Below is a article about Jane McBee a Winnipegger who will soon be on her way to Africa to visit projects started by the Stephen Lewis Foundation to help grandmothers who are left to raise their grandchildren, orphaned by the AIDS epidemic which took the lives of the children's parents, cope with their joyous burden. Joyous because the grandmothers are no doubt happy that they are around to take care of their grandchildren but a burden because many are old and have little resources for this huge task.
Stephen Lewis is a champion of these grandmothers and listening to him speak you know he is someone who cares about these women. He has singlehandedly brought the plight of the grandmothers to international attention.
What the article does not say is that the cost of the trip is not borne by the Foundation but by the grandmothers themselves. All the monies raised by the S.L. Foundation on behalf of the grandmothers are spent on projects to help them. Jane and the other 11 grandmothers chosen to go to African under the SL Foundation banner have to raise their own funds which can amount to some $7-8,000 to cover the cost of their trip and accommodation.
Jane is holding her first fundraiser on January 30th at the Forks Market 3rd floor.
It's $20 per person. Maiko Watson will be donating her service by singing a couple of songs.
If you can't make it on the 30th, you can always contact Enid at 253-0066 of Grands'n'More, the local group to which Jane belongs, with your donation.

By JULIE HORBAL, SUN MEDIA


Jane McBee will be going to Africa on a program of the Stephen Lewis Foundation called Grandmothers to Grandmothers. (C. PROCAYLO/SUN MEDIA)
Jane McBee says she always felt her life was leading up to something more, but the Winnipeg grandmother never knew what that something was.

Until now, that is.

McBee, 62, was chosen late last year by the Stephen Lewis Foundation to take a three-week educational trip to sub-Saharan Africa next month with 12 other grandmothers from across Canada.

Yesterday she told the Winnipeg Sun she feels the trip will fulfil her purpose.

"All the changes in my life have just happened," said McBee, who leaves on Feb. 25. "I just felt there was something else I needed to do and this is just something that's meant to be."

The trip is part of the foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers program, which works as a sort of exchange between Canadian grannies and those in underdeveloped regions of Africa.



McBee is scheduled to travel through Uganda, parts of South Africa and also Swaziland, where she and the other grandmothers will visit their African counterparts and see first-hand their hardships.

Grandmothers in those parts, McBee said, are often forced to bury their HIV-infected children and in turn raise their orphaned grandkids. Most of the time, she said, they do it with little or no resources.

"They're the life force of the children," she said. "And they do it with nothing."

Since the program launched 15 months ago, the grannies have collected more than $2 million already.

McBee said she fully realizes that the trip is no holiday.

"It will be a life-changing experience," she said.

Attention Black Women of the World
If you are not getting the love you deserve you might want to pick up this book and read it. There appears to be a conspiracy to deny Black women this right. A brand new book by Pearl Jr

Kwanzaa - A Celebration of African Heritage



Kwanzaa is a time to celebrate African heritage and further strengthen core family values using seven African principles: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity) and imani (faith). It's also a time to entrench oneself in four decades of tradition.


Kwanzaa, which means "fresh fruits," is a week-long celebration that runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. In this time, a different principle is celebrated each night through African proverbs, songs, chants and gift giving. Gifts normally include a traditional African heritage symbol and a book to stress ethnic values.

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, then the leader of the Us Organization, a black nationalist group. His goal: "To give blacks an alternative holiday to Christmas." Today Karenga is a professor of black studies at California State University. The seven principles of Kwanzaa also correspond to Karenga's notion that "the sevenfold path of blackness is think black, talk black, act black, create black, buy black, vote black, and live black," which he asserts in his book The Quotable Karenga.


During Kwanzaa, families decorate their homes with harvest symbols and other ethnic artifacts and dress in traditional African garb that exude the colors of Kwanzaa--black (to symbolize the people), red (to represent the bloodshed and struggle for equality), and green (representing hope for the future).

Traditionally, there is a central decoration that holds seven candles: three red candles, three green candles and one black candle (which is lit on the first night).

It's Not over Yet - Celebrate the African Heritage Season - Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a time to celebrate African heritage and further strengthen core family values using seven African principles: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity) and imani (faith). It's also a time to entrench oneself in four decades of tradition.
In 1966 Dr. Ron Maulana Karenga adapted the principles of the African harvest festival to create the African American celebration known as Kwanzaa. He emphasized that the same principles could be used in building strong and wholesome communities.

