A Madaraka Day with a Twist!
The Kenyan community in Edmonton, led by the Association of Kenyans in Alberta (AKA), celebrated Madaraka Day in Edmonton on June 4, 2022, at the Turkish Canadian Society Hall in Edmonton.
Madaraka Day commemorates the day in 1963 that Kenya attained internal self-rule, and partial independence, after being a British colony. Kenya fully established a republic in 1964, in another celebration called, Jamhuri Day (Republic Day).
For the last five years, we’ve covered Madaraka Day put on by the Kenyan community in Edmonton, and as always, the event is well organized, with nice catchy hall decorations, friendly welcoming people with that big Kenyan smile, and always well attended by the Kenyan community members, flavoured with the tasty Mandazi, the mouth-watering Ugali, and the appetizing Chapati.
This year, the organizers decided to spice things up by getting members of the community to talk directly to their elected leaders with a question-and-answer period. The question and answer period got off to a good start but soon changed when the issue of Black Muslim Women being attacked on the streets of Edmonton came up.
Dunia Nur, president of the African-Canadian Civic Engagement Council (ACCEC), based in Edmonton, who has been championing these issues of Black Muslim women being attacked on the streets of Edmonton let her emotions take the better of her during a response by Alberta’s Multiculturalism and Immigration Minister, Kaycee Madu, who was responding
Kemoh Mansaray, The President of the Africa Centre said he has called Minister Madu, the Kenyan executives, and all those involved to calm down the situation. Dunia has already apologized to the Kenyan community, and she’s back to taking blows on behalf of our young people and Black Muslim women on the streets of Edmonton, while the Kenyan community looks forward to the future with an equally exciting Jamhuri Day celebration.
