that she got the jobbecause of her colour sheresponds “just like nepotism,colour may get me in the doorbut unlike nepotism colorwouldn’t keep me there. Whatwould keep me there is talent.”The crowd cheered. She said when we find ourpassion we are driven by thecreative force through our veinslike electricity turned on and wedo not know how to do anythingdifferent. Carrie Best did what

she was called todo, speak for theunderdog neverthinking that oneday she will behonoured with astamp. Born in 1903in Glasgow NovaScotia, Best iscredited withestablishing thefirst newspapersfor BlackCanadians inNova Scotia Carrie Best

Three of the fourScholarship Winners


Kenny McLaren

Flosoul

Natalie Reynbolds

While many would be sitting with familyand friends enjoying a peaceful holiday,others will be trapped in the twilightworld in the claws of a despicablemaster who has trafficked them acrossoceans to use them as chips in anunderworld economy – humantraffickingDiane Bussy of Salvation Army,presenter at MEEAC’s forum onTrafficking against women on at theCCOM Office also brought home theseriousness of this modern dayslavery and the rise in the number ofCanadian women and girls beingtrafficked in our Canadian bordersand through Winnipeg. Human trafficking involvesrecruitment, transportation andexploitation of human beings. Thesexual exploitation of people is bigbuck, hundreds of thousands of dollarworth. This particular type of illegaltrade has low risks. Traffickers usetheir victims and when they’ve madeenough they sell them on the stockexchange of this billion dollarindustry, echoed Bussey to a sizeableaudience that Saturday morning. Human trafficking is a modern dayscourge and is operated domesticallyand internationally. Internationalvictims are trafficked acrossinternational borders. The victimsgenerally illegal or people withtemporary resident visas are keptcontrolled by lack of food and water,forced labour, domestic servitudebody houses and massage parlours.The immigration and passport sectionendeavour to control or eradicateorganized human smuggling andtrafficking of persons as much as theycan but traffickers find new ways todupe immigration officers. Canada isa preferred transit destination source

country because we have welldeveloped social assistance andmedical systems and it is a largecountry making it easy to escapeauthority. As well Canada has alarge multicultural and ethnicdiversity and has the largestunprotected border in the world.People fit it easily here.The Police are knowledgeable andfully aware of the tactics oftraffickers but in many instancesthe victims are unwilling to assist.It is difficult to identify victims offorced labour debt bondage orservitude.”

Christine Nnadi, an activist andpassionate advocate against humantrafficking said she is concerned thatmore is not done to raise awareness ofhuman trafficking in African countrieswhere women are trafficked for sexualslavery to European countries and even toCanada. She said she encounters somehere in Winnipeg. Nnadi, a member of the Congress ofBlack Women of Manitoba said shehopes that the Congress of Black Womenwill take up the issue and organize aconference or workshop to raiseawareness of African and black womenthat are caught in the web of humantrafficking.

L o r Dr. June James, Margaret Strachan, Joy Bissoon and Christine Nnadi

Local Activisit Passionate advocate against human trafficking


RegularsLetter to my children

Global Counsellor

My dear children,Christmas for me is a time offamily, of sharing and rememberfamily stories of those who havegone before us and those who arefar from us. I know it’s mind overmatter but Christmas brings onnostalgia for the old days, simplertimes when mom baked the bestblack cake in a clay oven andcaught the fattest chicken my fatherraised for Christmas dinner. Myfavourite of all was chowmeinwith shredded chicken andcabbage and pepperpot. Eventhough I love black cake now whenI was little my favourite wassponge cake. My sister Ethelbaked the best pound cake.Sometime she would create a pinkswirl in the cake using food dye. Idon’t know how she got that but itlooked good and tasted great.

I remember the excitement ofChristmas Eve as if was yesterday.The excitement building up inside ofme like yeast bread ready to pop. Icarefully hung my white socks at thehead of the bed and desperately triedto sleep so that Father Christmaswould stuff my socks with goodies. Ican’t ever remember beingdisappointed on Christmas morningwith what I found in my sock.Sometimes it was a whistle, a candyand a tangerine or some other littletoy but it was the best thing ever.Mom always taught us to hang ourhats where our hand can’t reach andnot to ever covet what my neighbourhas. Those teachings or values havestayed with me over the years andhas served me well. I alwaysappreciate what I have and admire

Dear global counsellor,My boyfriend and I broke up a

month ago. I miss him so much butI know that we’re not good foreach other. We bring out the worsein each other and recently hebecame violent. That’s when Iknew it had to end. But Christmasis around the corner and I have tostrap my hands to my side toprevent me from picking up thephone to call. He is a nice andgood person but he gets into thesemoods that turn him into an uglymonster but I keep rememberingthe good times and want to believethat it was only that one time hepushed me. I know I am onlyfooling myself. How can I get him

Dear Blues,Breaking up is always hard to do

and you have to give yourself time.Take a day at a time and each dayyou will find the pain lessens. Youhave to make up your mind that thisis the best thing for you and not justpretend while you fill your head withpossibilities of making up again.When violence enters therelationship that is a steep curvedownwards. You have to know that itis not the first time the person hasbeen violent and if you return that

what others have but never wishingwhat they have.

I think being contented, focus onyour blessings and enjoy what youhave is the best advice my mothergave me and which I would pass onto you. There will always be thosewho have more and those who haveless so why make a fuss and bemiserable. Christmas was best whentimes were simpler when a simplewhistle was a big thing and a sweettangerine was a delicious, out of theordinary treat. Life was good andbeautiful. Have a simply simpleChristmas season and enjoy what youhave not what you wish you have andyou’ve be fine, you will feel the spiritof Christmas.

will give him the permission to continuewith his abusive behaviour. In the cycleof abuse the honeymoon phase alwayskeeps a woman hooked. She reachesfor that high which after a while be-comes fewer and farther apart as theabusive cycle tightens and becomesshorter and shorter apart. Cut yourlosses now and run. Do not look back.Your friend will have to take care of hisown behaviour and if he wants tochange he will do so on his own terms.A new year is on the horizon, freeyourself from your past and face thefuture. Who knows what you will findthere.

out of my mind? Any suggestions? Ithink I am going to have a bluechristmas.

Blues


In Your Back Yard

Happy KwanzaaCongress of Black Women ofManitoba communitycelebration of Kwanzaa

The Congress of Black Women, Manitoba Kwanzaacelebration attracted some 80 plus participants at itsDecember 11th festivities at the Caribbean Cultural Centre.

Developed by Dr. Maulana Karenga in the 60s,Kwanzaa is celebrated between December 26th and Januaryl. The Congress has been celebrating Kwanzaa for 16 years.

Yvonne Sanderson wrote an original song for theoccasion which focused on the seven principles that formthe basis of Kwanzaa. These principles are: Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility,Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Faith, Creativity,

This celebration is open to the general public and one ofthe ways in which the Congress attempts to bridge culturalunderstanding.