Kwanzaa, which means "fresh fruits," is a week-long celebration that runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. In this time, a different principle is celebrated each night through African proverbs, songs, chants and gift giving. Gifts normally include a traditional African heritage symbol and a book to stress ethnic values.
During Kwanzaa, families decorate their homes with harvest symbols and other ethnic artifacts and dress in traditional African garb that exude the colors of Kwanzaa--black (to symbolize the people), red (to represent the bloodshed and struggle for equality), and green (representing hope for the future).



Traditionally, there is a central decoration that holds seven candles: three red candles, three green candles and one black candle (which is lit on the first night).

AlterNet: Blogs: Video: "It's a Blunderful Life" Starring George W. Bush [VIDEO]

A National Treasure has Slipped off this reality

Our beloved Oscar Peterson, a national treasure and one of jazz's most recorded musicians, both as leader and accompanist died at the age of 82. Peterson rose from working-class beginnings in Montreal -- where his father, a railway porter, let him pursue music only if he promised to be "the best" -- to become a major influence on generations of top-flight musicians.
"He was very shy, very down to earth. You didn't know you were with a world musician by any means," said Hazel McCallion, a friend and the mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, a Toronto suburb where Peterson lived.
McCallion said that Peterson died late on Sunday and that she was informed by Peterson's family. CBC Television said he died at home of kidney failure.
Since blasting onto the world stage with a famous appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1949, the beefy high school dropout amassed armfuls of honorary degrees and awards, including a 1997 Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award.
Canada made him a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor, as well as the first living Canadian to be depicted on a stamp.
Peterson kept an exhaustive touring schedule throughout his career with groups featuring such players as bassist and longtime collaborator Ray Brown, drummer Ed Thigpen and guitarist Herb Ellis.
The work of this musicians will continue in the likes of Holly Cole and other top brass Jazz artists in the city. He will be studied and remembered for his excellent skills in this particular musical genre Jazz.

Dr. Charles Quist-Adade, a faculty member of Kwantlen university and prolific writer and journalist was last night elected president of the Ghana Canada Association of British Columbia at the Executive Plaza hotel in Burnaby.

Charles is also the newly appointed Managing Editor of Afri-Can magazine, published from Burnaby, Canada, by Sierra Leonean journalist and writer Gibril Koroma.

According to its web site, the GCABC was formed in 1986 by a group of Ghanaians living in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is a non governmental and a non profit organization.

GCABC cooperates with other humanitarian organizations and communities but has no political or religious affiliations. The aim of the association is to promote friendship, co-operation and cultural exchanges between the peoples of Canada and Ghana. The association aims at increasing the knowledge of Canadians about Ghana and developing countries in general. It aims at influencing the society’s thinking, the authorities and the individual’s sense of responsibility towards the problems of developing countries.

Charles Quist-Adade(pictured)was born in Ghana, where he obtained a Diploma in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism before earning an M.A. in Mass Communication from Leningrad State University and Ph.D. in Sociology from Petersburg State University, both in Russia. Prior to his arrival in Canada, Dr. Quist-Adade worked as a newspaper 2004 Black Community Leadership Award Recipient journalist and radio broadcaster for the Ghanaian Times and Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, as a press officer for the Hungarian Embassy in Accra, Ghana, and as a correspondent for the London (U.K.) - based syndicated Gemini News Service in Leningrad. He was a contributor to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) African Service and for London-based magazines, including New African, Africa Events, West Africa and African Concord, and published articles in newspapers around the world including the United States and Canada.

Dr. Quist-Adade arrived in Canada in 1992. For several years, he taught at the University of Windsor and at Wayne State University. He won many awards and accolades, including 1998 Ghanaian of the Year. Once he was named Most Popular Professor at the University of Windsor (1998 Maclean’s Magazine Annual Academic Edition) and more than once he appeared on published lists of the top ten professors at the university.

Besides teaching, Dr. Quist-Adade has taken a great interest in supporting Windsor’s Black community. He has for many years published Windsor’s Black community-oriented newsmagazine, Sankofa News, with the assistance of communication studies students from the University of Windsor. He has also acted as editor of the Multi-cultural News out of Toronto. Dr. Quist-Adade has to his credit more than 300 newspaper articles. His academic publications include the book Africa in the Shadows of the Kremlin and the Press: Africa’s Media Image During and After the Cold War (2001) and a chapter in the book Africa, the Kremlin and the Press by Lawrence Erlbaum Mahmah.

