In the Spirit of Humanity Exhibition

A MAME Supported Project

Manju and one of the Adult EAL Students

In the Spirit of Humanity is a Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery project. It is a unique project which, through art, has given a wonderful opportunity to all ages of students to express their views on “humanity” freely. About 1200 individuals participated in workshops. Approximately 500 participated in the In the Spirit of Humanity Student Exhibition and had works displayed at the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery in March and April of this year.

New Canadians from a Participating Adult EAL Classroom

In the Spirit of Humanity presentations and workshops were designed to create an atmosphere of inclusion and acceptance, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc... Ray Dirks, Isam Aboud and Manju Lodha gave multimedia presentations followed by art workshops. After the three presenters gave a multimedia presentation about who each of them is -- Dirks a second generation Canadian Mennonite whose grandparents were all refugees, Lodha an Indo-Canadian, Hindu immigrant having lived in Canada more than 35 years and Aboud a Sudanese Canadian, Muslim refugee who came to Canada six years ago -- participants were asked to reveal something of themselves "in the spirit of humanity".

Student Artists Dressed in Saris and Dancing a Traditional Dance  

Every student was made to feel important, highly valued. They were asked to create art about who they are, what they value, to explore their own roots, identity, community, beliefs and values regarding everything from home life to the environment. Participants were encouraged to get to know one another beyond stereotypes. They were encouraged to accept differences, to get to know one another and to accept one another.

They were encouraged to be empowered. Art was the universal language. Students, young and old, inner city to suburban First Nations students  to Somali women in a EAL literacy programs, and  children and youth of every background, were treated equally and could communicate with each other through art, even if they could not through speech. Following the creation of the artworks, students were encouraged to write about what they created, sometimes with the help of translators.

Art Work Displayed at David Livingstone School

The exhibition included artwork submitted by all the students who participated in the various workshops and wished have the artwork displayed Int he Spirit of Humanity Student Exhibition at the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery. Nearly 500 pieces were on display. A group of Somali women sang a traditional song at the opening. Lodha led John Henderson Junior High students in an Indian themed dance. Provincial Cabinet Ministers Flor Marcelino and Nancy Allen spoke  enthusiastically about the program and the need for such programs to be expanded and given wider exposure.

A second exhibition focusing on the lead artists/facilitators opened on June 24 and runs to September 18. It features art by Dirks, Lodha and Aboud, and Dr. M.K. Sharma from India. At the opening on June 24, a classical Bhartnatyam dance by Shivani Mathur, a student of India School of Dance, added to the festive nature of the opening. This second exhibition will end phase one of In the Spirit of Humanity. From the outset, In the Spirit of Humanity was conceived as a two phase project. Phase two is designated  document the project in the form of a book, as well as expand the workshops beyond Winnipeg and into the rest of the province. The fabulous success of phase one has inspired the team to work diligently and enthusiastically on launching phase two as quickly as possible.

Credits: Text & Photography- Manju Lodha and Ray Dirks

Engaging Diversity: Voices of Canadian Muslim Women

Qamer Hameed

Turn on the TV, read the paper or even surf an internet news site and you are bound to bump into the “controversial” Muslim practice of veiling. Whether it is a report on yet another ban of the burka, Muslim girls thrown out of school for covering their hair, or even being banned from public services and sports for donning the traditional headscarf; it seems as though governments and organizations of the modern world have audaciously deemed the practice of Muslim veiling as un-Western, backward and a threat to society.

In effort to interrupt such noise, the voices of these women were finally heard when several Muslim-community based organizations came together to host a forum for dialogue. On May 6, 2010 a public gathering was held, attracting over 150 people to the Winnipeg Millennium Library. Therein, several Muslim women presented the audience with their experiences, thoughts and engagements with the hijab. The stories varied from woman to woman, experience to experience. They were passionate, unexpected and most of all gave people a chance to hear voices of these women rather, than voices about them (though not all of these presenters were veiled). Following the presentations, the audience broke into several smaller groups to begin much awaited dialogues.

In the smaller discussion groups attendees brought up questions, indulged in conversation and even expressed their own contesting perspectives. In attendance were government officials and employees, police department workers, educators, neighbours and many other members of Winnipeg’s community. In these group discussions people brought nuanced insights that were engaged therefore allowing horizons to broaden on all sides of the conversation. As a participant, I learned a great deal about the discourse from varying perspectives, but also about the persecution, troubles and challenges of other groups of Canada’s past and present.

The experience was truly engaging, dynamic and eye-opening. I was enlightened on media tactics of the past, and how very little change has been implemented in today’s modern media machine. Pictures speak louder than words, and despite the vast educational potential in Canada, many still relate pictures (like those of the headscarf) to global events and catastrophes- related or not, simply because the media tells us so.

We are so used to talking about diversity and being proud Canadians that we forget what diversity really looks like: it is about people and voices. The thing to consider when examining human affairs is that there are many stories on the same issues, many experiences, and many avenues to explore. There is not one single narrative of Muslim women in Canada- there are thousands. The multitude of voices must be heard and not merely critiqued as one homogenous whole. By filtering all the voices down to one stereotyped story of oppression or threat that supports what we already want to believe we are losing perspective of reality. It is imperative to understand the variety that exists in practices of conscience. This is the true meaning of diversity.

Qamer Hameed is pursuing a Masters in Religious Studies with focus on Religion and Culture in Canada. She is also the Coordinator of Education at the Islamic Social Services Association and a consultant and Board Member for several community based organizations in Manitoba.

What a beautiful day… What a beautiful South Africa...

