Wine and Cheese Meeting

Usually when one goes to hear somebody speak, the chances of actually meeting the guest speaker are incredibly low. But on October 28, at a wine and cheese meeting, students, professors, and guest speakers were able to mingle together and engage in conversation regarding Africa and other current events.

People came from as far Alberta to this meeting all for different reasons. Nicole Sguigna, a student at Wilfrid Laurier had previously done a research project on Kenya with Debra Langan, her professor, so she was interested in hearing more about Africa. Another Laurier student, Gillian Athaide, volunteered for the wine and cheese meeting so that she could socialize with students, professors, and people from other cities so that she could make new friends and get to know people on a personal basis. Everyone was very friendly and open to share their backgrounds and what brought them to the event which provided a positive environment. Erik Hager, an advisor of the leadership program, came to represent the community and had a deep interest in Africa especially because he previously sponsored some kids in Congo through World Vision.

Professor and organizer of the event, Peter Faruggia, said it took him nine months to put the entire event together and that this was the sixth interdisciplinary conference that he had run. Peter is one of the ten members of the institute TSHEPO which researches information on Africa. The name TSHEPO means hope in Tswana, a language of Botswana, which researches information on Africa.  

Lisa Chegini, another Laurier student volunteer at the event, said she volunteered because she wanted to experience something new and expand on the knowledge she already had of Africa and globalization. “I only know a little bit about Africa and its many countries, but I do know that there is and has been a lot of people working for little to no money and if I can learn something from this weekend I would want to know why this happens.”

The guest speaker, Ali A Abdi from the University of Alberta, shed a little light on Africa and globalization and why it happening in so many African countries. “Leadership is the problem; people who are capable of being good political leaders need to be found, ones that aren’t corrupt.” Ali also stated that an independent media is needed for many different African countries so that a voice is given to the public. He also said that the public needs to be educated and that the governments should be transparent and have intelligent leadership. Ali also said that the governments should also be held accountable by the public. Ali said the weekend would mainly cover the developments, education, and human well-being of Africa and how globalization is affecting people.

Though the main reason people came to the wine and cheese meeting was to talk about Africa and globalization, many new relationships were formed and the people ended up being more colourful than the wine.

Did He Just Say Negro

“The book of what?”

 “She asked why I was so black. I asked why she was so white. She said she was born that way. Same here, I replied.” (Excerpt from the book of Negroes)

Reads out Lawrence Hill, as a class packed full of 50 plus students, and adults listen in to hear the widely known author of the Book of Negroes speak. On September 29, 2010, Canadian born Lawrence Hill snatched the attention of many at Wilfrid Laurier University. Lawrence Hill read excerpts from his books “Any Known Blood” and “The Book of Negroes” and then finished off the meeting with answering many questions. While listening to him read and looking at his appearance, one could understand why he was so fit to write a book that crosses so many boundaries. Lawrence Hill’s parents, who are also civil activists, are of two different racial backgrounds, white and black, which have given him two fields of knowledge to embed in his writing. Lawrence himself was seen to the crowd as a charming, humble and polite person, patiently waiting for questions and speaking very softly. So many people were swept away by his personality that as one woman named Julie said “I’m going to read the book just because I’ve heard him speak” and many others felt the same. Many had not even read the book, which was the case for Judy, an African Canadian woman from Toronto like Lawrence.

“I’ve had the Book of Negroes in my house for years and just never got to reading it, but now after I’ve seen and heard the author I can’t wait to get home and read it. A man from a background the same as mine, from Toronto and being black, I feel an immediate connection with the historical importance of this novel.”

The book name itself has historical importance. Lawrence Hill spoke of taking the name from a historical British Literature were black slaves were accounted for, for the first time in a book called, the Book of Negroes. A black student named Rochelle Parcellis came only because she was given the book by a white fellow student and recognized his name on a poster.

“My friend gave me the book and said ‘I think you should read this book it’s really good.’ I took the book from her thinking, what kind of racist gift is this, the book of what? I finally started to read it and realize I can’t put it down”

After hearing this amazing author read out his books, one could wonder how long it took for him to write the Book of Negroes. According to Lawrence it took five years, and now so many that read the book have the same opinion saying “I couldn’t put it down”. It was a privilege for all to hear him speak and his book is in the process of becoming a movie. It is a must read, and as said by Donna Bailey Nurse “Right off the top, this is the best black Canadian novel”.