BY TRACEY DUGUAY
It was the halls, not the hills, that were alive with the sound of music as Black History Month was celebrated at Collège Boréal yesterday.
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Saleh Mai, 3, and Soumaila Mahamat stand in front of a booth promoting the culture of the country Chad in Africa. |
As African-inspired music played in the background, students and faculty were treated to a day focusing on ?bringing cultures together.? Events included an exhibition featuring booths displaying information from 12 different African countries and Kep Djean, an African-inspired meal was served in the cafeteria.
The link between francophone and Black communities is very strong since about half of the 52 countries in the continent of Africa were colonized by French-speaking nations, says Bululu Kabatakaka, intercultural francophone contact for the college.
There are 103 learners from foreign countries studying at the college currently but Kabatakaka expects the number to grow in the coming years.
Through ongoing projects with representatives from different countries, international recruitment efforts, and word of mouth from students, he says more people are becoming familiar with the variety of programs and services offered at the college.
?You get North American technology but in French,? Kabatakaka says.
The students get to start learning in a language they?re familiar with so they don?t have to overcome barriers right away. The advantage is they get to pick up English skills along the way.
Said Ahmed, a student at the college and one of the organizers of the day?s festivities, says it?s a wonderful opportunity to highlight the different cultures of Africa.
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Jane Kabongo Kitenge and Cathy Tambwe display some food from their homeland in Congo. |
?I think we?re not only expressing our culture but yet, we as Africans are learning about each other because we don?t all have the same culture even though we?re from the same continent,? Ahmed says.
Ahmed came to Canada from Djibouti, a country in east Africa, around seven years ago and didn?t speak any English until about five years ago. His repertoire of skills now includes fluency in both Canada?s official languages as well as Somalian and Arabic.
Although Ahmed obtained his first degree from a school in Toronto, he decided to get a second degree in commerce and marketing at the college because he wanted to get an education in French.
?I was personally overwhelmed by how they opened their arms,? Ahmed says, explaining how the college is very open-minded and supportive about celebrating the diverse cultures of its students.
The college was invited to join Laurentian University?s Black History Month celebrations but decided to host its own special day instead.
?We learn so much while doing this,? says organizer Louise Gervais, who works as foreign student counselor at the college.
The day provides the opportunity for everyone to learn about African culture just as some of the new students learn about Canadian culture, including the harsh reality about the cold winter weather.
Gervais tells the story about Ibrahim Bacar, a student, who came from Africa to Sudbury at the beginning of January. He told her he found it strange that while ?the sun shines, it doesn?t warm you up.?
Bacar, through the help of a translator, says his experience at the college so far has been ?marvelous.?
He learned about College Boreal through an international recruitment effort in his native country of Union des Comores. He?s enrolled in an arts and sciences program at the college and has a background in agriculture.
When asked how he?s adapting to the Canadian climate, he answers with a smile, ?it?s not easy but I have no choice.?
February was officially recognized as Black History Month by the Government of Canada in 1995 after a motion introduced by Jean Augustine, the first black woman to become a member of parliament, received unanimous approval by parliament.
For more information, visit www.canadianheritage.gc.ca.
