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For 10 days, Moussa Keita walked while carrying an older brother on his back and hiding from soldiers, bombs and bullets.
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He was only 13 when his Ivory Coast homeland was plunged into the chaos of civil war. Civilians were not spared from the violence.
Keita’s father was shot dead on his cocoa farm — murdered for the land.
“Big brother was home with us,” said Keita. “He tried to protect us. They killed my brother in front of my house.”
Keita is among three people, with Dr. Christos (Chris) Spirou and Anita Imperioli, who will be honored by the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County Thursday night during the Herb Gray Harmony Awards Gala.
“It’s three different individuals, but all embodying the spirit of multiculturalism in our country, in our city and in our region,” said Fred Francis, the council’s executive director. “It really showcases what others can do and what others have done.
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“So it’s honoring three individuals, but it’s honoring so many more in our community who have similar stories and similar accomplishments.”
When war broke out in Sept. 2002, with rebel attacks on many cities, Keita’s family was scattered amidst the death and disorder.
His oldest brother, Youba, was killed. His father, Balla, was at work on the farm with another brother.
Keita, his mother, two sisters, and two other brothers were at home. The plan was to flee on foot to the Republic of Guinea border, hundreds of kilometers away. Keita, his mother and the others decided to stick to that plan, praying for an eventual reunion. They fled, leaving behind their home and everything they owned.
But the main roads weren’t safe. Rebels and rioters were everywhere, and showed little mercy.
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Fending off starvation, dehydration and extreme heat, Keita and his family zigzagged along dirt roads, plodded through dense bush and trudged over mountains. They scrounged for bananas, oranges and whatever else was edible.
“It was hard,” said Keita, now 34. “My one brother is in a wheelchair. I carried him on my back. When I’m tired, my mom carried him. When she’s tired, we did it together.”
Everything and everyone was a potential threat.
“Whenever there was a sound, we jumped in the bush and waited,” said Keita. “We go in the bush and stay, waiting until everything is clear.”
After 10 days, they made it to the Guinean border.
“We arrived there, we don’t have anything,” said Keita. “They gave us some food before they took us to the refugee camp. I was scared because where I’m going, I don’t know. I never crossed the border.”
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They were safe. But their plight wasn’t over. Keita said about 7,000 refugees were corralled into the camp. He and his family slept on the ground in a makeshift tent with 50 other people. They lived there for 14 years. His dad never arrived.
Four years after their arrival at the camp, the brother who was at the farm when they fled, tracked them down.
“He gave the information to us that dad was killed on the plantation,” said Keita. “We got the information four years after dad was killed. We were shocked. I said how can life go? You’re young and you don’t have a dad anymore. You’re never going to see him anymore.”
They languished in the refugee camp 10 more years, before finally getting the news they had dreamed about. Canada would take them in.
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Keita arrived in Windsor in Nov. 2016, unable to speak a word of English, with five shirts and two pairs of shoes stuffed in a ragged sack. Local multicultural council workers were there to offer help.
“I said, ‘But we don’t know you guys,’” said Keita. “I was surprised, because I never saw that generosity before. I don’t have money to feed my family. I don’t have anything.
“I was scared a little bit because when you arrive you don’t have anybody. You don’t know the rules. They said, ‘OK, come with us.’”
The workers set them up in a hotel and gave them food. The family spent three weeks in the hotel before the multicultural council found them a place to live. They also found a French school for Keita, who now has a high school diploma.
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“I never put in my mind that I could go back to school and get something like a diploma,” he said.
After that, he got his driver’s license. For the last four years, he was working as a custodian with Windsor’s French public school board. In 2019, I bought a house. The whole family lives there.
“I just say, thank you to Canada,” he said. “We were never thinking we could get a second chance in this world anymore. But you gave us a second chance.
“Thank you Canada and thank you Windsor. Windsor is my village now because they accept us, they encourage us to work hard, to keep going.
“So far so good.”
The Herb Gray Harmony Awards winners are:
Dr. Christos (Chris) Spirou will receive the Champion Award, given to someone who made significant contributions to Windsor after moving to Canada.
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Spirou helped create ACT Medical Research—Group North and the Essex Rural Medical Hub, and is the chairperson for the Carrousel of Nations Greek Village. Through the Rotary Club of Essex, Spirou and his wife Kim established a much-needed medical clinic in Ghana and raised more than $1 million for water projects and educational needs.
The Harmony Award, honoring the contributions of a Canadian-born citizen, is going to Anita Imperioli. She is the founder and president of In Honor of the Ones We Love, a charity that supports patients with cancer, life-threatening illnesses and different abilities. Imperioli has helped raised millions of dollars to help others.
Moussa Keita will receive the Inspire Award, given to a multicultural council client who shows “perseverance, optimism, and the positive example they provide to our community.”