The Importance of having a will

Wills – In this part ofthe world at least, wecan say we are in theera of Wills. A Will isa document authoredby the testator (i.e. thedeceased, prior todeath) by which they

attempt to lay out their wishesregarding their estate, and decidewhat is going to happen to thecontents of their estate after death.However, there are some veryimportant things to keep in mindregarding a Will for it to meet certainlegal requirements; otherwise a Willcould be declared invalid by law.

Probate – Probate is the process oflegally establishing the validity of aWill before a judicial authority. TheCourt has the jurisdiction to determineboth the validity of the Will, as well asits interpretation. The Court gives itscertification to the Will by issuing agrant of Probate to the Executor namedin the Will; the Executor can thenadminister the deceased’s property. Tomake the request for Probate, theExecutor must file a number ofdocuments in the Court.

Administration – In Manitoba, when

obtain legal advice regarding theprotections available to executors(e.g. executors insurance) in a worldof ever increasing litigation bybeneficiaries against executors.

5. Estate Planning- you want toavail yourself of the benefits,including tax advantages of arrangingyour property to maximize benefits toyour estate. This is a very complexarea; you need to speak to a lawyer orother expert in this area.

6. Trusts – Trusts can be createdby a Will as a way of preserving orinvesting funds for beneficiaries ofyour estate. Trusts may also be usefulto achieve tax advantages, but it isalso a complex area -speak to alawyer or other expert.

7. Guardianship of children –your wishes concerning theguardianship of your children can bedone through a Will; note though thatthis will always be subject to aCourt’s final ruling. However, yourinstructions in a Will be givenreasonable consideration by theCourt.

By: Lara Badmus, LL.B.(Lara is an employee of the Law Society

of Manitoba and cannot provide legalservices to the public).

As the snow fallsand the lights anddecorations go upwe know it’sChristmas! The

hustle and bustle of the season is a sightto see, just thinking about it makes mewant to do something nice and manypeople feel that way. Winnipeg lives upto our “friendly Manitoba” slogan whenChristmas is near.

I’ve spent most Christmases in thiscity. I’ve only been away once and thatChristmas was so different. I’m not abig fan of snow but not having snowthat year made Christmas seemed likejust another day. I realized how much Itook the snow for granted and thatwithout the snow Chrismas is incomplete.

We sometimes take Christmas forgranted. Did you know that from1659-1681 spreading Christmascheer was illegal in Boston? Yes, youcould be fined 5 shillings, which I’msure was a lot at the time. Christmaswas so inconsequential in Americathat after the Revolution was won,Congress didn’t even bother takingthe day off, instead they held thefirst Session on Christmas day. Ittook almost a century for them toproclaim Christmas a federal holiday.So when you open your mailbox andreceive that special Christmas card,note that the tradition was inventedby Sir Henry Cole in 1843.

When you exchange a MerryChristmas in one of the 150languages that you can say it in

Are you taking Christmas for Granted

a deceased dies without a Will,the interested parties may applyto Court for Letters ofAdministration to be issued.Also, where the deceased made aWill and named the Executor, butthe named Executor is unable orunwilling to act, a person mayapply for “Letters ofAdministration with a WillAnnexed”. The relatives of thedeceased can apply for Letters ofAdministration OR Letters ofAdministration with a WillAnnexed in a stipulated order ofpriority.

Why then must you begin tothink about these matters?

1. You want to be in control(to a large extent) of how yourestate will be disposed of.

2. You want to make haywhile the sun shines- you want toengage the services of an expert-for instance, a solicitor skilled inpreparing legal documents/Wills.

3. You want to save yourloved ones the expense of estatelitigation.

4. If you are named as anexecutor in a Will – you want to

whether you say Joyeux Noel (French),Feliz Navidad (Spanish), KalaChristouyenna (Greek), or MeleKalikimaka (Hawaiian), any way yousay it remember the true meaning of theseason, it’s time for giving not receiving.Many people in our friendly city gowithout not only at Christmas time butthroughout the year. Be kind to others,give a dollar to the Santa ringing the bellat the mall, place a can or two in thehamper at your office or church, andmay I suggest getting your children outto volunteer at Winnipeg Harvest or theSalvation Army and teach them the spiritof sharing and giving

Let’s not take this time for granted likethe snow - Merry Christmas everyone!


Saturday, November 19, 2011 was a memorable day. Thedebut NICCOM TALENT SHOW sponsored by DanielMcIntyre and St. Matthews Community Association(DMSMCA) and ably supported by the General WolfeSchool was a real deal, a blast per excellence! In additionto having dozens of children in elementary and highschools showcase their talents, many adult artists, singers,comedians and martial arts practitioners and instructorscame out to showcase their talents as well. The Hon.Andrew Swan, Minister of Justice and Attorney Generalinspired and empowered all participants, citing examplesand encouraging participants, particularly the young onesto go for gold as the sky is their beginning. Hon. Swanshared his own life story of how he grew up in the

NICCOM DAZZLES COMMUNITY WITH TALENT SHOWEXTRAVANGANZA

community to make use of the opportunities, including his owninvolvement in sports and completing his legal education at theUniversity of Manitoba. On hand to grace the occasion andsupport the Talent Show Extravaganza participants are thePrincipal of General Wolfe School (official sponsor of the eventvenue) and the Vice Principal of Greenway School. Therepresentative of their major sponsor of the event, the DanielMcIntyre and St. Matthews Community Association (DMSMCA)was also at the event to interact with participants and enjoy theshow of talents. An icing to the event was the palatable rice andchicken with a variety of drinks to wash down the delicious food.This event was packaged by the Nigeria-Canada Congress ofManitoba (NICCOM) - a multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic, and multiracial community organization.

Hope Mattus, whoperformed the role of theelder and led the Kwanzaaceremony is seated on theright with YvonneSanderson at the podiumenergizing the audiencewith her composition ofKwanzaa song. Everyoneappeared to enjoy the songwith its typical Caribbeanriddims


By. Sharmela Sukhdeo-RamballySaturday November 19, 2011 is a day to put into the

record books.Starting with having the Honourable Harry Narine

Nawbatt, High Commissioner of join us in celebratingour award recipients with an extravagant evening ofcommunity fellowship, food, entertainment and fun.

The evening commenced with the singing of ourbeloved countries national anthem sung by Miss TashinaKaidnath (age 7) and Miss Sophia Guyadin (age 5), thenwas entertained by a beautiful dance by the GuyaneseAssociation of Manitoba dance duo of Fernaz Shariffand Reetika Sharda both age 7.

As the evening’s (MC) mistress of ceremonies I wasvery impressed and happy to see our youth take initiativein learning and performing our cultural dance andheritage with pride.

Glancing at the guests, including City Councillor RussWyatt and Legislative Minister Flor Marcelino andawardees enjoying themselves gave me and my fellowexecutives and organization members a sense of proud ofwhat we have achieved.

