Edmonton: Mano River Union Rally Against Ebola

Chants of “We Shall Overcome” floated over the procession as members of the Guinean, Liberian, and Sierra Leonean communities in Edmonton, Canada, marched through the city’s main streets on Thursday August 7, 2014.

Dressed in white tops and displaying banners carrying the message, marchers made quite an impression as they drew public attention to the Ebola problem now affecting their home countries in West Africa.

Many passersby paused to get details about the march, and quite a few motorists honked in acknowledgment, as they drove by.

A notable presence at the event was Dr. Raj Sherman, a member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly (MLA). Sherman not only made a formal statement urging the Canadian government to take a more active part in the global campaign against the deadly disease, he actually met with the leaders and some marchers for impromptu discussions on the issue.

The event was well organized and turned out just as planned. This was thanks largely to the impressive turnout, and the remarkable cooperation among the presidents of the three communities, Messrs. John Gaye, Cherif Diallo, and Kemoh Mansaray.

At the legislature grounds, people waited patiently and responded positively, as the three leaders took turns in addressing the Ebola problem. The three executives called on the rest of the Canadian populace to actively join the fight against Ebola. Monsieur Diallo spoke in French but most people got a sense of the message in his speech. In particular, his passionate utterance, “Ebola n’a pas de frontieres,” drew loud applause suggesting that most people understood what Monsieur Diallo was saying in the French language.

A major highlight of the event included Christian and Islamic prayers, with marchers holding hands, as the event came to a close. There was also coverage by Canadian media like The Edmonton Journal newspaper, and the cable networks CTV and Citytv. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation[A1] (CBC) which marks its 75th anniversary later this year stood out as its reporters and crews did interviews in French, for the benefit of the Guinean marchers and its (CBC’s) francophone TV and radio audience in Canada and overseas, especially Guinea.

Dr. Raj Sherman, first from left, and the three Mano River Union Edmonton presidents, Gaye, Diallo and Mansaray.