Christian Basson: The AfroMusée Returns Soon | LIVING Heritage

In an evening filled with emotion and collective determination, the voice of Christian Basson, Regional Director of Business Development for the Black Community at TD Bank, resonated with sincerity and strength that captivated the audience.

Before an assembly of community leaders, professionals, and cultural builders, Mr. Basson delivered a message that was both inspiring and mobilizing: the future of the AfroMusée now depends on the collective commitment of the entire community.

“We have been proud, as an institution, to support the Canadian AfroMusée for four years, just as we support other community organizations,” he recalled, emphasizing the values of inclusion and diversity that are dear to TD Bank. But beyond his institutional role, his tone became more personal and pressing: “It’s not my institutional hat that I want to wear today,” he continued. “I want to call upon the community leaders.”

Christian Basson shed light on a reality that is often left unspoken: too often, community projects rest on the shoulders of a single individual. “The more I hear about Guy, the more I feel like I see a man alone, carrying on his shoulders the entire responsibility of reviving this space that he has sustained for so many years,” he observed candidly. His appeal? To transform gratitude into action.

“We must no longer be just a community that asks, but a community that takes charge of itself,” he declared, inviting everyone to contribute to the revival of the AfroMusée. The issue goes beyond simple moral support — it is a call for collective responsibility and economic solidarity.

To illustrate his point, Basson recounted his recent participation in a congress organized by Gran Monde, a Haitian organization from the global diaspora. This group, made up of doctors, engineers, and entrepreneurs, is actively working to build schools, water treatment centers, and hospitals in Haiti — a colossal project financed by the diaspora itself.

“I heard members of the Black community making donations of $5,000, $10,000, $50,000,” he recounted. “They are building on 30 hectares. And I said to myself: if they can do it there, then even more so, we can do it here.”

This comparison, far from being a simple anecdote, was meant as an inspiring mirror: the capacity to act together already exists — it only needs to be activated.

In the room, where doctors, lawyers, artists, and activists gathered, Basson’s call took the shape of a true rallying cry. He encouraged everyone to register for the new committee currently being formed for the rebirth of the AfroMusée: “Put your names on the list. We need a strong committee.”

And staying true to his message of immediate action, he made a personal commitment: “I am committing tonight to being part of this committee, and if there is room, I would be happy to serve on the next board of directors.”

Through his words, Christian Basson breathed new life and hope into a project that stands as a symbol of Afro-Canadian heritage. The AfroMusée — a beacon of memory and identity — enters a new phase of its history, one that this time must be carried by many hands, many voices, and many united strengths.

“Action begins today, it begins now,” he concluded to resounding applause.

And in that room filled with emotion, a collective momentum already seemed to be taking shape — that of a community ready to write together the next chapter of its story.