The night was very successful not only for the 14awardees but also for the 3 Rivers Kids Foundationswith an amazing gift from our guests. A donation of$7,500, surpassing the 2009 total was gladly received

Guyana Association of Manitoba celebratesAward Winners

by the representatives and thanks bellowedgleefully to all.Seeing the generosity and being present tocelebrate our community, HonourableNawbatt stated how “very happy andimpressed he is to know that presidentKamta Roy Singh and the members of theGuyanese Association have managed to keepthe culture, heritage and pride for ourbeloved Guyana going strong now and forthe future.”


BLACK ANGLOPHONE CARIBBEAN HEROES OF THE 20TH CENTURY - Keith A. P. Sandiford

Dylan Gaudy, International Fidder

The Mighty Fe- CalypsoMonarch

The McDonnell School of Irish Dance

Entertainers at the Congress of BlackWomen Unity Dinner


was not a random act of violence but adeliberately planned and executedmassacre of women who were doingsomething that Marc Lepine felt theyshould not do. “The Montreal Massacre changedmy life because until that moment Ithought we had it made. I realizedthat we still need to fight women’srights.” She said that sexual cultural revolutionhas given way to individualism, and thatthe old stereotypes are coming backfast and furious. There is no goingback.” She urged women to continue thefight until violence against womenbecomes unacceptable.

cont’d from p6 Winnipeggers from the variousethno cultural organizationscelebrated with the Citizen’s EquityCommittee at its annual meet andgreet event on December 13th.

They were treated to a wine andcheese reception at whichCouncillor Mike Phagtakhan CECChair informed the communityabout projects the Committee iscurrently working on and introducedthe members of the Council to theCommittee members and to thecity’s newest Chief Operation Off. Mr. Deepak Josh, the first visibleminority Chief Operating Officer inthe City of Winnipeg was thekeynote speaker at this event. Mr.Josh is originally from India but haslived in Canada for a long time. Hehas been with the City in variouscapacities for more than 25 years.

Mr. Josh said that while he hasexperienced discrimination he alwaystried to maintain a positive attitude to life.He said the City’s motto is “One with thestrength of many.” He said someone described being avisible minority in the US is like playing ahome game in a foreign soil. “We want everyone to feel they have ahome advantage” he said. Mr. Josh said he has always felt at homein Winnipeg and loved Winnipeg becauseof its diversity and cultural mosaic. “I grew up in this city that gave meopportunities. I always felt Winnipeg hasbeen home to me and my family.”

Winnipeg Citizenship and Equity CommitteeHoliday Reception

(See pictorial on p31)


HEALTHWISEClementies contain choline,potassium, B Vitam, Folate anda healthy dose of antioxidants.Here are to reasons you maywant to include this in your dietin the new year.1. Clementines are a source ofvitamin C:2. They're great for dentalhealth

3. Protect your liver with clementines:4. Clementines are a source of folate:5. Clementine oil is a potent antioxidant:After the holidays many people start looking for theirnext weight loss gig. It's not a gig. Weight managementhas to include a lifestyle change.These tips can get your weight loss started quickly1. Start a love affair with healthy food such as greenveggies, berries, grapefruit, or kiwi.2. Beat cravings with healthy snacks3. Start the day with protein to avoid sugar cravings.Tryeating dinner for breakfast. To calculate your dailyprotein needs, take your weight in kilograms andmultiply it by 0.8. For example, a women who is 135lbs converts to 62 kg x 0.8 = 50 grams of protein.4. Keep your blood sugar steady by eating every two tothree hours. Pack snacks everywhere you go. If youstockpile the right stuff in your office drawers, purse,and glove compartment, you’ll remove the temptation totake trips to the vending machine or corner store.Natural meal-replacement bars, pre-washed babycarrots, and 71 percent cocoa butter chocolate makegreat energy-boosting snacks for that afternoon energyslump.5. The crock-pot is your best ally for winter weightloss. Soup makes you feel warm and full, and it can bepacked with veggies. Add beans and free-range poultryto boost the protein, and opt for tomato or onion brothover heavier cream-based soups.6. Think tropical with coconuts. Coconuts have beendemonized for having too much saturated fat, but it turnsout that not all saturates are created equal. The fleshand milk of these giant seeds contains a very special fatcalled medium-chain tri-glycerides (MCTs), which thebody burns as fuel instead of storing as fat. Enduranceathletes turn to coconut-based supplements to delayexhaustion. So, if your marathon work week is runningyou down, reach for the coconut milk and add flavourand energy to your soups, shakes and desserts.7. Try a green smoothie. If you start your day with anenergizing green drink, you can count yourself in fortwo to three servings of veggies right off the top. Somany of us struggle to eat in the morning, when it is

most important. This alkalizing drink starts the motor runningand will raise your energy levels.8. Pick up a healthy meal-replacement bar. If you are toobusy to cook, there are new snack bars on the market thatare made with only raw nuts and fruits blended intoamazing variations. Meal-replacement bars make surethat your blood sugar does not plummet, which is criticalto avoid moodiness and unstoppable cravings. When yourtime is limited, enjoy a whey-protein shake withblueberries and cinnamon to add a dash of warming spiceto your winter regime.9. Reward yourself for healthy habits. Give yourself a non-food reward, like an aromatherapy scent, when you reach aweek of making 10 good choices a day. The uplifting scentof grapefruit essential oil, applied topically, is said to increasethe circulation that helps break up cellulite.10. Make sure you get your Bs. Supplementing with Bvitamins can be a huge boost in your weight loss routine.B vitamins spin your carbs into energy inside every cellof your body. Greater energy expenditure means morecalories of fuel burned. It is a fantastic way to blastexhaustion and also keep your emotional balance. Sincemost overeating is tied to emotional comfort binges,keeping an even keel with a B-complex supplement iscritical for the long-term permanent weight loss.Nutritionist Julie Daniluk hosts Healthy Gourmet, areality cooking show that looks at the ongoing battlebetween taste and nutrition. Her soon-to-be-publishedfirst book, Meals That Heal Inflammation, advises onallergy-free foods that both taste great and assist the bodyin the healing process.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Recipe1/4 cup milk4 teaspoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder2 teaspoons granulated sugarDash ground ancho chile pepper1 oz. Kahlua½ oz. tequila ½ oz. Cinnamon Liqueur1/8 teaspoon cinnamon½ teaspoon sugarDash ground ancho chile pepperGarnish (optional): whipped cream, cinnamon & ancho chilepepper sugar. One cinnamon stick per cup.1.Mix together in a small bowl and set aside for garnishcinnamon, sugar and ancho chile pepper.2.Whisk together milk, cocoa powder, ancho chile pepper andgranulated sugar in microwave safe cup. Microwave on high for30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until hot andsmooth.3.Mix in Kahlua, tequila and cinnamon liqueur. Pour into servingglass.4.Top with: whipped cream, sprinkle of cinnamon/chile sugar.5.Garnish with cinnamon stick


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Officer Sheppard andSandra Housen

The Congress of Black Women ofManitoba gives out annual

scholarship to help young womenwith their academic studies. Four

scholarships of close to $10000were given out at the Caongressof Black Women Unity Dinner

Lois stewart-Archer presentsto Sandra AghahonScholarship Winner

Antoinette Zloty, President, CBWpresents to Tamara Lynch

Lois Archer VP, CBWScholarship winnert


Zizi - The Continuting Story

Maiko Live at the West End Concert a Winner

The visit to the mall did not yield anyintelligence. The story was all over the mediaas a drug bust gone wrong. Zizi could not getthe woman out of her head. What did she do?Why did they execute her? She worried thather showing up at Johnny’s place might havehad something to do with it or perhaps she didsomething to let on that she is with the policeand the girl had to die. Zizi was feeling allkinds of emotions but one stood out anger.She was angry for this cold blooded murder ofa nice woman and she was determined to bringher killers to justice.

