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e Afro N e"\VsOF UNITYVolume 25 Number 6 June 2009 www.theafronews.caISummer is here, go out and play!The Afro News page 4 June 2009 Connect with us daily at www.theafronews.caKnowledge Production andAfro Canadian Experience Workshopin Vancouver, BC Sets the Trend!ByJoy Walcott-Francis, PhD Candidate, Department ofWomen's Studies, Simon Fraser University, BCThe Afro News VancouverBack Row (L to R) Monico Wells Kisuro, Ikeylo Lombodisho, Henry Daniel, Afuo Cooper, Hakim AdiMiddle Row (L to R) Terry Roswell, Isaac Soney Front Row (L to R) Greg Tourino, David AustinDr. Afuo Cooper speaks at "Knowledge Production and the Afro Canadian Experience in Canada'3 day workshop at Simon Fraser University on May 1, 2009ION THE HEELS of her successful launch of the'Black Communities in British Columbia, )858 -2008' exhibition, Dr, Afua Cooper has yet againcaused our hearts to stir with passion and our soulsto be fully charged as we press along in an uphill struggle towards greater Black achievement,success and recognition. The culmination ofthree days of thought-provoking and enrichingdiscussions hosted by Dr. Cooper, brought with it ahistoric accomplishment; that of the formation ofaBlack Canadian Studies Association (BCSA).The three day workshop, Knowledge Productionand the Afro Canadian Experience in Canada,called and hosted in Vancouver by Dr. Cooper,the Ruth Wynn Woodward Chair, Department ofWomen's Studies at the Simon Fraser University,commenced on Friday, May 1,2009, which fittinglyearmarked May Day, a day when people across theglobe recognize and celebrate the struggles andachievements of the 'working class' and might Iinterject here, those ofBlack people ofAfricandescent. The workshop brought together a diversegroup of scholars and practitioners, nationallyand internationally who work in the area of BlackStudies, to engage in critical dialogue about thestate ofAfro Canadian scholarship.A recurring theme over the three daysemphasized the need for greater collegiality andnetworking among people in the field. Participantspointed out that an absence of a cohesive bodyof scholars in the field ofAfro Canadian studiesdoes have an impact on where, when and howscholarship in the area can take place. Majorchallenges in this respect relate to the problem ofaccessibility of funding opportunities as well asto the vastness of Canada's landscape which tendto keep Afro Canadian academics geographicallysegregated. Of note, was that while variousuniversities throughout Canada have over timeoffered single courses in Black Studies, to-date,there is no program on offer that provides studentswith a degree in Black Studies.Presenters raised concerns about the voidin the knowledge ofAfrican history that isbeing transmitted, pointing as well to the lackof coherence where knowledge production isGroup Members walk to Hogan Alley Old Block Community Siteconcerned. Those present were cautioned that in asfar as they move ahead in academic scholarship,they needed to be cognizant and vigilant aboutthe resources that they have the librarians order,how they organized the curricula and the questionsgenerated for discussions. And again the matter ofadequate funding came to the fore as participantsagreed that the Canadian archives were indeed fullof Black history but alas, there were no resources toeffectively access them.What does it mean to be Afro Canadian? Whilethere may be no straight-forward answer to this,participants found it important to stress that ourlived experiences do reflect a diversity of culturaltraditions and as such scholarship should reflect thisethnic diversity while at the same time examine theways in which our lives have become embroiledin the Canadian history. Further on the matter ofCanadian history, Dr. Cooper stressed the need forus to unearth the historical relationships that haveexisted between Aboriginal peoples and the Blacksettlers who came to the shores of Canada.This history, she said, "is an importantpiece of history and one that needs to beincorporated and written into our history aswe seek to fill in the missing pieces... wetherefore need to develop on how we aregoing to deal with it, both politically andtheoretically."Some of the other issues that wereraised involved (I) looking at therelationship between academics andthe community and how best to engagecommunities and community historiansin the work that academics do; (2)deconstructing the connection between crime, lawenforcement and the African Canadian experience;and (3) the impact of Canadian policies on the livesof not only adult immigrants and refugees but theirchildren as well.On day three, after much deliberating andbrainstorming, the resounding consensus was thatthe way to go forward was to begin the networkingprocess from among ourselves, hence the formationof the Black Canadian Studies Association (BCSA),[o'med with us daily at www.theafronews.ca The Afro News page 5 June 2009A True Advocate for HumankindBy Alexander Nkrumah, The Afro News