TAN – The Afro News

Margarett Best proved once again she is “The Best”

By michelle-lee ; Ontario’s recent elections gave incumbent Premier Dalton McGinty’s Liberals another victory, although the results fell just one seat short of a majority.  Scarborough-Guildwood MPP Margarett Best did her part, handily retaining her seat, defeating PC candidate Gary Ellis by a nearly 2-1 margin.

MPP Best, by winning her seat, became the first Back woman to be re-elected into a provincial parliament in Ontario.

Victory was sweet for Best who defeated popular former police superintendent Ellis.  Ellis, who has strong roots in Scarborough, was once short-listed for the position of Toronto Police Chief. He worked in the community for 25 years before retiring as Superintendent of 42 Division.  Best agreed Ellis had mounted a strong campaign and Ellis was gracious in defeat saying he has respect for Best.  The Conservatives had thought Scarborough-Guildwood was their best bet for ousting a cabinet minister (Best is Minister of Heath) but in the end MPP Margarett Best proved once again she is “The Best”.

By Jack Toronto The Afro News Delta

Sex for sale. It’s everywhere but at age 22 I’d never seen it as openly before. In bars and night clubs, in the lounge of the Government Rest House, at the movie theatre, alongside the fresh vegetables hawked outside Kingsway Stores and door-to-door. Sexuality was treated openly and casually in Ghana, certainly more than in Southern Ontario in the mid-‘60s. Add widespread poverty and the prominence of female sex workers was hardly surprising.

Getting an honest-to-goodness date with a young Ghanaian woman was a completely different matter, at least for me. And I wasn’t alone in this. Looking back I can’t recall any white male in a dating relationship with a Ghanaian woman that was based on mutual attraction and respect.

But I tried… and I tried… and I tried…and I tried…

A waitress at The Café de France, a top-end chop house restaurant serving rice with great meat sauces, was cute, animated and petite. I chatted with her in my most congenial manner, I smiled at her when I saw her get on the bus that rattled around Tamale on its erratic schedule and I thought we’d reached the stage of exchanging names that day when she came to my Café table, leaned close and said softly, “You’re wasting your time.” I saw her with her Ghanaian boyfriend at the movies later that week.

A woman at an end-of-term staff party invited me to dance Kpanlogo, a dance that originated with the Ga people in the ‘60s and then swept the country. ”Provocative” is one word that could be used to describe Kpanlogo. “Raunchy” would be better. Would a woman invite me to do this dance without actually liking me? You bet. I never saw her again.

I first saw “Vanessa” at the Tamale polo field. She had accompanied a member of the Accra polo team on their northern excursion to play the Tamale squad. (I was not a member of the Tamale Polo Club but it was a good place to hang around in hopes of being treated to a drink.) I was enchanted and entranced but not too stunned to step up and talk to her. We conversed! We exchanged addresses and after she returned to Accra we began a regular correspondence. She asked me to send her a snapshot of myself and sent me her picture. Through Vanessa I came to know a bit about Ghana’s financial and cultural elite. Her father owned rental property in London and she had studied fashion design there. Quason Sackey, former Chairman of the General Assembly of the United Nations, was a family friend. No longer on air with Ghana Broadcasting, Vanessa worked in production at the GBC when I knew her.

We got together a few times when I made vacation trips to Accra – a movie, a few informal dinners and a visit to Broadcast House where I met some of her friends and colleagues. I was blithely unaware of the attitude of many people in the street when we were out together until one fellow’s scowl was too obvious to ignore. Could it be that many people who saw us together assumed she was a prostitute? Yes, it could. Our face-to-face time in Accra was never as relaxed and flowing as in our letters and before long the relationship was over.

The lesson? Full communication and understanding in a relationship is hard, doubly so when the two people involved come from vastly different backgrounds. That I was an avid student of Ghanaian life and that Vanessa had extensive knowledge and experience of British life were not enough to bridge the assumptions and belief systems of the cultural chasm.

It’s hard but not impossible. Kuk Yan, my wife, is Chinese.

Dolores Lawrence winner of The 2009 Planet Africa Awards Gala

By michelle-lee The Afro News Ontario

Michael “Pinball” Clemons, CEO of the Toronto Argonauts together with his wife Diane, hosted the 6th annual Planet Africa Awards gala recently, at the International Centre in Toronto. Over 500 people gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of 15 distinguished recipients of the prestigious awards. Guests were treated to a great dinner, world class entertainment, along with the award presentations by VIPs. Entertainment was by Nigerian artist Yinka Farinde and his African Beats band, Diane Clemons and South Africa’s Lorraine Klaasen. Supermodel. Actor, Television Host and Hip Hop Star Sam Sarpong conducted a runway fashion show to live music where he performed, backed by his L.A.-based band, A tribute to Michael Jackson was performed by Baby Bonz Dance Group. Many VIPs were in attendance, including the High Commissioners of South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, guests from the Parliament of Canada, and senior executives from the Bank of Montreal, the Royal Bank of Canada, and many other corporations.