How about if we block the exits out of thecity and alert our colleagues. These peoplewho are responsible are dangerous.

Leyroy and Zizi were dispatched to visit theparents, friends or family anyone they can findwho could shed light on this woman’s friendsand associates. They realized their work wascut out for them.

Zizi told Leyroy she wanted to return to theapartment. The surroundings were sealed offwith the police yellow tape.

A lone woman was standing outside the homeclearly upset. Zizi went over to her.

“Do you know what went on here?”“My daughter was murdered in this building.

The police found her body dumped in the trashin a garbage bag. She was a good girl just losther way but she called me two days ago andsaid that she was coming home, that’s she tiredof life on the streets. I told home why not now,come now. I was waiting for this moment forthree years. It was like music to my ears butshe said she’s waiting for some money thatsomeone owed her and that he wasn’t going toget away with it.”

“Did she give you a name?”“No, but obviously it’s someone she

knew and worked with or lent moneyto. She was on the wrong side of thelaw, you know involved with drugs andso on”.

“Here’s my card, if you think ofanything at all call me, if you knowwhere I can contact any of herfriends, let me know. I am so sorryfor your loss”

“Thanks and you who are you andwhat’s this to you? I am just lookingfor some tips because if I can give thepolice useful information, I can makesome money for myself and help putthe bad guys behind bars.”

“Maybe you can check herFacebook page to see some of herfriends there she has many pictures ofall kinds of people there. She usedher real name Candy Zaldisky. Mypoor baby, I am so heartbroken,talking to you have helped feel bettersomehow”

“Thanks, I wish I could do more tohelp but I’ll work hard to get the guywho did this. I promise. Call me atthat number anytime if you think ofanything. Bye”.

“What a great tip her mom justgave us. Let’s find a computer beforesomeone shuts down her FB account,we’ll check the photos there maybesomething will show up.,” Zizi said toLeyroy and they headed for the car.

Just as they turned around a tall fatguy approached.

“Looking for something, someone, Ican help.”

“Oh, well, I’m looking for Johnnyhe’s got something for me.”

“A lot of people looking for Johnnybut he’s gone in the country to see hisold mama.”

“When will he be back?” “I suppose when the coast is clear” “Did he take all the stash? Who’s

taking care of his business?” “He’s left people in charge and I’m

one of them. He told me someone likeyou would have come looking and that Ishould fix you up real good.”

“Well, I don’t have the money now. Ihad it that day but I can get it later today,where can I find you?”

“You’ll find me right about here.” “Okay, will be back in a hour, man.

Thanks” Zizi said and added “by the waywhat happened to what’s her face?”

“What happens when people try todouble cross their friends, bad thingshappen.”

“Did she double cross Johnny?” “No, not Johnny but some other dude

from the West end. They say it’s anAfrican gang.”

“So, why did Johnny had to leave, hehad nothing to fear”

Sure he did, the police would comesniffing around his stuff because she wasa customer and a sales staff as well sothere’s the link.”

“There’s the link indeed.”

Support for Maiko Watson’s concert atthe West End Cultural Centre withRenee Batson as opening act.

The band was a great compliment andeven though practise time was limited itcame out swinging.

Maiko looked relaxed on stage as theaudience energy drove up her own.

At the end of the evening, most peoplefelt they got their money’s worth andmore.

Renee Batson has been singing foryears but she had taken some time off to

deal with personal issues butnow she’s back “I’m determinedto make her mark on the R&Band hip hop scene, and she willbecause Renee is talented andcan sing. MC Hardrock andTunyia accompanied her act.

Terry McLeod of the CBCInformation Radio was the hostof the event and McLeod said hewas impressed with both act andso was everyone else. Youmissed it you missed something!

CCOM New Year’s Eve Ball at1100 Fife street,8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.Clebrate the New Year withChampagne, spread of snacks,party favors and a lively countdown with DJ VibesmanTickets and Admission $25.00Don’t miss this party. This ischeap for New Year’s Eve, so startcashing in.

IN THE MIX


A GLORIOUS MESS My mistletoes are frozen...Only one way to defrost!The streets are full of ‘wonderful’(With painted ribbons on the bus!)My breath drops in icicles asI lift my eyes to caress yours’Snow dancing on foreign shores’ I look so deeply into you...That’s all I seem to see!Standing in awe of my ownPersonal ‘Nativity Scene’You offer me your handAnd I bless new with a kissThe perfect Christmas gift...

ALL ROADS I lift my head gently off the floorAnd stare mid-eyed the windowsillWhere clouds of grey have smashedTo atoms, fall in form of flaked decay...The tree outside draws his name onMy window in some special languageAnd the sound of bells enter my earsAnd two hooks drop from either eyeTo lift my smile this ‘Christmas Day’

’The lights outside are summer rainbowThe ground is crispy and iced and white’If there was ever a perfect timeI hope you find your way tonight...

RED LETTER DAYSlap-happySalt water taffee and cream!You seem to have beenEverywhere I’ve meant to see!If I had to choose somethingFor you to taste like?Something with sugarBut awfully light!Strawberries butter syrupAnd hot pillow cakes!You really are the differenceI had hoped you would make!Peppermint schnappsHibiscus cranberry greens!You seem to have beenEverywhere I’ve made a scene!But you found it in you toLove me any wayIcing powdered sugarFrost all the way...!

THE GENIAL FLAMEWind stumbles past us upon the roofAnd snow spits up in vexing geysersTo kiss the hostile atmosphere aboveThe maple rich scent of apple cidersThe trees are cold and petrifiedNo public interest in spiritual designMaterial things do help us smileClosest approach at Christmas time’You have your viewLet them have theirs...’Agree to disagree one more year...Earth is not sterile but dormant asleepEclipsed on occasions from the seasonal fluMistletoe up and the world underneathA primary reservoir we can’t tap enoughinto...

STOLEN MOMENT Avocado oil is not muchOf a conversation pieceUnless you have fifty-five to the gallonIndeed you have a style’You trend with disbelief’(And all the social appeals of a melon)We spend a lot of our livesClosed tight inside a viceWe spend it locked inside a pivotJust watching and waitingAnd watching and waitingFor something special to happen...

