One Lethbridge College said it was difficult growing up in Malawi since his family didn’t have the resources that they have now living in Canada.
For student Jimmy Bukuru, Valentine’s Day isn’t the only thing being celebrated this month – his culture and race is also being celebrated as February in Canada is Black History Month.
According to the Government of Canada website, Canada announced February as Black History Month in 1976, but Alberta only began to recognize February as the historic month two years ago.
Bukuru was born in Burundi but grew up in Malawi. In 2008 his parents decided it was time to move to Canada.
“My parents wanted a better opportunity for our family. We moved here for a better education and better life because back home was rough.”
Currently, he is enrolled in General Studies and plays soccer for the Kodiaks.
Bukuru said growing up in Malawi and saving money was hard as he constantly found himself paying for something and working all the time.
“It was difficult, we didn’t have the resources that we have right now. We had to work on farms, with cattle and other things.”
Bukuru said he currently works just as hard as he did in Malawi, but he adds life in Canada is much better than it was back home as he enjoys the freedom to do much more.
Samantha Lenci, the Lethbridge College VP academic and provost, says celebrating Black History Month is crucial to learning about the diverse cultures across the campus.
“We need to hear it from an individuals point of view. It’s not just about this is how everybody is in this culture, it’s about individual stories and how they got here and how their families got here.”
Bukuru believes this month increases awareness of what the cultures in Malawi and other African countries are like.
“It gives us the opportunity to really realize what people have gone through and to know where our country is today.”
Lethbridge College will be hosting a series of events in the coming week which includes movie nights and to cap off the month, there will be a Black History Month potluck.