If you are from Africa, or interested in learning more about the African community here in Winnipeg, you need to buy a copy of The Winnipeg Free Press on Wednesday, January 18th. The Free Press plans to publish a special Africa-themed issue and the newspaper's Editor, Margo Goodhand, explained why in a November editorial. 

"Over the next year, in a series of FYI sections, we will look at many of the immigrants who now call Winnipeg home -- why they came, why they stayed, what they contribute to our community.

But we're going to begin in a very big way with a very big place. We're going to begin with an Africa-themed edition of the Free Press. Why? Because Winnipeg sponsors more refugees than any other community in Canada, and Africans are the newest and fastest-growing group of refugees. Because Africa is such a vast and complex area. Because Winnipeg's ties to the continent are unique.

A number of powerful NGOs -- the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Canadian Lutheran World Relief, Mennonite Central Committee -- are headquartered in Winnipeg, and have been making a difference in Africa for decades. Our French community has been rejuvenated in recent years by an influx of francophones from Africa.

We want to show how the 30,000-plus African community in Manitoba is reshaping our community and how it will continue to change the province.

We want to celebrate African businesses -- and find out where and how and if our newcomers are finding jobs.

We want the Arts section to reflect our many arts and cultural connections, and the sports section to follow the athletes."