Explore NWT events planned for Black History Month

From cooking workshops to an art exhibition and gala night, the NWT’s Black advocacy coalition is preparing to host a range of events this month.

The coalition, known as BACupNorth, organized a mental health workshop and dinner at Yellowknife’s Tree of Peace Friendship Centre for its 2024 edition.

Ambe Chenemu, co-founder of the coalition, said a similar gathering will take place as the season’s opening event on February 8 this year. He hopes it can create a dialogue about the stigma associated with mental health.

“There will be a presentation to shed light on that, because there’s some of the struggles that we see in the Black community that are just very silent and siloed,” Chenemu told Cabin Radio.

“When you talk about drugs and mental health and things like that, it could be very heavy. So we want to … not let the entire event be heavy on those topics.”

Roughly 15 people are expected to prepare a variety of African and Caribbean food.

Chenemu said last year’s turnout was so large that the venue reached capacity and organizers were forced to turn some people away. He urges interested attendees to arrive early to secure a spot.

On February 9, the coalition is running a virtual workshop about artificial intelligence and its impact on Black businesses. Yellowknife French-language school École Allain St-Cyr will host free cooking workshops on February 15-16.

An art exhibition will be set up at the NWT Legislative Assembly on February 22, followed by a concluding gala at the Chateau Nova Hotel on March 8.

Each event except the gala is free. Chenemu said the coalition tries to keep ticket prices “as affordable as possible” and waives fees for some community members who may not be able to afford it.

Malian-Canadian singer Djely Tapa, who performed at the gala two years ago, is performing again this time. Zimbabwe-born musician Munya Mataruse and Ottawa-based band M’igmafrica are other acts to look out for.

Chenemu said federal funding has helped BACupNorth organize Black History Month events for the past two years. While the organization has applied for it this year, he said similar support is not guaranteed each year.

Despite that, volunteers and donations from local businesses continue to make the events successful.

“We have a lot of local support from community partners, community groups that are supporting us in different ways,” he said.

“Bringing artists from far away is very expensive, and even just running dinner at the Chateau is quite expensive, so we need a heavy chunk of support – and hopefully we’ll get that this year.”

Chenemu said BACupNorth wants to provide “sustainable and quality service” by offering long-term programs to community members. Adding new board members to increase capacity is another goal.

“What we’re working on right now is putting together a strategic plan that can really guide the vision of the organization, and we start to target funding and resources that are able to really help the organization expand and really support community members in a meaningful way,” he said.

“We’re very grateful for the support that we get from community members. The only reason we’re able to be here and do this work for this long is because of the local support that we have.

“We do not take that for granted, and we want to make sure that we’re moving in the right direction.”