Yves Monka

As a Canadian citizen of Congolese origin, I do not have any ancestors who fought during the Great War. When I arrived, I quickly realized that it was impossible for me to understand the feelings that some visitors would experience at Vimy or Beaumont-Hamel.

I could only sympathize with them, and I wondered what my place was on those historic sites. It was during my fourth visit, when I had the chance to give a guided tour to a woman whose ancestor had been fatally injured during the assault on Vimy, that I understood my real mission.

We are contributing to a duty to remember. We are intermediaries, the thread that connects the memories of the Veterans with the people of our time.

It involved more than just giving guided tours and relating historical events. My role went far beyond that. We are contributing to a duty to remember. We are intermediaries, the thread that connects the memories of the Veterans with the people of our time. It was not as simple a task as I had imagined, but I came away with a sense of pride in having contributed to preserving those memories. I will always remember the wonderful experiences I had with the visitors, our supervisors and the other guides.

While I was describing the lives of young soldiers and the events of the battles, I could see on the faces of many military members, Veterans, diplomats, families and visitors that they were moved by the efforts of all those soldiers.

I had the opportunity to participate in several stirring ceremonies, such as those at Passchendaele, Belgium, as well as the ones organized by Les Amis du Monument Canadien de Vimy. While I was describing the lives of young soldiers and the events of the battles, I could see on the faces of many military members, Veterans, diplomats, families and visitors that they were moved by the efforts of all those soldiers.

To express that extraordinary experience, a colleague and I decided to write and record a song for the guides to encourage them even more and create an even stronger bond among us. Through that experience, I made new friends, transforming strangers into brothers and sisters who still stay in touch today.

Yves Monka is from Montreal, Quebec, and is studying history at the Université de Montréal. He worked at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial as a student guide from January to May 2024.