By Joe Kingsley Eyiah, OCT, Brookview M. S., Toronto


Have you ever given a deep thought to the saying, “Divided we Fall, United we Stand?
Yes! Can you image all Africans living in the Greater Toronto Area coming together on one day at one place to share, praise and fellowship together? It is possible and it is coming this June! It is the “All African Day Celebration.”
You are specially invited to be part of this Greater Toronto Area (GTA) all African Day Celebration, 2012. It takes place on June 2nd, 2012 at the Catch the Fire Church on 272 Attwell Drive, Etobicoke. The theme for the event is ‘Inspired by Hope”.
The All Africa Day celebration is a consolidation of the various African days in the Churches and joining with the other African Churches visible in the GTA to celebrate our heritage and praise our God as a united people. We, also, want to reach out to our brothers and sisters who may not visit our various Churches per-se but would show interest in attending a grand occasion - where all the nations come together and feel a sense of worth and pride in being Africans.

Africa: a Country or a Continent?
It is strange that many people who have not been to Africa before think of it as one country with a group “uncivilized people living in trees!”
There are about 55 countries that make up Africa. Each is unique and has its own flag. There will be a special flag-raising ceremony (parade of nations) for the countries of Africa at this All African Day (AAD) in Toronto. About eighteen countries (nationals domiciled in the Greater Toronto Area) have already registered for participation in this parade! They include:
Angola
Botswana
Burundi
CDR - Congo
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Ghana
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Swaziland
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe





Map of Africa showing the various countries


African culture is incredibly interesting because it is so diverse. Every African country is a mix of tribes each with their own unique language and culture. Countries as small as Uganda have more than 30 tribes. Why not come to share the different dishes of African countries.

Unfortunately, the ancient hospitality in Africa where, for instance, children belonged to the community and the joy or fear of one person was seen as every person’s concern
seems to be going down the drain. We hope to revamp the good aspects of our culture even in our new land of abode


Empowering Our Youth:
Moreover, we, by this event hope to empower our youth and children - communicating the positive aspects of our heritage and demonstrating the fact that there is a large presence of Adventists who are of African descent in the GTA.
We are therefore calling Africans and 'friends of Africa' to join us to celebrate our journey as inspired by our hope in God; and reconsider what He has for us while we tarry here awaiting His soon coming.

We had a very successful Celebration last year, with over 2,500 in attendance. This was a very encouraging number, considering many folks did not hear about the event and many others heard about it at the last minute. This year we want as many people as possible to hear about it and tell others too.
Come and join us as we all celebrate what God has done and continues to do in our lives.
This event is organized by Adventists of African origin resident in Ontario and sponsored by the Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
African Seventh-day Adventist Churches in and around the Greater Toronto Area unite with their local communities to provide community services to needy or disadvantaged neighborhoods. For example the Ghanaian SDA Church Education Council formed a partnership with the Brookview Middle School to provide after-school homework club and mentorship program for students in the Jane/Finch area at Brookview in Toronto since 2005!