By Abayomi Charles Roberts, Edmonton, AB., Canada. July 22, 2024.

The Sierra Leone Association of Alberta (SLAA) held its first-ever Awards ceremony on Saturday 20 July 2024. The event, titled Sierra Leone Association of Alberta 2024 Presidential Awards, took place at the SLAA Community Hall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 

Over 300 trophies and certificates of appreciation went out to school-age children (graduates), volunteers, entrepreneurs, executives, and close associates of the Sierra Leone community, for their respective contributions in the affairs of the association. Award winners also included SLAA’s external stakeholders like civic leaders, non-profit organizations, local businesses, and partners/sister (community) organizations. 

 One notable recipient was CAUSE Canada, the international humanitarian organization which has been operating in Sierra Leone for decades now. SLAA also acknowledged Africa Centre and Sinkunia Community Development Organization (SCDO) in the same spirit. Headed by Sierra Leonean Issa Kamara, SCDO is based in Canada, with operations in Sierra Leone and Ghana.  

The three levels of government (City of Edmonton, Government of Alberta, and Government of Canada) were each honoured as well, as sponsors. These tiers of government have respectively been providing project grants for the benefit of the Sierra Leonean community which SLAA represents in this part of Canada.  

An over-arching citation on the cover of the event brochure/programme described the occasion as: ‘’A celestial gathering to honour those whose brilliance has shaped the very essence of SLAA’s evolution.’’ The event was the attainment of one of fourteen targets that the current SLAA president Dr. Abu Conteh set for himself and his team, as he campaigned for election into office in 2018. 

Along with the trophies and certificates, award recipients took home complimentary copies of the first-ever SLAA Compendium. The document is a summary of the programmes, events, and activities of the association during Dr. Abu Conteh’s tenure as president. Dr. Conteh and former SLAA Secretary-General Abayomi Charles Roberts compiled the compendium. According to Dr. Conteh, the compendium will be available in both electronic and print forms.  

In his Address during the ceremony, Dr. Abu Conteh stated that this SLAA Presidential Awards was organized for two main purposes. Firstly, the accolades are meant to publicly acknowledge the contributions of volunteers within the association. Secondly, they are intended to motivate other SLAA members to step up and start volunteering for the continued success of the association.  

Highlights of the event included a speech by special guest Lawyer Stephen C. Snyder; a musical interlude featuring a song by SLAA Secretary General Mohamed ‘Wan Duni’ Jalloh; and a solo-singing performance by SLAA member Yealie Bangura. Lawyer Snyder commended SLAA; describing it as an exemplary community association. Yealie Bangura did a rendition of songstress Sonya Spence’s 1980s hit song ‘Fantasy.’ 

The MC was Josclyn Hector while the deejay was Deenie Ibrahim (aka MC Laj). 

The current executive committee of SLAA (otherwise referred to as Board Members) came into office after Dr. Abu Conteh won the community presidential election held in October 2018. It will bow out later this year, after two consecutive terms.  

 The next SLAA presidential election is slated for Saturday 10 August 2024.