He is also the producer of The Ones They Left Behind: The Life and Plight of African Russians, a documentary film on the offspring of Black student fathers and Russian mothers and the experiences of these children in the (former) Soviet Union.

From September 1992 until August 2003, Dr. Quist-Adade produced and hosted CJAM’s Safari Pan-Afrikana, a weekly radio program featuring news, music, and commentaries on issues concerning continental Africa and the African Diaspora. Through the radio program and the Sankofa News, he has lent support to many Black community causes, as well as promoting unity and co-operation among all segments of Windsor’s Black community.

Currently, Dr. Charles Quist-Adade teaches at Kwantlen University College in British Columbia. His passion remains the quest for Global African unity and co-operation. Dr. Quist-Adade and his beautiful and affable wife, Geralda, have three children, Maayaa, Christopher (Kwaku) and Malika.

On February 14th, 2004, while he was a faculty member at Central Michigan University and still commuting to the Windsor area on a monthly basis for a variety of volunteer commitments, the Windsor and District Black Coalition awarded the 2004 Black Community Leadership Award to this dedicated leader and volunteer whose many contributions to the Black community of Windsor and region will never be forgotten.

We promote Human rights as an important value in the Western countries but we do not see that importance reflected in the media when it comes to International Human Rights Day. The scanty coverage in mainstream media will give you the impression that it is not that important. December 10 was International Human Rights Day. I think this is a day we all can and should celebrate regardless of race, creed, political beliefs and nationality. We all want our rights protected. Why is the media not playing up this event more than it does. Why are stories not researched etc. to show the benefits and beneficiaries of human rights.
In Winnipeg there is no complaint this year. We had a lot of media press around the Human Rights Commitment Award. This year the criteria for the Commitment award focused on the rights of the mentally ill. A FASD program that runs out of the David Livingston school was the winner. This program helps children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder to take their rightful place in society and to banish myths about children and people with this disorder. The children in this program were very happy to receive the award. In accepting the award, one of the children said they are just the same as every body, they just need a little more help than other children to do the right thing. He said they know right from wrong. The children were so sweet and touching. There was not a dry eye in the audience, I am sure.
The Youth winner of the Sybil Shack Youth Award was a grade 11 student from Balmoral Hall School, Krupa Kotecha. She was chosen for her tireless fight against racism and discrimination. She is the daughter of East Indian-Ugandan parents who were kicked out of Uganda during the crazy Idi Amin regime. Krupa has made a video about race bullying in schools and has done dramatic performances all having to do with raising awareness of racism. She was nominated by a teacher in the school.
The International Human Rights Day Luncheon has been sponsored for many years by the joint efforts of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Manitoba Association of Rights and Liberty. This year the event was held at the Radisson Hotel and was well attended.

On the 17th of November, the Ron Paley big band had a concert at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The event was well attended, the concert was outstanding and it featured Winnipeg Jazz singer, Maiko Watson and a guy on the Sax I do not know his name but he was great. A great Francophone musicians to watch. Ron Paley is also freshening up his repertoire by incorporating some hip-hoppy kind of sounds. He was great and shows that he is a musician not stuck in his time but open to move with the time.
Was a great concert.

Open letter by Winnipegger Kojo Williams, community activist re: A sister who appears to be against Black-focused schools which is being discussed and ready to be tested in Toronto, Ontario where black youths seem to face more than the usual problems of racism, violence etc.

Hi Elma:

Greetings my Vincentian sister!!! I will be very brief with my response.

I think you and the other Blacks and anti-blacks are dead wrong on this issue. There are Black focused schools working well (for years) in the United States of America. There are Aboriginal, Jewish and other socused schools all over Canada. There is the Catholic School Board with Catholic schools all over Canada. There are schools dedicated for girls and schools dedicated for boys all over Canada. These special focused schools were established and maintained for good reasons. So why all this fuss now that - for some of the same reasons - Black focussed schools are proposed?

The fact is: the regular school system has failed Blacks all over Canada. Their curricula do not include the Black Canadian experience. They rape and rob our children of their self-esteem and self-worth. They graduate our kids at Grade nine and ten and leave them without education and by extension marketable skills, hence the reasons there are so many single Black mothers, unemployed Black males (particularly youths) and "Black youth crime".

Those Blacks who believe they "have arrived" and live in a society above the Black community need to understand the real issues that drive real Black leaders to try to try to establish Black focused schools - which are not exclusive to Blacks. They should work with the Black (and other) leaders who really care about Blacks and Canada, to correct Canada's racist systems and the attendant problems those who manage those systems so want to maintain.

