October 25, 2017 – St. Catharines.
The documentary Wilma-the story of a Black Canadian deserves to be seen at more venues and movie theaters.
Wilma, who turned 88 last February was part of the audience at the screening of her documentary at the First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, St Catharines.
Though convalescing, she came to watch her documentary on the big screen in company of friends, church and community members as well as history buffs drawn across every race and colour.
The view to distribute the documentary widely was expressed by some members of the audience during the question and answer session.
It is hoped that the documentary would complement efforts to tell the story of black Canadians.
Wilma stayed for a few more minutes after the screening to take some questions.
She talked about the early days when she and her late husband had to get on tourist buses visiting Niagara Falls to spread the word on the black community in Niagara.
The 72 minutes documentary by Ayo Adewunmi Films is a resource that will be relied on by anyone interested in the story of the black community in Niagara as told by Wilma.
Ayo Adewunmi was on stage with Wilma to answer a few questions from the audience. He explained that the documentary was made out of passion. He is looking forward to distributing the work through more channels.
screen shot mosaicedition.ca-ea
He said that he was able to make the documentary without any government grant. He thanked his family for their support.
Wilma Morrison commended the efforts of Ayo Adewunmi in making the documentary and pushing for the teaching of black history despite the fact that he is a new Canadian.
The filmmaker said he found out shortly after meeting Wilma Morrison that she has so much history of the black community and there was a need to have her story documented.
Newton Bell of the Carib Cultural Association commented, “Great evening. We need to continue to tell our story.”
Dr. Richard Ndayizigamiye of the African Association of Niagara noted, “The movie was an eye-opener, very captivating, and shows how a diligent and thoughtful lady Wilma, can fight for the preservation of our black history which is also human history.”
Sybil Wilson said the movie was well produced. She said it would be good to have the documentary screened at more venues for its educational purpose.
Jovaune Rhodes travelled from Hamilton – Ontario to be part of the evening. He reiterated the need for the black community to teach their history and pass it down to the coming generation.
Musician Big John T Bone Little thanked Wilma for her contribution to the preservation of the black history and also wished her quick recovery.
Wilma got a standing ovation from the audience.
Various bodies have recognized Wilma Morrison for her work. Amongst her recognitions are an honorary doctorate degree from Brock University and an award of the Order of Ontario for her tireless effort in preserving the history of the black community.
Headline correction – The documentary is Wilma – The story of a Black Canadian
