The African Forum

Yesterday, at the African Forum, Michael Muyen spoke (photo above) about gangs in Winnipeg and he quoted an African proverb "When two elephants fight, it is the ground that suffers".

Sergeant Ron Johansson, with the Winnipeg Police Service, spoke next to emphasize that this is an issue for all of us. He also emphasized that gangs are a very, very small part of the population of Winnipeg. The large majority of people in all communities are law-abiding citizens. Ron Johannson is sitting at the left end of the table in the top photo.

The third speaker was Sally Wai of the Sierra Leone community. Sally, second from the left in the top photo, is with the Faculty of Social Work. She emphasized that many who have come from Sierra Leone as refugees were traumatized during the civil war there and need assistance in adjusting to life in Canada. She emphasized in particular the need for ongoing social support. She spoke of the need for adequate mental health services for those with post-traumatic stress disorder. She spoke of the important role of Community Groups and associations. Members of the Sierra Leone community understand the difficulties people have been through and are very important in helping new arrivals with the transition to life in Canada. Governments need to better recognize the role of community members and associations. Lastly she spoke of the need for personal responsibility and accountability of the community leadership.

In the bottom photo, my son Tom is with Alex Bockarie, the President of the Sierra Leone Nationals Association of Manitoba who was involved in organizing the event.

Selina Beiber-Sapong who was also at the event reminded me that the concept "It takes a village to raise a child" is an Ashanti proverb. The Ashanti are from Ghana, which is Selina's home country.