As I see it, Black focused schools could be remedial places of learning which prepare Blacks - and other youths - to find an equal space in society. There is nothing racist or discriminatory about this. It simply makes sense for Blacks and the rest of the Canadian society.

My sister, I plead with you to re-examine this issue, as well as the state of the Black segment of our Canadian society. Your commentary may be music to the ears of those who benefit from the status quo, but equally so, it is pain in the heart of every Black mother and father whose youths have been failed by the present system.

Cheers!!!

News Release: Manitoba Human Rights Commission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2007
______________________________________________________________


Manitoba Human Rights Commission Releases 2006 Annual Report
Formal Complaints received is the highest since 1990

The total number of formal complaints the Manitoba Human Rights Commission received in 2006 is reaching record highs. According to Dianna Scarth, Executive Director of the Commission, the number of formal complaints received (297) is the highest since 1990 and rivals the numbers recorded in the first few years following the proclamation of the Human Rights Code (Manitoba) in December 1987. She adds that
in 2006, an additional 45 matters were resolved informally through the Commission’s
pre-complaint process.

The 2006 Annual Report also reveals that the greatest number of formal complaints filed continues to be on the basis of physical and mental disability. Ancestry complaints were the second highest. In recent years complaints based on sex, including pregnancy was second.

Statistics show that disability complaints were at 41.5%, while complaints based on ancestry were at 20%, and sex, including pregnancy, were at 18% of the total number of formal complaints filed.

The Commission is also facing more complicated systemic complaints. “One of the greatest challenges,” says Ms Scarth “is the level of resources available to deal with systemic complaints.”

Systemic complaints raise allegations of discriminatory treatment of large groups. Examples of systemic complaints range from the accreditation of foreign trained doctors to the treatment of women incarcerated in provincial institutions.

“Systemic complaints require extensive research and investigations, but resolutions have a great impact in addressing large scale patterns of discrimination,” says Ms Scarth.

Other highlights of the 2006 Annual Report include:


• Mediation commenced in regard to the Elizabeth Fry Society complaint against the Government of Manitoba. This was the first mediation about the treatment of female prisoners in a provincial system in Canada. (The mediation concluded successfully in 2007).

• A settlement was reached between the Rainbow Harmony Project and Camp Arnes, balancing freedom of religion and the right to protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

• The Commission and the University of Winnipeg’s Racialized Communities and Police Services Project held its first community consultation, which resulted in a joint news release agreed upon by all the groups in attendance, including the Winnipeg Police Service. The project began at the request of a group of inner city residents who alleged racial profiling by the City of Winnipeg Police.

• Legal proceedings included two successful adjudications (Amy and Jesse Pasternak v The Manitoba High School Athletic Association and Hank Richard v the Brandon Youth Hockey Association), and one successful Manitoba Court of Appeal hearing (Thorvaldson Care Homes Ltd. v the Manitoba Human Rights Commission).

• The Commission, with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, was granted intervener status at the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities v Via Rail. In support of the CCD, the Commission argued that human rights principles should be applied in the context of specialized human rights legislation. (The decision, in favour of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, was released in 2007.)

• The Commission developed guidelines for retailers, emphasizing the importance of respecting human rights when attempting to control the sale of intoxicating substances.


The 2006 Annual Report is available on the Commission’s website www.gov.mb.ca/hrc

For more information please contact:
Patricia Knipe
Communications Director
204-945-5112

SOUND THE TRUMPET!
UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA RHODES
SCHOLAR IS OFF TO OXFORD

"Nothing like this has ever happened to me"

The University of Manitoba continues its excellent record for its
students
winning Rhodes Scholarships with the awarding of a 2008 Rhodes
Scholarship to Akosua Matthews, who graduated from the University
of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts (honours) in 2006.

Ms Mathews, who also won the Gold Medal in Philosophy in 2006, is
currently a full-time policy analyst for the Province of Manitoba.
Born in Edmonton, she moved to Winnipeg at an early age, attending
Bairdmore, Dalhousie and Acadia schools, all in Fort Richmond.
Matthews is also a graduate of nearby Fort Richmond Collegiate. Her
mother is from Ghana, and her father, a three-time graduate of the
University of Manitoba, currently works for water stewardship with
the Province of Manitoba. She also has a brother currently enroled in
University 1 at the University of Manitoba.

"In school, Akosua was a leader in so many ways," says Kathleen
Crang, science teacher at Fort Richmond Collegiate. "She was active
in the Charity Club, Amnesty International and other groups."

