About Black Ottawa Scene

Black Ottawa Scene

Overview

Black Ottawa Scene is an online community newspaper serving the African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities of Ottawa, Ontario, and the wider National Capital Region. Published monthly in digital form, it describes its mission as "showcasing and celebrating Canadians of African descent in the national Capital Region and beyond." Founded in October 2013 by editor and publisher Godwin Ifedi, it was launched as Ottawa's first digital newspaper devoted specifically to Black community life, at a time when the city's mainstream dailies offered only limited coverage of African and Caribbean community stories.

The publication is built around original local reporting rather than wire copy. Its monthly editions combine a letter from the editor, a top story, community news, profiles of notable residents, interviews, health and faith columns, diaspora news and extensive photo coverage of community events. Because it is produced largely by volunteers and community contributors, Black Ottawa Scene functions as both a news outlet and a community record, documenting everything from Black History Month ceremonies and church anniversaries to municipal politics and the achievements of local students, athletes and professionals.

History

Black Ottawa Scene published its first edition in October 2013. In his tenth-anniversary letter to readers, editor Godwin Ifedi recalled setting out "to launch Ottawa's very first digital newspaper" and described the early days as a solo effort in which he covered events alone with his camera, competing for attention with established Ottawa dailies such as the Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Sun. Over the following decade the publication gradually assembled a team of volunteer editorial associates, photographers and columnists, and marked its tenth anniversary of publication in October 2023 with a special commemorative edition profiling the contributors who had built it.

The newspaper's development has been supported by Canadian journalism and community funding programs. Editions in 2023 carried acknowledgements of support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and more recent editions state that they are funded in part by the federal Local Journalism Initiative and the Ottawa Community Foundation. The Local Journalism Initiative connection is visible in the bylines of reporters such as Obasola Bamigbola and Onoshe Nwabuikwu, whose community reporting appears regularly in the publication.

Its founder's standing in the community has also grown alongside the paper. Godwin Ifedi, a settlement counsellor with the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO) since 2013 and a past president of both Black History Ottawa and the Nigerian-Canadian Association of Ottawa, was among the Canadians awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal at a ceremony in Ottawa in February 2025, presented by MP Yasir Naqvi. He has also served for several years on the Community and Police Action Committee (COMPAC), which addresses relations between the Ottawa Police Service and the city's diverse populations. The tenth anniversary was marked publicly as well as in print: a celebration held in January 2024 brought together readers, contributors and community leaders, and the paper continues to describe its founding ambition as documenting the lived experience of people of African descent in the nation's capital for the historical record.

Programming and Content

Each monthly edition of Black Ottawa Scene follows a familiar structure. A "Letter from the Editor" opens the issue, summarising the month's highlights, followed by a designated Top Story and sections covering community connections, people making a difference, interviews, events around Ottawa, diaspora news, health matters, faith, sports and opinion. Recurring contributors include political analyst and sports pundit Prof. Andy Kusi-Appiah, community events reporter Sarah Onyango, editorial associate Joy Osiagwu, health columnist Dr. Habibat Aziz Garuba and book reviewer Ifeoma Chinwuba.

The October 2026 edition illustrates the range of the coverage: its top story reported the unveiling of a monument honouring the No. 2 Construction Battalion, the First World War unit of Black Canadian soldiers; other items covered the African Canadian Association of Ottawa's launch of a walk-in clinic, an Ontario Human Rights Commission lifetime achievement award to Dr. Carl James, the launch of a Black medical mentorship program at the University of Ottawa, the first Sudanese festival held in the city, and profiles of six Black candidates standing in Ottawa's municipal elections. Earlier 2026 coverage included the launch of Black History Month under the theme "Celebrating Our Legacies," Emancipation Day commemorations at Upper Canada Village, and the sixth edition of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women awards.

Alongside news, the site carries video interviews and podcasts, photo galleries of community gatherings, reader polls on current questions, and obituaries and celebration-of-life notices that form an important part of its community record. Standing features in its pages include "People Making a Difference," which profiles volunteers, professionals and elders; interview features with figures such as bishops, professors and festival organisers; and commentary from columnists on subjects ranging from tariff policy and reconciliation to health and personal finance. The result is a publication that mixes straightforward event reporting with advocacy-oriented analysis written from within the community it serves.

Audience and Reach

Black Ottawa Scene is written for Ottawa's African, Caribbean and Black residents, a population drawn from across Africa, the Caribbean and the wider diaspora, together with readers elsewhere in Canada and abroad who follow the community's news through its diaspora coverage. Its reporting concentrates on the National Capital Region, including the activities of community organisations such as the African Canadian Association of Ottawa, Black History Ottawa and local churches, cultural associations and seniors' groups.

The publication does not publish audited readership figures, and no independent audience measurement for it is available. Its reach is best gauged by its role as a frequently cited chronicler of Black community events in the capital: its reporters and photographers are present at civic ceremonies, award galas, cultural festivals and Parliament Hill events, and its interviews and profiles are regularly shared by the organisations and individuals it covers. Editions remain freely accessible online, with an archive extending back to its earliest years.

Digital Presence

Black Ottawa Scene is a digital-only publication, published at blackottawascene.com. The website organises content by category and monthly edition, and carries videos, podcast episodes and photo galleries alongside text stories. The newspaper also maintains a Facebook presence, where editions and individual stories are promoted to followers, and its stories are distributed through community networks and mailing lists. There is no print edition; the "monthly edition" model gives each issue the feel of a magazine, while stories are also posted to the site as they are published.

Ownership and Organisation

Black Ottawa Scene is an independent community publication owned and led by its founder, Godwin Ifedi, who serves as editor and publisher. Day-to-day production is handled by a small team of volunteers: Elom Tsiagbey serves as webmaster, Dr. Kika Otiono as associate editor, and a roster of editorial associates contributes reporting, photography, columns and reviews. Contributors over the years have included social justice advocate Ketcia Peters, youth editor Annette Ejiofor, political analyst Ewart Walters, financial analyst Meiz Majdoub and many community correspondents. Funding support has come from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and, more recently, from the Local Journalism Initiative and the Ottawa Community Foundation, as acknowledged in its editions.

Contact and Availability

Black Ottawa Scene is published in Ottawa, Ontario, and is available free of charge online at blackottawascene.com, where readers can browse current and past editions, watch video interviews and follow links to its Facebook page. The editor invites reader feedback and letters through the website, and community organisations can submit news, events and announcements for coverage through the same channels.