(Credit: Aya Garcia)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

in memory of René-Osmani Diakité

Remembering a young Red Deer man — talented filmmaker, selfless volunteer — killed in motorcycle crash earlier this year

Oct 25, 2024 | 1:28 PM

‘Cuando la gente se muere (ay Dios mio)…’

Translated to ‘When people die (Oh my God),’ the lyrics from Celia Cruz’s ‘La Negra Tiene Tumbao’ have rung symphonically for the mother of a young Red Deerian killed in spring 2024.

It’s a song which René-Osmani Diakité had a special love for.

Diakité, a driven, talented and extremely passionate young man, had a special way of lighting up a room. He was humble and put humanity first, says his mother Tamara Armas, who asked that her involvement in this piece be kept to a minimum, with the focus steadfastly on her son.

The 21-year-old, a Lindsay Thurber grad in 2021, was identified earlier this year by family as the victim in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash that occurred just before the May long weekend.

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According to RCMP, the crash happened the morning of Friday, May 17, around 8:30, in the area of Kingston Drive in north Red Deer.

Investigation determined his motorcycle hit a tree.

CPR was administered by EMS, and then he was transported to hospital. Along the way, RCMP say, he tragically succumbed to his injuries.

After some navigating of their grief, the family is hoping René’s story and spirit can be shared now, in hopes others may be inspired by his light.

“René had become the anchor of our family,” it was shared with rdnewsNOW.

Diakité himself had to deal with the passing of both his grandfather and father in 2021.

rdnewsNOW interviewed Diakité twice in 2021, once for Black History Month, and again that summer for International Youth Day.

Diakité, whose mother is from Cuba and father from Guinea, was serving at the time as co-chair of the Ubuntu Youth Council.

Speaking on the need for more focus on Black history in the K-12 curriculum, Diakité said, “People are opening their eyes during this pandemic to a lot of the problems in this world. Black Lives Matter last year was so powerful. However, we can’t disregard the fact that more Black history should’ve been incorporated into the curriculum a long time ago.”

“I understand the curriculum must fit in a certain amount of things,” he continued, “but there are very deep and powerful lessons which everyone should learn in school related to Black history.”

Born in Montreal, Diakité had held a steady job at The Keg in Red Deer, and according to friends, was selfless, very intelligent, and had a goofy soul.

In his spare time, he created both a podcast, and a Telus Originals short film revolving around his personal journey through grief.

The family shares that René was a private young man, thus making it all the more heartwarming when hundreds of school friends showed up at his celebration of life in the spring.

He’d also recently been accepted to the University of Calgary.

As the song continues:

“Se dice que eran tan buena…” (They said they were so good)

“Tan buena cuando vivia…” (So good when I was alive)

(Supplied)