"It´s been a whirlwind twenty-four hours," says Matthews. "The
stakes were very high, and I was blown away by the calibre of the
other candidates."

"What´s the right adjective to use?" her father muses. "We are
extremely pleased and excited for Akosua. She´s worked very hard
for this. After she got the call Saturday night, we phoned relatives
here in Canada to tell them the news and then woke up our relatives
in Ghana."

In addition to her outstanding academic credentials, Matthews is an
army reservist, where she is a corporal and plays bugle and trumpet in
the company band. "I was very busy performing at Remembrance Day
services this year," Matthews notes.

Matthews says she enjoyed her time in the philosophy department,
enhancing her ability to learn and share knowledge.

"My department was very small and hands-on," she says. "I got to
know my professors on a one-to-one basis. Many people think that
University of Manitoba is a really big school, but for me, my
experience was that once I got into a specific discipline, it became
quite small."

"People really got to know you," she adds.

Matthews is the 87th Rhodes Scholar to hail from the University of
Manitoba, which has produced more Rhodes Scholars than any other
university in Western Canada.

Matthews plans to eventually study law. Her Rhodes Scholarship is
tenable for studies at Oxford in England for two or three years
commencing in the fall of 2008, covering all tuition fees plus an
annual stipend.

For more information, contact Ms Akosua Matthews at: 204-880-
1514 (cell), or John Danakas, public affairs, at: 204-474-8551 or
204-228-9527 (cell).

A Winnippegger and member of the Ghanian community has won the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the most prestigious scholarships worldwide.
Akosua Matthews has been very active in the community. She participated in Folklorama and was a member of the Youth Parliament in 2004. She was the Director of Finance of the Board and acted as the Youth Parliament's 86th Deputy speaker with responsibilities of keeping accurate financial records; receiving all dues paid by members; and fundraising.

"I have been lucky to take part in a lot of youth groups based on interests such as politics. I was a page at the Manitoba Legislature. I took part in the Forum for Young Canadians in Ottawa, and this Holiday break I took part in Youth Parliament at the Manitoba Legislature. The great thing about these programs is the opportunity to meet other youth who are interested in politics and government"
Congratulations to you and family.

The 22 year old Matthews was born in Edmonton but was raised and schooled in Winnipeg. She graduated from Fort Richmond Collegiate. In 2006 she received a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and the gold medal in philosophy from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. She was lead intern for the Manitoba Legislative Assembly and is now a policy analyst with the Province of Manitoba. She is also a corporal and military musician in the reserve – Royal Winnipeg Rifles Regiment and an active member of the Youth Parliament of Manitoba. she intends to pursue graduate studies in philosophy in Oxford.

Updated November 21, 2007
Matthews thanks the Ghanaian community as being instrumental to her success
Please note that the Ghanaian Community has played a big role in my upbringing and personal development. My parents are very excited and we have shared the news with relatives in Ghana. A big thank you to all of my aunties, uncles and cousins who have been with me as I grew up.

Cheers,

Akosua Matthews

Eritrean Motivational Speaker at Success Skills Centre

Robel Kidane an Eritrean-Swedish motivational speaker and counselor . Mr Kidane who resides in Sweden is a psychologist and specializes in mind-body relationships. Mr Robel Kidane has been part of the Rwanda genocide reconciliation Committee and he is an expert in cultural impacts that affect immigrants in general and Eritreans in particular. He is invited in Winnipeg by the Eritrean Community In Winnipeg to present a week session-seminar on "Knowing Your Inner Self" in English and Eritrean languages. Mr Kidane has done several seminars in all major European Capital , in 15 cities with refugee population in the USA and in Toronto and Calgary. Presently he is in a tour in North America addressing intergenerational issues and impact on developing healthy families in refugee population from Africa.

INTERNATIONALLY EDUCATED AGROLOGISTS PILOT PROGRAM ANNOUNCED FOR UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA


Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan, Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Rosann Wowchuk and Dr. Emõke Szathmáry, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manitoba, today announced the establishment of the Internationally Educated Agrologist pilot program (IEAP).

"We congratulate the University of Manitoba's faculty of agricultural and food sciences and the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists, the two organizations that developed the pilot program so internationally-trained agrologists can work in their chosen field as quickly as possible," said Allan. "The province is pleased to support this innovative program which demonstrates our government's commitment to fast track skills recognition and integration into the labour market."