HALCYON ...perfectly abreastFootsteps break crisp and frigid...peacefully at restFootprints upon the shadowlandGravely preserved in the fringesAnd farewell not only to armsBut for all appendagesForgiveness not only for faultsA cure too, of grudges’I’d like to think I was principledBut not having adapted any oneI’d like to think I was nuetral butNot fixed to the sense of it aloneI’d like to think you were too farTo forgive at such a short noticeI’d like to think so for of this thereShall be no resurrection similar toThe intrepid ‘Sherlock Holmes’Or any of the things we’ll miss....(Tread softly, should you comeI’m not really expecting anyoneOr hoping for anyone, anymore)...

WEINACHTENWho is the man with the pony-tail moustacheAnd the ripe cherry cheeks about to burst...?!He’s smiling like he’s known me my entire life!He looks like a wood-burning stoveWith a red suit on and his lips are smiling tightAnd star anise and cinnamon and cloves are inThe air tonight...It’s so lovely The wind is blowing powdered sugar on to myLips and the grains are freezing solid from theIrresistable kiss...Milk gushing from a water fountain and cookiesKeeping warm by a fire pitThe childhood years are the best in a mans’lifeIt doesn’t matter who he isAt Christmas...Every man is a kid...

THE SURPLUSPOPULATION To describe the things I feelSnowglobe might put it best(But the upside down feelingDoes not settle in this chest)Children are brought upon usAnd become part of the messMen will cross until we draw the lineWe don’t need to have aChristmas tree for eachFor these stars to shineI’m blessed with more than adequateMemory to just remember at this timeWhen I see the things I haveThere is enough to re-investTo remove the ‘wreck’ from ‘correct’Mouths are sore and seepingAnd flesh salty from weepingLet’s put the ‘me’ back in this ‘mess’...

Poems by Neil Pitamber


MAIKO & RENEE AT THE WECC

Renee Batson

Maiko Watson

T.J. Pepper Maiko watson Tynisha Goddard

MC Hardrock


-

JEWEL BURNS LUSTROUS - Neil Pitamber

LOLA’SPremierBeautyGalleryfor allyour

BeautyNeeds

I spoke to a dear friend of mine the other day, offering methe sentiment that his family would be putting off Christmasfor another year. The coarse reality of that statementshaves dangerously close to the economic face of thiscountry today. Many of you here in Winnipeg championyour decision to remain here as a conscious one but I thinkwhere West Indians are concerned it is, quite simply,difficult to lift our feet once we have set it down. Forsome of you ‘casually inquiring’, this is one of the reasonswhy ‘Caribbean Shield’ is still seventy-five percentfunctional and aiming to refine our operation in the comingyear. We’ve found a cause to reckon with and if it’sfavourable, we’re going nowhere soon from here.

A daily visit to Kijiji.ca reminds me that we reallyaren’t lagging far behind the stresses affecting cities likeToronto and Alberta - only that our provincial governmentis pouring funding into the infrastructure and all the hypesurrounding the return of the Winnipeg Jets has proven tobe good for the city, thus far. A new stadium is also in theworks, along with the completion of the Canadian Museumfor Human Rights, and expansion of American businessescity-wide such as Wal-Mart and Target. But the smallershops are going the way of the Caribbean monk seal;

personal attention is dissipating, jobs are lostand enthusiasm is hard to regenerate at thistime of season. Despite, perhaps, a usualand innate need to be a part of the tableauof ornaments, wreaths and choruses. If you, or someone you know orlove, has been struck with this particularproblem - I am asking you to do your best to set pastgrievances aside and encourage them to - get back ontheir (your) feet. It doesn’t last forever and you may bedenying yourself participation in one of the most specialtimes of the year. I don’t know that anyone is as vocalabout the inconsistency of success as I am, and even thenI have lost on other levels too. I think I can speak, thoughlightly, the same for Dino and Bharat, and any of youthat lost someone you really loved in the last twelvemonths. Loss is a terrible feeling and a lack of gain sitsshyly under it, but things do get better; if we can learn toembrace brevity, imagine what we may have to do toentertain ourselves in an eternity! Happy Holidays, Neil


in law. He was an avid reader.He claimed he had a medicaldegree but was not listed withthe College of Physicians andsurgeons. Entry to Canada wasbased on being a farmer.To get a homestead he wasrequired to clear 60 acresin three years however he

took nine years to clear15 acres but gotownership any way. Afarmer he was not.On March 1, 1912, tenratepayers from theBig Woody area about12 miles northwest ofthe Town of SwanRiver gathered to

discuss the formationof a new SchoolDistrict. Recordingthe minutes was 38year old Billy Beal.Three months later hewas elected Trusteeand appointedSecretary-treasurer ofthe Board of Trustees.

He remained on the board for38 years.Beal was instrumental indeveloping the first circulatinglibrary to the school system inManitoba. In 1922 he formedthe literary society. Every twoweeks there was an evening ofdebates, plays poetry readingsor concerts. His greatestlegacy to the community andManitoba is his photographywhich peaked between 1915and 1925. He was not aprofessional photography butrather a hobbyist. His passionfor recording his neighboursand the surroundings allowsus to glimpse pioneer life inSwan River and capture thesocial and economicconditions of the times. Billy Beal was an amazingblack man light years ahead ofhis time. The film won theManitoba Human RightsCommitment Award 2010 So there we have it. BlackHistory Month our history inCanada and stories of twoherpes Ferguson Jenkins ofChatham Ontario and BillyBeal of Manitoba. Watch forthe movie.

Continued from p7

“God givesnothing to thosewho keep theirarms crossed.” -African Proverb


December 12, 2011We are writing to you about an exciting event to usher in2012 in a way we think you will find significant. Your opinion and input is expressly needed about thecreation of a unified, national voice to represent Afrikoriented organizations and business interests in Canada. Itis our community’s time to shine and to show what wecan do now and into the future of Canada. We envision a collaborative effort spearheaded by TheBaobab Canadian Society. Its mission is to serve ourcommunity’s needs and to serve as an umbrellaorganization that will encompass and respect current andactive organizations and initiatives as well as encouragegrowth and development. Your individual associations’ perspectives are important.These will strengthen our communal resources and willenable us to be heard by governments, academicinstitutions and the business community.The groundwork has already been laid by The BaobabCanadian Society. It has been registered for a number ofyears and support exists in the government, academic andbusiness communities. Together, we can meet challenges and can capitalize onour community’s rich talents, knowledge and developingeconomic potential. To this end, we are planning anational conference anticipated for February 2012. TheBaobab Canadian Society hopes to gather top leadersfrom across the country. At this meeting, we willintroduce Baobab’s mission, chart our activity as a groupfor the upcoming years and to prepare for a largergathering of Government representatives and decisionmakers where we will present a national strategic plan forour community. Your input is invited, in fact it is critical as we bringtogether Afrik businesses and organizations andgovernments to meet in a collaborative Canadian way andto forge best ways to serve our community within theresources of our Canadian home.We need to nurture and inspire our own people, newimmigrants, refugees and long time citizens alike and getthem involved in the community, to integrate and tobenefit from resources. Our youth need to be introducedto corporate forerunners and government officials so thatthey glimpse their possibilities and are inspired to achievethrough education, accountability and action and becomeour future corporate and government leaders. Can we count on your contribution to shaping oursuccessful future? Consider getting involved; make yourself and yourpotential known. We hope you’ll respond and share your

