In one Quebec farming town, Mali peacekeeping mission hits close to home
STE-ELISABETH, Que. — Many people have recently turned their attention to Mali as Canadian soldiers arrive in the troubled West African nation to begin their first substantial peacekeeping mission in decades.
But few will watch with greater understanding, or interest, than the citizens of Ste-Elisabeth, Que.
For more than 30 years, the 1,500-person farming community an hour east of Montreal has formed a deep and improbable friendship with the town of Sanankoroba, a rural Malian community some 30 kilometres south of the capital city of Bamako.
In contrast with the Canadian Forces’ multimillion-dollar mission, Ste-Elisabeth’s project is funded by wine and cheese dinners and craft sales — and run by retired farmers.