VancouverIN BETWEEN WRITING HIS PHD DISSERTATION, being anarchaeology instructor and hosting a show on CjSF90.1 FM, Clement Abas Apaak managed to get electedas president of the Simon Fraser Student Societyin 2005. He has agreed to be Student ConvocationSpeaker at the upcoming ceremony in June."' actually ran my campaign from Ethiopia. I wasin Africa on field work and for some reason I choseto run for president." Apaak acknowledged this ina 2006 interview with The Peak, an IndependentStudent Newspaper at Simon Fraser University.Apaak is one of Simon Fraser University's mostrecognisable personalities. He was born in theUpper East region of Ghana. His parents were botheducators and social workers with tight connectionsto the church. With a nucleus like that, young Apaakhad to fall in line at a very tender age. "My firstmajor responsibility came after my mom realised Ihad been skipping classes in elementary school. Iwas immediately given the responsibility of the 'bellboy' (student in charge of calling breaks by ringinga beIO."After graduating from Nandom Secondary Schoolwith flying colors, he enrolled at the Universityof Ghana in 1992, a time when his native Ghanawas in serious political discussion about how tomove from a Jerry Rawling PNDC military junta to aconstitutional one. He joined the Vandals Fraternitywith the Commonwealth Hall at the University ofGhana, a brotherhood that has produced importantstatesmen and respected civil servants right fromits earliest years. As one of the chief vandals, Apaakwas constantly paving a peaceful way for studentsand administrators on issues like student allowances.strikes, tertiary education reforms and so forth. Thisexperience would harness his abilities to engagepeople of different sides or opinions to find commongrounds for the sake of progress and peace.After receiving his bachelors degree from theUniversity of Ghana in 1996, he left to continuehis studies at the University of Bergen in Norway.He also holds a PhD from SFU. Apaak was the firstinternational student to be elected to a universityboard in B.C.He has since won numerous awards. and hisimmense contribution as a human rights advocatehas put him in notable podiums with distinguishedpersonalities like Senator Romeo Dalliare and JackLayton of the Federal NDP. Apaak has also hosted orspoken at events with Human Rights Advocate andMiss Canada 2003 Nazanin Afshin Jam, as well asOlympic Gold Medalist Daniel 19a1i.Apaak founded the Canadian Students for Darfurin 2004 to raise awareness for the bloodshed inWestern Sudan. The organisation has since raisedover $40,000 to bring aid to refugees in the region.His contribution to the Vancouver African communityis shown through his role as a regular MC for Africancommunity events. He also holds a position as afounding member of the United African Communitiesof British Columbia, and is the host of AfricanConnection, a show dedicated to African issueson 90.1 FM.When asked what kind of message he intendsto leave with his fellow graduates in the upcomingconvocation on June 3, Apaak talks about the powerof students to change the world. He expressesinterest in creating opportunities for other people.·Students should use knowledge and skills for·progress. in whatever field they find themselves."WWW.thHfonews.cawhich was felt by all present to be a timelyand much welcomed step in the rightdirection. Dr. Cooper was elected interiroChair and will be assisted by two co-Chairs;Dr. Charmaine Nelson, McGill University,Montreal and Dr. Charles Quist-Adade,Kwantlen Polytechnic University, BritishColumbia. As its vision, the BCSA aims "toencourage and support research, publication,teaching, and understanding of diverse Blackcommunities in Canada and the Diaspora,"while its mission is "to create and sustain acommon forum and space to study, researchand exchange ideas that advance the interest,study and understanding of Black Canadaand the Diaspora".The workshop however ended on a moresomber note, with a tour ofHogan's Alley,a historic Black community in Vancouver,located in Strathcona, between Unionand Prior Street, from Main to JacksonAvenue. Known officially as "Park Lane,"Hogan's Alley was once home to a largeconcentration ofAfrican-Canadian peoplewho were drawn to the area because ofits close proximity to the railway and theemployment opportunities that came withit. Construction of the Georgia Viaduct in1972 however destroyed several homesand businesses in Hogan's Alley, whicheventually drove residents out. Today,all that is left as remnants of its past isthe building of the former first African-American church; "African MethodistEpiscopal Fountain Chapel" now sold tonew owners.Nonetheless, the three day workshop wasa seen as a success by all the participants,who thanked Dr. Cooper for conceptualizingsuch an event and for her resilience in herefforts at trying to restore and reclaim AfroCanadian history.www.theafonews.ca Group Visit to Hogon Alley Old Block Community Siter

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