Excerpt from the BAOBAB BACKGROUNDER sent tolocal, provincial and federal government representativesand presented at a round table meeting held in spring 2011in Vancouver, BCTHE BAOBAB CANADIAN SOCIETYIts purpose is to act as a national umbrella organizationcovering all of the diverse facilities and assistance groupssituated in the various Afrik communities throughout Canadaas well as form new groups that will aid to the integration ofall Afrik people into Canadian culture and build a strongeconomic development process that will produce a concreteresult for growth.The origins and significance of BaobabA tree in Africa called the ‘Baobab’ known for itstremendous size and distinctive properties is regarded as asource of food, water, shelter and relief from sickness’ andis used for many life-sustaining purposes; its name isrevered by African people and recognized to mean Unity –Diversity – Strength.Forming a unique umbrella organization under the nameBAOBAB would be clearly understood to Africancommunities. The name conveys powerful concepts andsymbols to the African mind and spirit. It would be atremendous aid toward achieving our goals in becomingvalued citizens contributing to this great country Canada thatwe all call home.Afrik communities in Canada are widely diverse in theirethnicity, culture, morals, languages, traditions, customs andbeliefs. It is The BAOBAB CANADIAN SOCIETY’s desireand goal to help bring greater unity to the whole of thesecommunities while retaining their essential diversity and tooverall assist in the integration of all into the broaderCanadian society. For more information contact:Honore M. Gbedze Publisher / Editor Tel: 604.646.0474 / Fax:

604. 646-0473 Email: [email protected]

opinions. Our collective future as Canadians remains in thehands of all of us – working together

Baobab Canadian Society aims to Unite and Serve

“Success is to be measured not somuch by the position that one hasreached in life as by the obstacleswhich he has overcome while trying tosucceed.” -Booker T. Washington


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Yeah man, ah bin to Maiko cansat atde West end Cultural Centre, fus timeme bin in dat place buoy an it nice.De acoustic was perfect. If yuh seepeople! De place was packed manwid lats ah de community folks.Maiko gat talent buoy, dat girl couldsing. Sheh gat a sweet, sweet voice.

Renee Batson de opening act was really goodtoo. I did see she at de Soca Festival dis year anwas impressed wid she. She gat a strong, strangvoice. Fuh me it’s eitha yuh singing or reciting apoem but it is de young people ting wha me know.Ah can only seh me opinion -tanks to Global EyesMagazine dat gimme me lil soapbox. Discommunity gat lats a talent. Eh, eh, me see me name sake an he start talkingbout Guyana Elections and de rigging and whathave yuh. Ah tink rigging election is happeningall ova de world dese days not only in tird woldcountries. Powa sweet wheh eva yuh fin it. InRussia de seh Putin rigged dat election too,because he doan want to give up powa, duringBush secand term de seh he rigged de baxes inFlorida. So dis is not a Caribbean ting like mefrien was telling me. Palitics is a dirty gameman. Me ent gat time wid dat you know. In disworl is survival of de fittest. Saw an article in de Free Press de adda dayabout Kwanzaa party dat de Congress of BlackWomen had at de Caribbean Cultural Centre onFife Street. Ah did some research into Kwanzaaand it sounds like a nice thing to do. A Blackprofessor from Africa, Dr. Maulana Karengastarted dis ting that bring back some ole values ofour African ancestors for the Black Americansand Blacks outside Africa to practice an fallow.How come I neva hear about dis befor. After allde shame some a dem priest bring on ChristianityI tink fallowing Kwanzaa principles can mek wepeople much stranger. These principles – unity,cooperative economics, self-reliance, faith,creativity and so on is good fuh de children, gehdem pride in de people and if de fallow deseprinciples man I tink it can be a recipe fuhsuccess of dis next generation. If yuh neva hearbout Kwanzaa jus type in de word on de internet.Happy holidays friends. It’s me Buddy.


THE FA LA LA LAWD FADA Neil PitamberYou know, gentle reader, when I take an inventory of thenames of Santa’s’ eight reindeer I’m compelled tolaugh. It’s a good laugh and maybe one where only myCaribbean people are able to contribute an odd chuckle.‘Dasher,’ as in salt and massala; ‘Vixen’; ‘Blitzen,’have reefer, will travel; ‘Dancer’, ‘Prancer’; ‘Comet,’who I venture the guess is a bit of a gossip, since hisname sounds an awful lot like ‘commesse’; ‘Cupid,’ asin a Vincentian or two; and ‘Donner,’ as in ‘dada’ or‘gargon’, round off the team.This time of year my family and I are missing thepageantry of Toronto lights, but even they have littlecomparison to the trees lined with silicone frosting andthe land-locked frozen lakes of Manitoba. I get tothinking that economic strife had a greater role to playin Caribbean spirituality than I previously thought. Afterall, there are still many of us, while accepting ‘Christ’as our Lord and Saviour do yet dispute the punctuationof the ceremony; citing an incorrect date, compiling onegenuine celebration with the material trimmings of pop-cultural favourite, and a folk hero that challenges - andin some younger eyes - even outranks the miraclesperformed by a Supreme Holiness. Having lived asmany years away from Guyana it’s a curiosity to me,much more to my children, how our relatives in theCaribbean can appreciate the climatic content of theholiday -especially with a sun that bakes the skin likeblack cake all year round. Still, it is something isn’t it?

There is no other time of year when wetolerate lactose-intolerance, in seduction ofthe rum-laced nectar of ‘Punch A Creme’; orwelcome the burning gush of ginger outside ofa fresh cold, as when sorrel trickles greedilydown our gullets; when red meats pale incomparison to the colour of the eyes sizing them up;when even ole higues and so couyants are unable toresist the aromatic symphonies of garlic pork andsmoked ham, acapella in unison, stuffed with cloves,sometimes sparingly rubbed with cane sugar. Is thereany other time of the year when children willingly andmiraculously recall and recite all hymns in church in adesperate attempt to flee quickly, to return home, havethe scent of fresh baked bread hook them by the nostrilsand thrust them to their seats for Christmas dinner?Imagine how little recognition we pay to neighboursand friends in the months before who entertain andjoin us in festivity and libation; carolling, arms andarsesto ‘pirranda,’ their fingers picking, cuatro andbanjo strings, the homemade decorations, theChristmas card tree, fairy lights tressed upon verandas,the gallons of rice wine, babash and bush rum, enoughto be considered an alternative source of fuel! Oh yes,with all this in mind, I suppose it isn’t too hard torealize how we celebrate back home. From my familyto yours, we at Caribbean Shield wish you a veryMerry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

To commemorate the 45th Anniversary of Barbados’Independence, Barbadian born Dr Ertrice Eddy was infine form and good humor when she delivered her

keynote speech on Saturday November19, 2011 at the Canad Inns Polo Park.She emphasized how caring forsomeone suffering trauma from a braininjury can help others in their dailylives.

