Editor
Good morning all
Hard to believe it’s already December and Christmas is just round the corner. As we contemplate how to get through the yuletide shopping, what parties to attend (Christmas always seems to have more parties than any other month!), it’s probably a good time to reflect on events in the past month.
For us in Canada’s national capital, the most momentous and unsettling event was the cold blooded murder, in broad daylight, of Corporal Nathan Cirillo as he stood on sentry duty at the Canadian War Memorial. Canadians were struck numb with disbelief; we had always assumed that ours was the most peaceful country in the world. Some say we lost our innocence, maybe naivete too, on that cold morning, as the vista of terrorism hit us right in the the very heart of our democracy. No longer can we assume that acts of terrorism happen elsewhere: Iraq, Syria, U.S., Nigeria etc. The title of our coverage of the Remembrance Day ceremony says it all: Sombre but defiant Remembrance Day in Ottawa. For Canadians of all stripes to stand fast against any person or group that threatens our peace and well being of our citizens.
Regardless of the depressed mood that pervaded much of November, there were reasons to celebrate. Nigerian-born Frank Onasanya will be sworn in this month, having made history as the first black councillor elected in North Grenville in the October 27 elections. This historical event easily made him our pick for Top Story for December. along the same lines, there were awards for Somali-born Abdirizak Warsame and Sadia Abullahi from Crime Prevention Ottawa, Planet Africa award for Nigerian-born Yomi Pratt, plus a CPO award for the Ottawa Police Youth Advisory Committee, consisting of youth from Ottawa’s diverse racial and ethnic communities. From the Jamaican community we report on their Heroes Award gala; not to be outdone, St. Vincent and the Grenadines held a very successful independence day gala. The African Festival organised by Dan Eji continues to wow audiences and this year, they lived up to their billing as one of the top shows in the national capital.
Harvard educated Stacey-Ann Morris is our guest columnist for the month with an insightful piece on perseverance in problem-solving, her article titled: Fail Fast Fail First. The November offering is rounded out by our interview with Ottawa’s rising star, our own teenage singing sensation Angelique Francis.
Enjoy!
Godwin Ifedi
Editor