Sunday 21 March, 2021
Renowned Black community leader Jean Marie Vianney, today received the prestigious Warren Allmand award from the Union des Africains du Québec et Amis Solidaires de l’Afrique (UAQASAQ). This award, named after the late Warren Allmand, the beloved former federal Solicitor General and Human Rights activist, is dedicated to the promotion of peace, social justice, inclusion reconciliation and solidarity among peoples.
Jean Marie Vianney, CEO M9MÉDIAS, is a francophone liaison officer with the city of Ottawa. Born in Cameroon, West Africa, Jean-Marie is a graduate in social communications and conflict resolution from Saint Paul University in Ottawa. He is a multidisciplinary community player affiliated with the National Council of Ethnic Press and Media; founding member of the Coalition des Noir.e.s francophones de l’Ontario (CNFO) and the Conseil de la communauté noire de Gatineau (CCNG). He is also co-founder of the Groupe d’action contre le racisme anti noires et noirs (GACRAN), which works for the effective inclusion of Black people within the Canadian francophonies of Ottawa university. In addition, Jean Marie is a francophone ambassador for the of African Canadian Association in Ottawa (ACAO). He has been involved in francophone community media since 1996 as a journalist, coordinator and producer at the University of Ottawa radio station (CHUO 89.1 FM) and host of Vivre ensemble on TV Rogers. He is one of the pioneers who formed the very first production team for French-language community radio in the National Capital Region, 94.5, currently UNIQUE-FM. He also collaborates with the francophone magazine Écho published in Ottawa. His experience in the community environment as a social regulator leads him to question himself on the issues, challenges and benefits of community media for Ontario’s ethnocultural and black Francophone communities and visible minorities in Canada, topics that will be addressed in his next publication. Jean Marie is dedicating his award to two women: Joyce Echaquan and Mireille Ndjomouo and theirs families.