Diman Association Canada
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The Diman Association Canada or DAC was formed in the 1970s by a group of youths in Halifax, Nova Scotia, whose families originated from the village of Diman in Lebanon.
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[edit] History
In the early 1950s, in the small village of Diman, in Northern Lebanon, several families made the decision to move on to a better life outside of Lebanon. Their journey brought them to Canada, and the first families arrived at Halifax.
These families were in a strange country, and did not know the language, however Halifax treated them well, and the families found work in various places, as labourers, cleaners, convenience store clerks, and various other lower wage jobs. Despite their near poverty, they saw Halifax as a city of opportunity. They began to write back home to their friends and family they left behind, and told them of the great prospects in Halifax. Many families were excited, and came to join them in Halifax.
[edit] Settling in
By 1965, many families had moved to Halifax from Diman, were beginning to settle into their home, but also to maintain the community they had in Diman. Their children went to school and learned English, only to come home and teach what they had learnt to their parents. The same children would work, sometimes all night, to support their families and save money for a business of their own some day. In the time they were not working, these children of Diman would spend their spare time together in their parents' homes. They did not need much to have a good time; just a guitar, a Drumbakie, and someone that could carry tune singing. They would sing both traditional Lebanese songs, as well as the greatest hits of the day.
[edit] Getting together
In the early 1970s, these teenagers and young adults returned to the homeland that they left with their parents over the last five to twenty years. When they arrived in their village, many of them discovered The Diman Association of Diman. The Diman Association would attempt to aid their village, and raise funds to help make improvements to it.
Upon returning to Halifax, many of these youth decided that they would also do what they could to help improve the village of their origin. At the end of the summer of 1973, with a meeting in one of their basements, Diman Association Canada was started.
[edit] Continued support
In its early years, DAC was driven to help its home village, and never lost this mission. However as the strong community that was the children of Diman began to take in the culture of their home nation, they began to organise many events, starting with their annual trip to Cape Breton on Thanksgiving weekend, and grew to include parties, and many other events. As more and more families from Diman came to Halifax, and as the founding members began to marry and have children, they set their sights on another vision: To build a Community Centre where all members could come, and where they all could feel at home. In 1995, this vision was accomplished, and the Diman Lebanese Centre opened its doors to the Lebanese Community.
Over the years, the founding members have been joined by many more who have emigrated from Lebanon, and have become very successful business people, teachers, politicians, and various other fields in Canada. The Diman Association has spread across world, following the children of Diman as far as Sydney, Australia.
DAC takes part in celebrating a variety of occasions, such as Lebanese Independence Day, and the Lebanese Day of the Emigrant. These celebrations involve much traditional dancing and food. They are often attended by political figures from all levels of government.
Today DAC's priorities are to be a youth driven organization that maintains the culture and values that were brought along almost fifty years ago when those first families left Diman.
