Calgary's East African communities kick-start a new storytelling project with a sea of colour

The atmosphere took Akeir Kuol right back to East Africa — laughter, dance, sharing food and the rich mix of cultures.

"Welcome to Africa," said Kuol of the weekend event at the Genesis Centre. "It seems like it's not organized but it's everyone in one place together just enjoying ourselves."

"This is unity. This is about remembering and sharing our experiences. And this keeps our children excited about who we are."

Kuol was one of more than 20 community leaders and organizers who partnered with CBC Calgary to create Sharing Knowledge, a launch event for a new, community-driven news project with Calgary's East African communities.

Members of Calgary's Somali community show off their fashion during a parade of cultures fashion show on Saturday at the Genesis Centre. (Positivibes Photography)

Two restaurants teamed up to share food common to many Eritrean and Ethiopian cultures at the Sharing Knowledge event — Haniel Breakfast House, left, and EC Fusion Lounge. MJ's African Food Store and the Central Halal Kitchen also fed the crowds. (Positivibes Photography)

Roughly 600 community members came out.

They celebrated their culture, traditional clothing and food. And they shared ideas with young adults from their communities, who will be working with CBC Calgary to report on stories from their communities for the rest of the country.

Aggudo Coffee roasted the beans for their coffee in the tradional clay pot, giving the coffee a warm, earthy flavour. Community members also brought a spiced Somalian tea and a ginger tea from Rwanda. (Positivibes Photography)

Anabelle Munyezamu and Patrice Gaheshi trace their roots from Rwanda and Burundi to Calgary, at the Sharing Knowledge launch event Saturday. (Submitted by Patrice Gaheshi)

Young adult participants are a key part of this project.

They gathered story ideas at the event and interviewed community members about their fashion and food. Later, they'll meet with CBC newsroom leaders to plan the reporting project — to figure out what stories are most important to tell first, and what news and information that community members need most.

CBC Calgary will use a co-reporting model to cover those stories, partnering these young adults with CBC journalists.

The stories will be published and air on all the regular CBC platforms, and also with partner media, on CJSW's community shows and a community quarterly, Habesha Magazine.

Victor Makundi from the Tanzanian community invited people to share their stories and suggestions for the community-driven news project. (Kathleen Bell/CBC)

Sharing Knowledge is also about making connections between members of the media and communities. Newsroom leaders from CBC Calgary and its partners, CJSW and Habesha Magazine, came to answer questions and build relationships with Calgary's East African communities. (Will Tigley/CBC)

Community members who missed giving their ideas for stories can still fill out an online survey here and follow the project through the WhatsApp group.

At the event, many East African community members were already talking about making this an annual event, perhaps with more emphasis on fashion and food.

What started as a CBC Calgary idea quickly became something much bigger. Both non-profit organizations and community associations got involved with dozens or organizers and volunteers. It included representatives tied to 10 East African counties: Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Community members created an entire gallery of East African traditional clothing for the Sharing Knowledge event, highlighting the diversity both between and within countries. (Kathleen Bell/CBC)

Daniel Egubat, left, and Adi Eyassu, two community members who stepped up to help organize the Sharing Knowledge event as a chance to showcase their culture, build community and share their stories. (Positivibes Photography)

That community ownership made a huge difference, said Jean-Claude Munyezamu, a Rwandan-Canadian who founded Umoja Community Mosaic.

"Each time (there's a new event or project), African people or Black people are invited to participate. Today, we're not participating; we are contributing. Today, we're hosting, and that's very important."

The event was funded by the Calgary Foundation, Vibrant Communities Calgary, Genesis Centre and CBC Calgary, in addition to all of the volunteer hours and donations in kind from communities.

The reporting part of this project will be funded entirely by CBC. Watch for updates at cbc.ca/sharingknowledge.

Women wearing delicate fabrics from North Sudan at the closing celebration for the Sharing Knowledge launch event. (Positivibes Photography)

Members of Calgary's Kenyan community share beads, drums and traditional clothing at the Sharing Knowledge community event. (Mohamed Abazibnab)

Members of Calgary's Ugandan community show off their fashion at the Genesis Centre on Saturday. (Positivibes Photography)

Women show off their Rwandan culture during a mini fashion show. (Positivibes Photography)

Sharing Knowledge: An invitation to all local East African communities. (Lianne Sabourin/CBC)