In the past year, Manitoba welcomed over 10,000 immigrants. A significant number of these new Manitobans are professionals who have international education and work experience in their chosen fields.

"These skilled individuals can make a strong contribution to Manitoba's agricultural economy, but first need supports to overcome barriers to professional recognition and job entry,"
Wowchuk said. "The people using this 12-month IEAP program will now be able to contribute their knowledge, skills and expertise to our workforce more quickly and benefit our agriculture industry sooner. The transfer of information and technological skills from qualified, internationally-trained agrologists will enhance and expand the options of our own industry now and in the future."

The pilot program provides eight months of study and four months paid work experience with an agricultural company in Manitoba.
Currently, 13 students are enrolled in the program.

Szathmáry praised the IEAP. "This program will meet the needs of internationally-educated agrologists at the same! time as it meets the needs of the Manitoba economy which requires highly-educated and experienced professionals,'' she said. "It is an excellent example of how the University of Manitoba recognizes and responds to the demands of the workforce in practical and effective ways."


"The IEAP is a tremendous opportunity for the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists (MIA) to help well-qualified people replace frustration with hope and to help internationally-educated agrologists demonstrate to employers that they have the appropriate level of knowledge and skills so their talent and experience will not be wasted," said Earl Geddes, MIA president.

Agrology is the application of the sciences to agriculture and the bio-resource sector. Agrologists are trained and qualified to provide advice on the production, processing and marketing of agricultural products, crops or livestock. The Manitoba Institute of Agrologists is the provincial accreditation organization that operates under authority of the Agrologists Act.

The Internationally Educated Agrologist pilot program, the Internationally Educated Engineers Qualification program and the Academic and Professional Bridging Program for Internationally Educated Teachers are initiatives Manitoba has developed to help newcomers use their professional skills in Manitoba workplaces.

The province recently introduced legislation that builds on these initiatives and qualifications recognition efforts. The proposed Fair Registration Practices Bill would also help reduce barriers to the recognition of internationally-educated professionals in Manitoba through transparent, objective, impartial and fair registration practices.

I am one of those people who is afraid of heights including flying. I fly because I have no other reasonable choice but wherever I can, I take the bus or train. I keep track of airline safety records and of air crashes and try to choose to travel in planes based on their good track record. I know this is ridiculous. One cannot avoid bad things altogether. A plane with the best record could have a bad day. But I make my bets on good record.
Hearing about the Q400 Turboprop jets also known as Dash 8 landing problems and near misses does not give me confidence at all. I will not take one of these planes to go anywhere. It is for this reason I do not travel on charter planes. I understand that these are older planes that are over-hauled and sold to vacation companies.
The Scandinavian Airlines has cancelled its contract with Bombardier to buy 27 of these planes because passengers do not have confidence in them anymore.
I think the customer should be vigilant when it comes to flying to ensure that they get the best plane and pilot to carry them up in the air.
Luckily no life was lost in these landing crashes but the fear in the hearts of many of the passengers will remain for a long time.
Bombardier stands behind the Q400. Where else would they stand? They invested a lot of money in these planes and they are not about to wash it down the drain and admit there is a terrible manufacturing problem with them. Instead of standing by these planes they should commit themselves to pull all these planes out of the skies and go over the manufacturing details so as not to risk the lives of innocent travellers.
As for me I will not venture into the Q400 aka Dash 8.
Do you research the airlines in which you travel? If you are going on a boat cruise do you research the company? I urge you to do and not leave things up to chance.

(Mumbi Kaigwa (top)
local radio show host Mzi (r) with Kenyan drummer (l)



Thanks to the CBC, where I get up to date information about whst's happening in the city, I heard of the Kenyan storyteller giving a presentation at Art Space in the Old Market Square area. I heard the announcement around 8:30 and it was to take place from 1 - 2 p.m. and being as spontaneous as I am, I decided I would go. I am glad I went. I got there a little after 1:30 but it was worth it.

Fifth anniversary, FemFest organizers reached beyond Canada's borders for the very first time this year by inviting Kenyan playwright Mumbi Kaigwa to perrforming her own play They Call Me Wanjiku.

Mumbi's personal story inspired me. She gave up her paid job with the UN to follow her passion and her passion brought her to Winnipeg. She conducted several sessions of her work and storytelling various groups in Winnipeg including the Aboriginal groups in particular the Graffiti Gallery. The session at the Writer's Guild Office where I attended was her fifth she said.

