Vanessa Ali’s passion for arts and culture has fueled her active involvement in a wide array of creative and community pursuits. She has sung with the Edmonton City Choir and Centennial Singers from 1977 to 1980, and she was a member of the Palestine Action Committee at the University of Alberta. From 1982 to 1992, Vanessa danced with and served as Vice-President of The Alberta Canadian Arab Cultural Club, a Lebanese folkloric dance troupe that performed locally, nationally, and internationally.
Between 1990 and 1994, she volunteered for Arabesque, a weekly television program dedicated to supporting Arab culture and events in the local Arab community. She later danced with the Edmonton International Folk Dancers from 2003 to 2005. Vanessa’s vocal pursuits include singing with EKOS-Edmonton Kiwannis Singers from 2004 to 2013, Vocal Alchemy from 2013 to 2015, the Middle Eastern North African Music Ensemble (MENAME) from 2015 to 2019, and JoySpring jazz vocal ensemble, part of TIME music organization, from 2015 to 2019. Her artistry also extends to visual arts; she was an exhibiting artist with the St. Albert Painters’ Guild from 2019 to 2023, the Society of Western Canadian Artists from 2018 to 2023, and she currently exhibits with the Federation of Canadian Artists – Central Okanagan Chapter in Kelowna, BC, where she serves as Vice-President.
Vanessa was the President of Humanserve International, Society for Relief and Development, a position she held from 1999 to 2023. Humanserve is a non-profit agency registered with the Government of Alberta and governed by a community-based board of directors. The society works with a number of local and international non-government organizations (NGOs) providing educational, community health, development and social services in Lebanon and Palestine.
Vanessa has also demonstrated a steadfast commitment to social justice and human rights, participating in several initiatives. She was involved with the Canadian Council of Muslim Women – Edmonton Chapter from 1986 to 1988 and served as Vice-President of Medical Aid for Palestine’s Edmonton Regional Office from 1993 to 1996. She has been a member of the Arab Jewish Women’s Peace Coalition since 1992 and co-founded Canadians for Equality and Peace for Palestinians from 1999 to 2001. Vanessa has also been a long-time participant in Women in Black’s Edmonton Chapter since 2001. Her involvement extended to serving on the board of the Northern Alberta Alliance on Race Relations from 2007 to 2009 and acting as a Master Composter Recycler with the City of Edmonton from 2019 to 2023. From 2019 to 2020, she volunteered with Action for Healthy Communities in Edmonton, and she is currently part of the IT Support Team for the Kelowna Newcomers Club.
NCCAR is Celebrating November - Lebanese Heritage Month under the patronage of the Embassy of Lebanon, Ottawa.
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