Iqaluit holds first ever Black History Month celebration

Even 10 years ago, you'd be hard pressed to find a handful of black people in Nunavut's capital, but this weekend, about 100Iqaluit residents of all backgrounds turned out for the city's first Black History Month celebration on Sunday.

"We have to celebrate who we are," saidThola Ruskike, who was one of the organizers.

When she arrivedin Nunavut twoyears ago, there was no Black History Month celebration so she decided to change that.

Bhekinkanyiso Khumalo, who works in IT, was born in Zimbabwe but saidhe feels right at home in the North.

"The culture of the Inuit peopleis very similar to the southern Africans," he said. "That's been something very fascinating to me."

Organizers saidthe event was a smashing success and they're looking forward to next year's edition.

The City of Iqaluit, like the rest of Canada, is becoming increasingly diverse, including immigrants from many corners of the globe, from the former Soviet republics to Eritrea in the horn of Africa.