Like most southerners she said she was confused by everyone saying "what a beautiful day" when she was absolutely freezing in Winnipeg's warmer fall day -13. She did not want to hear how cold it gets in the winter.

It was a delight listening to this confident African woman with important knowledge about her craft.

Like most cultures, storytelling is a tradition in many families though some of us do it more than others e.g. people of African descent and the First Nations people. They still use this method of communication more frequently and more informally than some other cultures. Yet, she was saddened that her grandmother did not pass on all the stories that were available for every occasion in Kenyan culture. She said there is a song for most events including male circumcision; songs for marriage, births, deaths and critical events in cultural day to day living.

Kaigwa has taken her storytelling to new heights and at the same time empowering and transforming lives by her stories. Her methodology is interviewing people and then taking parts of each story and making it into a performance piece to which many people can relate.

During an interview on CBC she said that because of her story a woman who always wanted to be baker was motivated to follow her passion and today that woman is enjoying her work as a baker and feeding others with her wonderful delights.
She said she knew her work impacted her audience in a special way because afterwards people will relate how it did. It is the most exciting part of her work because she gets to make a difference in people's lives.

The audience teased her about returning in the Winter. Kaigwa could not see how that is possible, hugging herself just imagining the cold. She however may be back next year to work with Casmiri who is a local dancer and musician of Mozambican birth and by now pretty well know in the city. Hopefully, they will be able to bring her back so that more people can be influenced by her story. Kaigwa brought her own personal drummer to accompany her stories and songs.

Global pins hopes on show Da Kink
New series based on stage play about hair salon
The CBC’s got Little Mosque On The Prairie. CTV’s got Corner Gas. Could Da Kink In My Hair be Global's chance at a breakout home-grown situation comedy?


Da Kink creator and star Trey Anthony doesn’t want to focus on that kind of pressure, saying she’s simply delighted that she got the network to greenlight the show, based on her beloved stage play of the same name about a boisterous hair salon in Toronto’s Caribbean community.


“Global was really great about it, and we were totally on the same page creatively in terms of how we wanted the show to go,” Anthony said in a recent interview alongside her friends and castmates, Ordena Stephens-Thompson and Ngozi Paul, who’s also one of the show’s creators. “I just hope people watch it and enjoy it, and I’m trying not to think about anything beyond that.”


Global has been promoting Da Kink In My Hair heavily. Airing it just before The Simpsons on Sunday night — the show premieres this weekend — is a sure sign the network is dreaming of its own Cancon smash hit, says Damion Nurse, the show’s executive producer.


“This is the only Canadian show they’ve got premiering in the fall, they’ve given it a great time slot, they’re putting a lot of advertising behind it — so they really do have high hopes for it,” Nurse says.


“They believe in the project. So we’re excited and just crossing our fingers now to see what happens.”

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The Manitoba Women's Advisory Council held a Lunch and Learn session today which featured three professional women from the Ukraine who spoke about trafficking in the Ukraine and what they are doing to curb this horrible situation. The women Luba Maksymovych, Halyna Fedkovych and Iryna Trokhym of the West Ukrainian Centre "Women's Perspectives", Lviv Ukraine, shared information and sought collaboration from Canadian women's groups. The trafficking problem is so huge they cannot do it alone. These women all worked in a non profit organization that helped to educated women on trafficking, what they had to look for before embarking on a job quest. The venue was packed to capacity by mainly service providers and women from non-profit organizations in the city.
Thought some of their English was not that great it was easy to understand them. One woman said she was shocked to find out in 1998 at a conference in Finland she was asked why there were so many young girls from Ukraine prostituting in Finland and where there were lots of prostitutes in their country. She said that because of poverty, women are seeking genuine employment to help feed their children and despicable traffickers prey on them.
She said they teach women never to give up their passports and to always have a return ticket, to check their work agreements carefully before leaving. She said they are making some headway.
Violence against women in the Ukraine is also rampant and until recently, it was considered a matter for the family and there was no law to protect women. Even the police in the Ukraine did not take women's complaint seriously. The session was enlightening in the fact that what is happening to women in Canada is not special to Canadian women but it is something that affects women everywhere in the world. This is more need for women to band together on a global scale to fight for equity, safety and respect.