The recipients were:

Pan Africa Leadership Award  :

Senator Donald Oliver

Lawyer, Businessman, Statesman

Marcus Garvey Award

Isaiah Washington,

Actor/Philanthropist

Media & Entertainment Award

Cameron Bailey

Co-Director Toronto International Film Festival

Professional Excellence Award

Dr. Titus Owalabi

Chief Obstetrician & Gynecologist

North York General Hospital (Toronto)

Planet Africa Enterprise Award

CEO, NHI Nursing & Homemakers Inc.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Hon. Dr. Alvin Curling,

Former Speaker of Ontario Legislative Assembly

Science & Technology Award

Dr. Abdullah Kirumira

CEO- Biomedica Diagnostics Inc., (Nova Scotia)

Heritage Award

Joy Nneji,

Artistic Director & Founder Toronto African Dance Festival

Rising Star Award

Sam Sarpong, (England)

Supermodel, Actor, Hip Hop Star

Community Development Award

Dr. Anthony Hutchinson,

CEO-Brampton Neighbourhoiod Resource Centre

African Renaissance Award

Austin Clarke

Award Winning Author

Volunteer of the Year Award

Danielle Francis,

Analyst-Toronto Police Service

Community Advocate

Sports and Athletics Award

Kenneth Kerto,

Hoickey Player, Tracer & Field

Academic Achievement Award

Jelani Watson & Shomari Edwards

Grade 7 students perform as Twaambo

Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Award

Rotary Club of Newmarket, Ontario

Development Projects in Africa

Prominent Canadian Musicians Join Family In Celebration of Haydain Neale

By Michelle Lee ,The Afro News Ontario

Haydain Neale, 39, Juno-winning front man of the group Jacksoul has passed after a seven-month battle with lung cancer. Neale was involved in a serious car accident in 2007 but recovered to record a new album – “SOULmate” which was released December lst. Family members said the album was a gift to the many who supported him after his accident.

Nelly Furtado, Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, k-os, Chantal Kreviazuk and Keshia Chante were among the artists who performed in honour of Neale He leaves his wife Michaela, daughter Yasmin and many other family members and friends.

Toronto lawyer Sandra Thomas front First in the Right

By michelle-lee The Afro News Ontario

Toronto lawyer Sandra Thomas was presented with the 2009 Lincoln Alexander Award in recognition of her tireless community service. Thomas says her parents, who came to Canada in 1955 from Trinidad & Tobago, were her inspiration. Her father, Dr. Ferdinand Thomas, a successful medical General practitioner, was always available to help someone in need she said. “I’m a firm believer of the adage that to whom much is given much is expected”. Thomas, who is a counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, volunteers with York-Westview Partnership at York University and is actively involved in the Youth Association for Academics, Athletics and Character Education – an organization with a mandate aimed at stopping gang-related violence in the Jane-Finch community. She has also helped in the organization of forums that address urban violence and has been involved in fund raising for scholarships for aspiring young lawyers needing financial assistance. As a graduate of York University, she organized cultural shows to raise money for charity. She received her law degree from Rutgers University and was called to the Bar of Pennsylvania in 1987 and New Jersey in 1988. She worked as a counsel to then New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean before returning to Ontario. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1992 and continues to work to help others.

The Afro NEWS New comprehensive study guide for Canadian citizenship

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – A new, more comprehensive study guide for Canadian citizenship was launched today by Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship includes information on common values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law and the equality of men and women. It promotes to immigrants and Canadian citizens alike a greater understanding of Canada’s history, values, symbols and important Canadian institutions, such as Parliament and the Crown. It also highlights the contribution of ethnic and cultural communities in shaping our Canadian identity and the sacrifices made by Canada’s veterans for our country.

“People come from all over the world to seek Canadian citizenship. It is highly valued,” said Minister Kenney. “We expect people who want to become Canadians to have a good understanding of their rights and responsibilities, and the values and institutions that are rooted in Canada’s history. By strengthening the guide, we are increasing the value of Canadian citizenship.”In developing the study guide, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) consulted with a panel of prominent Canadians, including public figures, authors and historians. The new guide has also been reviewed by well-known organizations involved in citizenship promotion, such as the Historica-Dominion Institute, the Association of Francophone and Acadian Communities and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship.

Read the full story

By michelle-lee The Afro News Ontario

Yanna McIntosh Three “Queens”

Yanna McIntosh was training to be a teacher and although she did obtain her degree, she couldn’t resist the call to the stage.Jamaican-born but Canada-raised since the age of two, McIntosh says she felt “very drawn” to the theatre after reading Shakespeare’s Macbeth as a young girl. She put aside her theatrical yearnings until after graduating from the University of Toronto and then Teacher’s College. She had a choice to attend either the National Theatre School or Harvard. She chose Harvard because they had a professional theatre company – the American Repertory Theatre Institute. She says her choice “wasn’t all I hoped it would be. I didn’t get any significant roles until my final year”. She says although things have changed a lot over the years, there’s still a long way to go – “there are still some roles where I’m not thought of, where I have to make the suggestion”. She feels the Stratford Shakespeare Festival has made enormous headway by committing to having their company reflect the population at large.

This season McIntosh was cast as Lady Macbeth, the Queen of Scotland in Macbeth and Calphurnia, the Imperial consort of Rome in Julius Caesar, making a substantial impression in both roles, She is now portraying the role of Titania, Queen of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Three Queens – A winning hand I’d say.