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Communicating through Media |
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Communicating through Media |
The colours of the rainbow merged in Notre Dame de Grace at Westhill High School gym this February. Black History Month was celebrated at a basketball tournament bringing together black and nonwhite youths to challenge 32 white French Canadian students from a police technical college in Rimouski. Organized by Chief Commander Jean Chatigny of NDG's Station 11, the student police were on a two day exchange visit to help celebrate Black History Month. Monsieur Chatigny initiated the tournament and invited the cultural communities to share in expressing a new spirit of tolerance and understanding on the part of the police. The Black Community and Ecole St. Luc of NDG accepted the challenge by participating in the event. My involvement was to host three of the student police, Freddie, Stephan, and Michele. I broke barriers by making them feel at home and serving a real South African breakfast: koeksisters (doughnuts) and mieliemeal (cream of corn). After breakfast, the young men (20 to 25) invited me to jog with them to their practice at the gym. They were really surprised when I accepted. I did not tell them that since my athletic teens I play netball and badminton once a week and bicycle, play tennis, and hike in the mountains during the summer. At the gym when my first ball went in the net, they cheered and sang happy birthday for my 59th, a jolly way to celebrate. The gym began to fill with young players and I left only to return for the finals. Four hours later, the colours of the rainbow were in place; women and men of all colour and ethnic backgrounds had formed eight teams. They played like old friends, each trying to reach the end of the rainbow. My cryptic brain cells went to work. I thought how the colours of the rainbow could shine in South Africa where since 1994 the police have undergone a radical change in terms of transformation and democratization. A shift from the use of force to community service took place aimed at establishing an equal partnership between police and the communities. I suggested to the chief commander the idea of taking our police to play with the Rainbow youth of South Africa. His response was enthusiastic and he invited me to his office to make plans for the year 2000. All tournament participants and invited guests enjoyed a West Indian buffet and a performance by South African born singer Lorraine Klaasen. She was accompanied by the Montreal Intercultural Choir under the direction of Dr. Leonard Wosu formerly of Nigeria. The floor was open for dancing. While Chief Chatigny and I danced the thoi-thoi (a Khoikhoi dance), the police students formed a chain around the rainbow. A good time was had by all. |