Facts on Human Trafficking
Number of people trafficked worldwide: 600,000 to 800,0001
Number of people trafficked within the United States: 14,500 to 17,5002
It should be noted that these statistics vary based upon the source, with some sources having the number of individuals being trafficked in the millions.
Average enslavement: 2-5 years (some victims are enslaved for more than 20 years) 3
Common forms of human trafficking: Agriculture, domestic service, mail order brides,
prostitution, sexual abuse/exploitation of children, and sweatshops.4
Top cities for trafficking: According to the report Freedom Denied: Forced Labor in California released in February of 2005, 80% of the documented human trafficking cases in California occurred in San Diego, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.5 Routes for trafficking: The Trans Border Institute documents that many victims are trafficked into Mexico from other countries and from within Mexico, into California; from California they are either trafficked within the state or to other parts of the United States. Trafficking is more prevalent on the West Coast of the United States than on the East Coast.
Victims’ County of Origin: While trafficking has been documented in almost every country,the top three countries of origin of human trafficking victims are Thailand, Mexico and Russia. There is evidence of reverse trafficking, with Americans being trafficked from the United States into Mexico and abroad.6
Tactics used by traffickers: Withholding of legal documents, threats and acts of physical harm to victim and victims’ family, rape, kidnapping, isolation and confinement, denial of medical care, manipulation and psychological abuse.
Number of traffickers in 2004 who have been convicted by the Federal Government: 437
Other assistance for victims: Victims may be eligible for a T-visa, which allows them to remain temporarily in the United States. After 3 years, the victim may be eligible for permanent residence status if he/she meets the following conditions: 1) he/she is of good moral character,
2) he/she has complied with any reasonable request for assistance in the investigation during the 3 year period, and
3) he/she will suffer extreme hardship if he/she is removed from United
States.8
1 United States Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, (TIP), June 2004
2 Ibid.
3 Turning Pain Into Power: Trafficking Survivor’s Perspectives on Early Intervention Strategies, March 2005, Family Violence
Prevention Fund
4 Freedom Denied: Forced Labor in California, February 2005, Human Rights Center, University of California, Berkeley
5 Ibid.
6.San Diego Task Force on Human Trafficking
7 Report on Activities to Combat Human Trafficking, Fiscal Years 2001-2005, United States Department of Justice
8 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rescue and Restore Project

Photos: Minister Nancy Allan making a point, emcee Manju Loda, singer Aiza Luna; speakers: Ms Ang'er Ruay and Ms Flor Marcelino MLA for Wellington





Women's History Month
The annual Women's History Month celebration hosted by the Minister responsible for the Status of Women (Hon. Nancy Allan) was moved from the Legislative Building for the first time and held at the Norwood Community Centre.
For me this was a refreshing change. It was easier to access, not that I mind climbing up the stairs at the Leg. (great for the legs) but there wasn't the long line up to sign in, something new that started last year to increase security. More important though, having it in a community centre makes it more accessible to women who would not have normally attended such events. I think the Minister should try and decentralize this event more and take it to the various community centres where it can be exposed to more ordinary women.
From the look of things I did not feel that there were less people. The demographics might have been different. Instead of the office types that may have been dropping in for a free lunch, there were more community people and for me that's always a big plus.
Another big plus we were pleasantly disappointed not getting a brown-bagged subway but instead some ethnic delicacies though I am sure more fattening. We can give a little for Women's History Month.
Minister Nancy Allan, dressed in a beautiful black and silver-trimmed sari, welcomed everyone and declared that this Women's History Month was themed to honour immigrant women who have made significant contributions and achievements that benefitted the community. She shared her own personal journey into politics. She followed her mother's footsteps who was one of the first rural women to run for office. Though her mother did not win a seat, it inspired Nancy to work for the betterment of women in our society. It was fitting that the Guestspeaker was Flor Marcelino, first Women of Colour representative in the Manitoba Legislature. Ms Marcelino shared her experience of immigration and how she finally ended up in the highest seat of power in the province. Ms. Ang’er Ruay a member of the lost boys and girls from Sudan, who has experienced the Sudanese war and displacement in refugee camps spoke about her experience and expressed her gratitude to Canada for giving her a chance but she could not forget home. She returned recently and found the situation very bad. She is studying to be a nurse practitioner at the University of Manitoba and she vows to return to her homeland to take care of the people who desperately need good medical care.
Aiza Luna, a young Filipina singer performed a couple of songs at the end of the program. She has a powerful voice and did a fantastic job singing some popular songs.
Ms. Manju Loda, Winnipeg self-taught artist and a member of the Manitoba Women's Advisory Council performed the duty as the emcee.

There were the usual information booths helping to connect people to services that they need and resources within the community. All in all it was a fabulous event. Looking forward to next year.