2012 African Diaspora Youth Conference

Welcome to the 2012 African Diaspora Youth Conference Website.

This year the conference runs Thursday, May 10 to Saturday, May 12.

The theme for this year's conference is:

Shosholoza - Know where. Create Your Own Story

Shosholoza is a Ndebele folk song that originated in Zimbabwe but was popularized in South Africa. The song is a traditional South African Folk song that was sung by Ndebele all-male migrant workers that were working in the South African mines in a call and response style. The word Shosholoza  means to go forward, which suggests encouragement and advancement.

The song is so popular in South African culture that it is often referred to as South Africa's second national anthem.

Evidently, it is the song that Nelson Mandela sang to keep up his spirits while he was imprisoned.

SHOSHOLOZA and the beauty of Africa on YouTube
Under the video, click on show more for a more detailed version of the lyrics and translation.

Di•as po• ra \n [Gk, dispersion] the breaking up and scattering of a people; people settled far from their ancestral homelands; the communities where these people live.

What is the African Diaspora Youth Conference?

This conference is for secondary school students with interests in learning about the African Diaspora and how it has played a role in their development of self. Particular attention will be paid to how having knowledge of your history results in power.

The conference has become a life changing experience for many students. It provides an exceptional open forum where students can discuss with their peers the concerns they face as youth growing up in a North American society; where they can share the perspectives of their own diverse cultures. It is a place where they are given the opportunity to reflect on their own lives and learn with community people and university students who have been through similar situations and have excelled.

The conference has been welcomed and supported by the schools and leading members of the African-Canadian community. Interest in the conferences is coming from other cities. The organizers are faced with the challenge of funding to allow growth to take place and the need to keep intact the intensity of the learning experience.