Edmonton Savanah Association Cultural Event June 28, 2014

The Edmonton Savanah Association (ESA), a socio-cultural group with over  50 members aimed at fostering the rich cultural heritage of the Savanah People of Cameroon; hereby invites you to its annual Cultural Jamboree scheduled on Saturday June 28, 2014 from 7:00 PM at ACCA Center, 3530 91th Street, Edmonton, T6E 6P1.

The purpose of this event includes:

•   Showcase of ESA’s rich cultural heritage (Continuation from last year),

•   Raise funds for the following purposes:  Acquisition of traditional dance instruments and customs, Rent a permanent venue for our monthly meetings and Continual support of ESA’s community initiatives in assisting  members integrate into the larger Edmonton society.

Our activities during the occasion will include among others:

• A display of ESA's rich cultural heritage including

1. ESA's rich cuisine

2. Traditional dances

3. Fashion parade showcasing ESA's rich traditional regalia

• A debate on polygamy; a controversial practice common in many parts of the world including Cameroon

• All night Gala

Proceeds from this year's twin events will go towards:

1. The aquisition of traditional dance instruments and customes

2. Rental of monthly meetings' venue

3. Helping members integrate into the Edmonton and Canadian society at large.

Edmonton Savanah Association Cultural Event June 30, 2012

By Mr. Techoro Tebug Mba (President of the Association)

The Honorable Minister of Culture and Community Spirit for the Province of Alberta,
The Representative of the Mayor of the City of Edmonton,
The Honorable Members of the Legislative Assembly
The Councillors to the City of Edmonton
Representatives of various political parties represented in the Alberta Legislative Assembly,
Members of the Clergy,
Distinguish Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen
We are very grateful and delighted to have you all here. As you may have noticed, today marks one of the finest days in the history of our Association. I understand the obvious first question in each and everyone’s mind is what the Edmonton Savanah Association (ESA) is all about?  Well, the Edmonton Savanah Association is a socio-cultural grouping of individuals residing in and around Edmonton who share a common interest in preserving and promoting the rich culture of the Savanah people of Cameroon with the philosophy that “Happiness is more when shared and Sadness is less when shared”.
As a matter of fact, the ESA was founded some three years ago and registered with the Alberta Society Act in December 2010. Our membership has steadily increased from less than 9 at conception to over 47 adults and 37 children under the ages of 18. Most Savanah members are professionals in diverse fields of specializations and over 85% of our members are currently studying at various levels in various Universities and colleges in and around Edmonton. Also, over 90% of our members immigrated into Canada under the skilled immigration program.
The general assembly of our association meets once every month in the basements and living rooms of our members. Our regular activities involve promotion of the Savanah culture through various activities. 

We provide material and moral assistance to our members in various situations including condoling with members who have lost a family member, celebrating with families having a new child as well as with those graduating from schools and professional training programs. We also reach out to other communities in times of crises. We are a very active association and often organised group visits to some wonderful touristic sides in Alberta. Given the uniqueness of Alberta, these trips are invaluable to new comers even those arriving from other parts of Canada. We also facilitate the integration of new comers into the Edmonton and Canadian societies in various ways including circulation of information on job openings and training opportunities. We educate our kids on key cultural practices including the respective dialects spoken by various tribal groups in the Savanah region. In a nut shell, we strive to make our members feel at home though several thousands of miles away from homeland! We also want to use this opportunity to express our gratitude to all Edmontonians for the growing love and support offered to ESA members.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Another important question we may want to ask is….why a Savanah Cultural Event? We have at least four good reasons why we should be here today:
   Firstly, we as Savanah people have a lot to offer in terms of our culture. We believe with events like this, we will be able to show case some of our talents to the public which we are sure, will contribute towards the rich diversity of the Edmonton society.      

Secondly, we also wish to pitch to her Honorable Minister for Culture and also to the honorable Mayor of the City of Edmonton, our wish to have a permanent hall where we can hold our regular monthly meetings. Currently, these meetings take place in the basements and living rooms of members and with our growing demography, these spaces can no longer accommodate all the members comfortably and safely. Equally, as you will see from the activities this evening, we need a space that can permit some cultural activities including dancing practises etc.
       Thirdly, through events like this, we believe we will be able to show to our young and future Savanah members some of the positive aspects of our cultural heritage which we took all along from our homeland several thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean into Canada.

 Fourthly, Savanah members will no longer want to celebrate the Canada Day July 01 in solitude but will rather prefer to do so in the spirit of conviviality with friends, families and the community; through which we may constantly renew our spirit of togetherness, find new ways to help foster unity amongst other communities in a truly multicultural Edmonton.

Ladies and gentlemen,
 We Savanahs like most other minority groups honestly find Edmonton very welcoming and as you can see from our demography, we are truly calling Edmonton our home as a majority of our life and passion is and will be spent in this beautiful City.

Canada as a whole has also been a real blessing to us the Savanah people of Cameroon and we shall, in our own little way continue to be grateful and will work harder to contribute positively towards the building of this beautiful and industrious nation of Canada.
We hope you will all have a wonderful evening and please enjoy the many diverse cultural performances that will be displayed this evening and also please, enjoy the many delicious dishes from the ladies of the Savanah Association.

Finally, we want to use this opportunity to say thank you again to all our guests, especially to her Honorable Minister of Culture and Community Spirit, the City of Edmonton, the Mennonite Centre of Edmonton, the Action for Healthy Community and also the Bafut Manjong Group of Edmonton and all other Cameroonian Associations and Edmonton based organizations for partnering with us to make this moment a real one to celebrate. What we see today, what we enjoy today is a glimmer of the many activities that will be presented through our mother association-the Cameroon Association of Edmonton during the forthcoming Heritage Festival in August. We want to thank you all for coming and please enjoy yourselves and feel at home.
Long live the Savanah Association of Edmonton,
Long live the City of Edmonton
Happy Canada Day to you all