EVENTS

IECC organizes the “Cultural days against racism and discrimination, obstacles to Canadian diversity and citizen participation” from September 1, 2021 to September 19, 2021 at the Marriot Halifax Harbourfront Hotel in Halifax.   This project responds of course to the challenges related to Canadian cultural diversity in Halifax, which is confronted to challenges of racism and systemic discrimination, which prevent black youth from immigrant backgrounds from integrating successfully in the society and participating in economic development of their local communities in Nova Scotia. The upcoming events will promote Canadian cultural diversity and foster positive interaction between members of different racial, religious, or ethnic communities through cultural and sport activities such as African folk-dance festival, francophone music festival, African and Caribbean fashion show and School soccer tournament that will involve participants from diversified cultural communities. These activities will give the participants the opportunity to exchange ideas, to talk about culture and ethnic identity, to discover their cultural values ​​and civilizations and to promote their integration into the community. In other words, these events will highlight the enhancement of the richness and diversity of cultural expressions that make up the population of Halifax. There is in this region a need for artistic expression among black immigrant populations, both in its professional, amateur, and popular forms, and these activities will make possible this dialogue of cultures, the mixing of values ​​and the meeting of different cultural practices and religious. The Cultural days against racism and discrimination activities will also foster discussions on multiculturalism, diversity, racism and discrimination in Halifax and Nova Scotia in order to promote intercultural and interfaith understanding and to encourage the full participation of black youth in Canadian society. IECC remains convinced that black youth immigrants are capable of autonomy and creativity and can take their responsibilities in Nova Scotia if they are given the chance to express themselves through these cultural days, to interact positively with members of different cultural, ethnic and religious communities and to establish a dialogue because cultural citizenship contributes to the construction of personal identity and to the formation of citizens who are more engaged in their community.  The Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights refers to cultural rights as being indispensable for dignity and the free development of the personality. Article 27 (1) states: "Everyone has the right to take part freely in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to participate in scientific progress and its benefits. The International Convention on the Rights of the Child signed and ratified by Canada - Article 31 (2) states: "States Parties respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and encourage the organization for its benefit of appropriate means of leisure and recreational, artistic and cultural activities, under conditions of equality. Therefore, the true development of young people can be effective only if we consider creativity, diversity and capacity building are fundamental keys of their integration, participation, and success. It is within this framework that IECC is organizing the "Cultural days against racism and discrimination, obstacles to Canadian diversity and citizen participation. "

By organizing these activities, the objective of IECC is to place the cultural participation of black youth at the center of the concerns, given that the engagement of young people is a societal issue that must be addressed in workplace, education, justice, health, and other government sectors, where racism and discrimination continue to exist.  Every year Nova Scotia welcome a huge number of black immigrants from Africa, who end up moving to other Canadian Provinces for settlement where they can integrate, find a good pay job, and participate successfully to the economy.  Black Nova Scotians are even more privileged by Provincial legislations than black African from Immigration.  This even intensifies the discrimination between black communities in Nova Scotia.  These events will give a preponderant place to the arts and culture as privileged tools of rapprochement and intercultural dialogue all members of different communities.