|
Well, 2006 is here. How time flies! |
 |
10-Hurricane Katrina
The devastation in Louisiana and Mississippi wreaked havoc on the lives of many, mostly poor people. But more importantly, for the long term, it highlighted the racial and economic divide that still exists in the U.S. “George W. Bush doesn’t care about Black people,” Kanye West said to the bemusement of many mainstream Americans. But we nodded in silence. It was, as our columnist Laina Dawes wrote, the sin of omission.
9-The Federal Election call
Another year, another election call. Some cynics are quick to point to the cost of this whole affair and the predictable minority government that will result from it. But democracy is an untidy concept by definition. Sometimes it takes an election to challenge the arrogance and sense of entitlement of those in power and remind them that they still have to earn the right to make decisions in our name. Our vote counts, as our contributor Marc Grannum wrote so eloquently back in September.
8-Marc Ecko’s Getting Up festival
It almost didn’t happen. Low ticket sales and bad or ineffective marketing at the start, but they still managed to pull it off with last-minute improvisation. Hopefully, that success can translate into many more peaceful festivals highlighting the talents of our Hip-Hop stars. Read Adele Ambrose’s wrap-up of the event.
7-Da Kink in My Hair
Whether you liked the show or hated it, you cannot deny the impact of Trey Anthony’s play on the theatre establishment. Thanks to the success of ‘da Kink at the Princess of Wales theatre earlier this year, Stori Ya, Two Can Play, The Burglary, the series of Stage 3 plays all got a nod because finally, those holding the purse strings realized that there was an audience (and therefore profits) for “Black plays” in Toronto. Read our interview with Trey Anthony.
6-Councillor Michael Thompson’s ludicrous proposal to target young black males as a way of solving the problem of gun violence in Toronto
“Part of the rationale was to shock the system out of its comfort on the issue of gun violence,” Michael Thompson told us in a phone interview back in August [read the interview]. He shocked the city, forcing many, including our own contributor Anne-Marie Woods, to label him “Uncle Thompson” [read the article].
5-Umoja
What are you waiting for if you haven’t seen the show yet? Thanks to the talent and determination of the folks at Ysis Entertainment and our own efforts at AfroToronto.com, Umoja came back to the Elgin Theatre in 2005. Look for more glowing words about the show in 2006. [Read Meres Weche’s review of opening night].
4-The Live 8 concerts
There was so much promise attached to them. Many of the concert-goers who headed to Barrie to see K’Naan, Sam Roberts, and the Barenaked Ladies hailed Bob Geldof as a genius whose marketing savvy and humanism would lift the African continent out of economic underdevelopment. We were not so sure. [Read Live 8: The Long road to injustice]
3-Michaelle Jean, Rosa Parks, Luther Vandross & Richard Pryor
Role models are important for young people, especially young black people. Michaelle Jean understood that notion and fought off accusations of “closet separatists” to accept the position of Governor-General. In 2005, we lost Rosa Parks, Luther Vandross, and Richard Pryor, remarkable role models in their own ranks, for both their trailblazing work and commitment to important causes. [Read Meres Weche’s Under Fire and Luther Vandross: the voice has left the building]
2-Gun Violence in Toronto
This is a story that will continue to reverberate in 2006. The flowers are still wet on the corner of Yonge Street, where Jane Creba was shot on Boxing Day. This has been a year of records for gun deaths in Toronto. Many discussions took place, and many community and government leaders issued stern declarations, but nothing has so far stemmed the violence. We need to continue to talk about it, to at least keep it in people's consciousness, and also make sure that the faults of a few do not taint the positive accomplishments of the majority.
1-The birth of AfroToronto.com
Around this time last year, my partners Melvin Bakandika, Meres Weche, and I were still arguing about logos, page formats, and colour schemes for AfroToronto.com. 2005 will always be a special year for us because we managed to turn our idea into a true electronic campfire for Toronto's Afro-Canadian community in eleven months. We thank our columnists and contributors for their amazing work throughout 2005, and we thank you, the readers, for your continued support.