It was once thought, said Dr Eddy, thatpost hospital patients, had a survivalwindow of two years. With time andpatience, people have survived for 10years since it is now discovered that thebrain with CPR (not Cardio PulmonaryResuscitation), has the ability to restoreitself.

Dr. Eddy elaborated on the components of CPR,emphasizing that, while no two patients are alike,treatment and relationship between patient and careprovider require consistency, cooperation, celebrationof small victories, also communication, with the use ofhands when the ability to speak may be lost. She told astory to underline the importance of patience, the needfor positive feedback, participation of the recipient anda pragmatic approach to care. We must also recognize,she said, that the patient is still a human being withfeelings and there is always hope for a recovery.

In conclusion, Dr Eddy reemphasized that in cases ofNeuro Habilitation, the components of CPR are veryimportant. We must always remember though thatphilosophically these components also apply to dailyliving.

Strategies in dealing with Physical Habilitation after Neurological Trauma


One can argue that there is nosuch thing as "Caribbean music". Aplethora of countries and islandsmake up the Caribbean, each withdistinctly different cultures eventhough they may share similarhistories as a result of the slave trade,indentureship and colonialism. Onemay suggest, however, that even withvariations in cultural characteristicsand practices, Caribbean societiesshare many similarities due theirproximity to each other. TheCaribbean is by no means ashomogenous a society as outsidersthink however, Where differences inlanguage exist, the differences aremore pronounced.

The Caribbean's musical rootsemanate from shared historicalevents and from a combination ofdifferent ethnic influences. This articlewill look at some of the music of theCaribbean that may have origins inparticular Caribbean countries, buthave been adopted by other Carib-bean countries.

In the French and Spanish speakingCaribbean, the music has a moreFrench and Latin flavor respectively.The Calypso is perhaps the mostdistinctive and one of the betterknown music genres. It is hugelypopular in all English speaking Carib-bean countries but originated inTrinidad and Tobago. Calypso wasfirst recorded in 1912, but the seedsof the calypso music were certainlysown during the slavery era. By the1920's, Calypso carnivals became afixture of the music scene andcontinues to this day.

Calypso music lyrics were alwayssomewhat x-rated, long before theemergence of Rap music in theUSA. Just a few years ago on a tripto the Caribbean with my family, wewere captive audiences of the raw

Another legendwho played apivital role ingrowth andpopularity of thereggae musicgenre is ofcourse, BobMarley. Whodoesn't have allor most of BobMarley's albums?He has certainlydeveloped a cult following and his songsare as relevant today as they ever were.

The Steel Pan is more a musicalinstrument than a type of music but adistinctly Caribbean music stylenevertheless. Also known as SteelDrums, they are musical instruments,originally made from 55 gallon steel oroil drums. The Steel Pan has its earlyroots in drumming by African slaves.Originating in Trinidad and Tobago, thesteel pan was used in early Mardi Grasparades and today, they are a fixture inthe country's annual carnival. You don'thave to visit the Caribbean to hear steelpan music. You can get your fix of steelpan music by joining a local group orattending festivals and occasions hostedby the Caribbean community and othermainstream organizations.

Many other music genres can be foundin the Caribbean. Salsa music is morepopular in latin Caribbean such asCuba, Puerto Rico and the DominicanRebublic. It doesn't really matter whichcountry a specific type of musicoriginated, they have all been adoptedas Caribbean music and they are all partand parcel of the musical life andcultural experiences of the Caribbeanpeoples.

Roots and Rhythms of Caribbean Musiccalypso music played on the bus,as I apologetically explained itaway to my guests. But yourchildren can listen to mostcalypso music played on theradio today as the x-rated onesare censored.

Calypso was originally usedas a method of spreading thenews around the island, andcalypsonians insisted on freespeech as their lyrics tackledeverything from politicalcorruption to prostitution.

Growing up with Reggaemusic made my world a veryjoyful place. Bob Marley wasand still is, one of my musicalheroes. Reggae is a relativelynew Caribbean music style,having developed in the 1960's.Reggae was born out of themore traditional Ska and RockSteady genre, all of which havetheir origins in Jazz, blues, andcalypso.

The growth and popularity ofreggae is largely attributable toacts like Toots and the Maytals,Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer andof course Bob Marley. The1972 movie "The Harder TheyCome", staring another reggaeicon Jimmy Cliff, popularizedreggae music in North America. Iwas fortunate to reconnect withthe intoxicating beat of the musicof Jimmy Cliff when he headlinedthe Winnipeg Folk Festival acouple years ago.

Reggae music has become aninternational phenomena, sungand played by artists ofdifferent musical styles around theworld. The influences of reggaemusic has been incorporated inthe songs of artists from EricClapton to the Police.


Caribbean-Canadian Writers Publish AnthologyKen Ramphal, Ram Jagessar, Harry

Persaud, Naraine Datt, Habeeb Alliand Roop Misir.

Roraima is a newly publishedanthology of poetry from emergingCaribbean-Canadian writers, KenRamphal, Ram Jagessar, HarryPersaud, Naraine Datt, Habeeb Alliand Roop Misir.

The anthology reveals itself in 75poems from the six differentviewpoints of these formerCaribbean immigrants who havemade a new life in a new country, aspart of a massive Caribbeanpopulation of well over a millionand an Indo-Caribbean community ofsome 250,000.

There isn't much wallowing innostalgia here. The poets havememories and connections, good andbad, with the Caribbean, but theircentre of gravity is firmly where theylive in North America.

New and somewhat differentCaribbean men and women areemerging, and they all believe that is

so wish to stay," is how they feel.They tend to have a more criticaleye towards their former Caribbeanhomelands, now seen as ThirdWorld countries with all thatimplies, though they are careful notto say that to the easily angeredCaribbean natives.

These are all slices of Caribbeanlife and attitudes in Canada, all cutfrom real life, showing how thecommunity is coming of age andbecoming independent. It's asituation mostly unknown to thefolks "back home", fixed in a 1970sand 1980s image of Caribbeanexiles in Canada freezing at the busstop, longing for a good peppersauce and wanting desperately to goback home.

Something new and mostly good ishappening in Toronto, and also inMontreal, Winnipeg, Calgary,Vancouver, and similar groups areemerging in New York, Miami andFort Lauderdale in the U. S.

a good thing, indeed.The "Caribbeans" are no

longer exiles but seethemselves as having a life oftheir own. Their focus point haslong ceased to be theCaribbean, and they are mostlyCanadian and U.S. citizensnow, with a broader vision ofthe world and their place in itthan the "fresh off the plane"Trinis and Guyanese of pastyears. Many are older too,parents and grandparents; mosthave done fairly well, and havequietly abandoned originalideas of returning "home".Their real home now is Canada,the U.S., Britain, wherever theyhave lived the last few decades.

