The Wakefield Grannies

Participating Artists to the 3rd Great Granny Concert

Nicole Feraud-Lewis — 2008-08-15T13:50:21Z

Headlining the show will be The Remesha Drums of Burundi.
World Voices Choir will launch their second CD of music on the bridge.
The Wakefield Quartet the Notables, and 5 members of Ottawa's SIFA Choir will also entertain the audience.
The Remesha Drums of Burundi
Remesha Drums is a percussion ensemble originally from Burundi, now based in Ottawa since 2001. The Members of Remesha drums have been playing Ingoma (Drums) since they were young boys. Traditionally drummers like Remesha are a (...)

The Great Granny Revolution

webmaster — 2008-08-01T20:27:35Z

A one hour documentary on a group of South African grandmothers and how their courage touched the hearts of women half a world away. A Rooney Productions film.
THE GREAT GRANNY REVOLUTION follows a group of Canadian women as they respond to the AIDS pandemic in Southern Africa in a personal and inspiring way. Forming a group, they partner with South African Grandmothers raising AIDS orphans and provide emotional and financial support.
Footage shot in South Africa's Alexandra Township just (...)

Concert Tickets available NOW

Nicole Feraud-Lewis — 2008-07-10T03:40:03Z

THE THIRD GREAT GRANNY CONCERT will happen on the Wakefield Covered bridge on Sunday August 24 from 2:30 to 5:30 pm.
There will be an African chorale and drumming, CD exchange, refreshments. If you would like to join the drumming workshops happening before the concert read more on this page:GREAT GRANNIES' Drumming Workshops.
If you just want to come and groove with us,tichets are available from:
Jamboree in Wakefield
Livres ChelseaBooks in Chelsea
The Outpost in Lascelles
Any Wakefield (...)

JUNE 2008

Nicole Feraud-Lewis — 2008-06-28T21:40:37Z

Follows a heart-tugging excerpt from a report by the Alex clinic's coordinator, Diana, to tell us how the funds we last sent were used.
Cosmetics for children and teenagers
We have bought cosmetics for 50 young children and 28 teenagers. The cosmetics that were distributed amongst young children include a tub of Vaseline, bath soaps, tooth paste, school shoe polish and for teenagers it include, bottle of body lotion, glycerin, toothbrush, toothpaste, roll-ons, body spray, sanitary towels (...)

GREAT GRANNIES' Drumming Workshops

Nicole Feraud-Lewis — 2008-06-28T20:19:00Z

RHYTHMS WITH PIERRE
Pierre Vadeboncoeur (Pierr�t) will lead two drumming sessions on the Wakefield Covered Bridge during the morning of Sunday, August 24, 2008.
Pierr�t is no new comer when it comes to playing music; in fact he's had a love affair with music since he was 10 years old. Throughout the years he tried his hand at different instruments and studied with well-known teachers in this area, among them Michel S�guin, Kathy Armstrong and Dr. Lee.
In the last 15 years, he has been (...)

Three Grannies visits Alexandra in March 2008

Nicole Feraud-Lewis — 2008-05-20T01:41:19Z

The first week in March 2008 was the culmination of a long-held wish of Norma Geggie, one of the founder of the Wakefield Grannies-to visit the group's Gogo partners in Alexandra, South Africa. Here is her account of this visit.

Original Grannies off to South Africa to show revolutionary doc film

Nicole Feraud-Lewis — 2008-03-19T16:14:05Z

Parenting a child is one thing. But parenting a child who's lost both parents to HIV /AIDS is quite another.
That's one lesson the Wakefield Grannies have learned since partnering up with the Alexandra Gogos, a group of South African grandmothers who got together to support each other in raising their AIDS-orphaned grandchildren.
A part from the grandmothers' worries that they may not live to see their grandchildren reach adulthood, raising children in Johannesburg's Alexandra Township is a (...)

October 2007 visit to our Alexandra Gogos

Nicole Feraud-Lewis — 2008-02-01T18:19:55Z

One of the few things more warming than an African Welcome is an Alexandra Gogo Welcome.
Lindiwe and Mahlape on the right
After weeks of The Wakefield Grannies gathering together letters, photographs, calendars, 60 black canvas shopping bags, Canadian pins, small gifts and not to mention all the beautiful knitted squares that Nina Minde had collected from all her Grannies in Montreal, we finally arrived at the Alexandra Clinic early October, 2007.
Rose Letwaba accompanied Nina, some (...)

December Fundraiser and Launching the Gogolaka Products

Nicole Feraud-Lewis — 2008-01-30T16:19:14Z

On December 15, the Wakefield Grannies were invited by the Aids Brigade of Chelsea (ABC) to participate in the fundraising concert Angels Share at the Chelsea United Church in Chelsea, Quebec. The Angel's Share concert is an annual event that is hosted by Ian Tamblyn and friends. The ticket sales for this concert go towards the Chelsea United Church Building Fund, which helps keep their little building humming and they also invite an organisation to raise funds with them at this even. (...)

Grandmothers welcomed Elizabeth Mataka in Ottawa on September 8, 2007

webmaster — 2007-08-25T21:54:35Z

The Canadian Grandmothers for Africa: A National Network welcomed Elizabeth Mataka, to her first official visit to Ottawa. Ms. Mataka, who is successor to Stephen Lewis as UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, was born in Botswana and lives in Zambia. She is a grandmother, a social worker, and the vice-chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Two grandmothers from Africa (Darlina Tyawana and Zodwa Ndlovu), Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, Executive Director of the (...)