They don't want to beassimilated into the Whitemainstream culture here, oreven become part of themassive South Asian contingent.

"We are our own people, and

Lily Rosenberg, Canadian Human RightsCommission (CHRC) member of theorganizing Comittee, Nicole Ritchot formerRegional Director of CHRC and Pat Knipe,MHRCC one of the organizers of the AwardsLunheon

The Kun Koon Garden was abuzz withfriends of human rights to celebrate theHuman Rights Award Winners 2011 -

Rebekah Enns of WestgateCollegiate who won the SybilShack Award for youth and UnitedFood and Workers’ Union Local837 winner of the CommitmentAward. Enns was recognized for her

courageous act of starting a gay-straightalliance at her school in spite of the risksinvolved while UFCW receivedrecognition for its progressive coursesand its advocacy for more inclusive andrespectful workplaces.

Rebekah Enns, WestgateMennonite Collegiate Student

Human Rights Award Winners

Jeff Traeger, President, UFCWLocal received the award on

behalf of the Union


Piecing together MemoriesBlack Like Me, 50 Years LaterJohn Howard Griffin gave readers an unflinching

view of the Jim Crow South. How has his book heldup? By Bruce Watson Smithsonian magazine,Oct. 2011.

Late in 1959, John Howard Griffin had embarked on ajourney unlike any other. Many black authors had writtenabout the hardship of living in the Jim Crow South. ButGriffin, a novelist of extraordinary empathy rooted in hisCatholic faith, had devised a daring experiment. Tocomprehend the lives of black people, he had darkened hisskin to become black. As the civil rights movement testedvarious forms of civil disobedience, Griffin began a humanodyssey through the South, from New Orleans to Atlanta.

Fifty years ago this month, Griffin published a slimvolume about his travels as a “black man.” He expected itto be “an obscure work of interest primarily to sociologists,”but Black Like Me, which told white Americans what theyhad long refused to believe, sold ten million copies.

A half century after its publication, Black Like Meretains its raw power. “Black Like Me remains importantfor several reasons,” says Robert Bonazzi, author of Manin the Mirror: John Howard Griffin and the Story ofBlack Like Me. “It’s a useful historical document aboutthe segregated era, which is still shocking to youngerreaders. It’s also a truthful journal in which Griffinadmits to his own racism, with which white readers canidentify and perhaps begin to face their own denial ofprejudice. Finally, it’s a well-written literary text thatpredates the ‘nonfiction novel’ of Mailer, Capote, TomWolfe and others.”

Born in Dallas in 1920, Griffin was raised in nearby FortWorth. “We were given the destructive illusion thatNegroes were somehow different,” he said. Yet hismiddle-class Christian parents taught him to treat thefamily’s black servants with paternalistic kindness. Hewould always recall the day his grandfather slapped himfor using a common racial epithet of the era. “They’repeople,” the old man told the boy. “Don’t you ever letme hear you call them [that] again.”

Blind and paraplegic, Griffin had reason to be bitter, yethis deepening faith, based on his study of ThomasAquinas and other theologians, focused on the sufferingsof the downtrodden. After recovering from malaria, hewas walking in his yard one afternoon when he saw aswirling redness. Within months, for reasons that werenever explained, his sight was fully restored.

Across the South in the summer of 1959, drinkingfountains, restaurants and lunch counters still carriedsigns reading, “Whites Only.” Most Americans saw civilrights as a “Southern problem,” but Griffin’s theologicalstudies had convinced him that racism was a humanproblem. “If a white man became a Negro in the DeepSouth,” he wrote on the first page of Black Like Me,“what adjustments would he have to make?” Haunted by

the idea, Griffin decided to cross the divide. “The only way Icould see to bridge the gap between us,” he would write, “was tobecome a Negro.”

But his wife, Elizabeth, backed his plan. Soon Griffin wasconsulting a dermatologist, spending hours under sunlampsand taking a drug that was used to treat vitiligo, a disease thatwhitened patches of skin. As he grew darker day by day,Griffin used a stain to cover telltale spots, then shaved hishead. Finally, his dermatologist shook his hand and said, “Nowyou go into oblivion.”

Stepping outside, Griffin began his “personal nightmare.”Whites avoided or scorned him. Applying for menial jobs, hemet the ritual rudeness of Jim Crow. “We don’t want youpeople,” a foreman told him. “Don’t you understand that?”Threatened by strangers, followed by thugs, he heard again andagain the racial slur for which he had been slapped as a boy.That word, he wrote, “leaps out with electric clarity. Youalways hear it, and always it stings.”

Carrying just $200 in traveler’s checks, Griffin took a bus toHattiesburg, Mississippi, where a recent lynching had spreadfear through the alleys and streets. Griffin holed up in a rentedroom and wrote of his overwhelming sense of alienation:” Hellcould be no more lonely or hopeless.” He sought respite at awhite friend’s home before resuming his experiment—”zigzagging,” he would call it, between two worlds. Sometimespassing whites offered him rides; he did not feel he could refuse.Astonished, he soon found many of them simply wanted topepper him with questions about “Negro” sex life or make luridboasts from “the swamps of their fantasy lives.” Griffin patientlydisputed their stereotypes and noted their amazement that thisNegro could “talk intelligently!” Yet nothing gnawed at Griffin somuch as “the hate stare,” venomous glares that left him “sick atheart before such unmasked hatred.”

He roamed the South from Alabama to Atlanta, often staying withblack families who took him in. He glimpsed black rage and self-loathing, as when a fellow bus passenger told him: “I hate us.”Whites repeatedly insisted blacks were “happy.” A few whitestreated him with decency, including one who apologized for “thebad manners of my people.” After a month, Griffin could stand nomore. “A little thing”—a near-fight when blacks refused to give uptheir seats to white women on a bus—sent Griffin scurrying into a“colored” restroom, where he scrubbed his fading skin until hecould “pass” for white. He then took refuge in a monastery.

Nell Irvin Painter notes that while the country is no longer assegregated as it was a half century ago, “segregation created the‘twoness’ Griffin and W.E.B. DuBois wrote about. That twonessand the sense of holding it all together with your daunted strengthand being exhausted—that’s still very telling.”

Fifty years after its publication, Black Like Me remains aremarkable document. John Howard Griffin changed more than thecolor of his skin. He helped change the way America saw itself.

Bruce Watson is the author of several books, including FreedomSummer.


Holiday Meet and Greet - Citizenship EquityCommitteetty••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••R•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • e s

from Paid LabourFriends and colleagues show Marty lots of love

Marty Dolin

CEC treated thecommunity to wineand cheese andentertainment bytwo young membersof the GuyaneseCultural Organization

Mr. Deepak Josh,COO

Robert Mvondo receivescertificate of long service fromCouncillor Phagtakhan


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