Photo courtesy of Shine2010
 www.shine2010.co.za

I had the pleasure of watching the opening ceremonies of the World Cup in South Africa. What I witnessed with hundreds of millions of soccer/football fans throughout the world was truly inspirational. It was a beautiful way to start the day. It was a beautiful way to start the games. It was a beautiful way to get to know more about South Africa and its people.
As I watched with awe and joy the unfolding of the different acts that comprised these wonderful opening ceremonies, I was overcome with joy and host of emotions. As the ceremonies progressed, my mind was drawn to just a few months ago when Canadians and our brothers and sisters throughout the World celebrated the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I could not help but recognize the many similarities between the two events and the two nations.

The themes of honouring and embracing our indigenous peoples, the celebration of our human diversity, the need for unity and the hope for a better, more peaceful, and just future for all were ones that illuminated both events. As South Africa celebrated this very important and special event, the beauty of its people was displayed in wonderful colour for all to see. South Africans of every shade and description, all brightly adorned, joyously danced, sang, and honked along with their guests from around the World. The sight of Desmond Tutu joyously dancing to the music and loving every minute of the event made me smile from ear to ear.


Today and on other days where I have watched special programs in the lead up to the games, I have been reminded of something else that we share with South Africa that is the importance of shedding our colonial past and the importance of truth and reconciliation in forging a new and inclusive national sense of identity. Canadians should be inspired by how South Africa’s truth and reconciliation process has been liberating for all. I only hope that Canadians of all backgrounds and origins will participate and embrace our own truth and reconciliation process and national events, the first of which is being launched this week in Winnipeg.


One of the songs and themes of the opening celebrations in South Africa was the welcoming of brothers and sisters from around the world back home to Africa. For those of us that couldn’t make the trip here in Manitoba and Canada, let us return home to Africa via the magic of television and the internet. Let’s make this one of the most watched events in Canada, just as we did a few short months ago when the Winter Olympics were held here in Canada and we were collectively obsessed and mesmerized by those games.

And let us in the midst of all the watching, cheering, celebrating, and crying (when our favourite team wins or loses), remember to reach out to our brothers and sisters here in Canada, of all origins, and take a moment to smile and share with them our hope for freedom for all children and a more peaceful and just world for all.

“When I get older, they’ll call me freedom
Just like a Waving Flag.”


By Tony Tavares, Winnipeg

WORDS ON MARBLE

WORDS ON MARBLE:
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“Canada is not a melting pot in which the individuality of each element is destroyed in order to produce a new and totally different element. It is rather a garden into which have been transplanted the hardiest and brightest flowers from many lands, each retaining in its new environment the best of the qualities for which it was loved and prized in its native land.” — John Diefenbaker, prime minister of Canada, 1957-1963.
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If Diefenbaker's submission above was/is true, then our classrooms should no less be a true reflection of this reality. It should be a fertile soil upon which those transplanted flowers from many lands bloom and flourish. It must allow the best and the brightest ideas to fly. It must be the environment of excellence and tolerance. Anything short of the above ideal is unacceptable in our classrooms.

~~~~Sunday Akin Olukoju.


Reference:

Dosanjh, U. (2000, April). Multiculturalism in Canada. News in Review. Retrieved from http://newsinreview.cbclearning.ca/wp-content/archives/April%202000/Ujjal/multi.html

What multicultural education means to me. By Sunday Akin Olukoju, PhD

Banks and Banks (1995) defined “multicultural education as a field of study designed to increase educational equity for all students that incorporates, for this purpose, content, concepts, principles, theories, and paradigms from history, the social and behavioral sciences, and particularly from ethnic studies and women studies." (p. xii) Simply put, newcomer students from Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Ghana, Malaysia, China or Russia that have now made Canada home should find our school curriculum suitable. They should find our school environment accommodating. They should find our pedagogy understandable. Their worldviews should reflect in the contents of our education.

Working with newcomer professionals from various backgrounds and helping them adjust to their new homeland continue to be interesting and challenging. Once, someone told me how his self-confidence had gone with the winds. Another explained to me how his worldview was challenged in a positive way by the Canadian openness to see women flourish. Yet, another lamented the recurring roadblocks on her way to getting back to her profession of over 12 years.

Meeting some of the children of newcomer families, and getting to know some of the subtle systemic problems they encounter open my eyes to the new dynamics of youth rebellion. A young man I interviewed while he was awaiting trial in detention had told me how schooling was made difficult for him by the taunting of bullies and the unfriendly school environment that minimized his concerns. To the young man, there seemed to be very little, if any information about, or knowledge of the rest of the world. “How could a grade 10 student not know that Africa is not a country”, the young man had asked me; and “how would they not realize that English is a universal language spoken by many countries around the world, particularly those colonized by Great Britain”? I had asked him why he came up with the question, and he had retorted, “It took me months of consistent repetition to tell them where and how I learnt my English language”. Another told me how speaking in a different accent could be perceived as speaking ‘bad English’. Where do we go from here? We have a lot of work to do.

Enlightening teachers and students in our various schools will go a long way in understanding, and by extension, in helping newcomer students better. Organizing cultural sensitivity workshops for employers and public service providers will also go a long way in bridging the gulf between reality of a multicultural community we now live and the age-old perceptions of newcomers’ (in)capabilities. Many newcomer students and workers are products of equally robust educational institutions from Asia, Africa, Europe, Central and South America as well as Australia and the Island.

The time has come when our curriculum contents, our workforce composition, our style of delivery, and our feedback assessments reflect our diverse community. Changes should not be revolutionary but incremental. But there must be willingness to try new ideas. Above all, there must be a deliberate effort to sensitize our community to the essence of enriching our schools and workplaces with the active involvement and participation of diverse people. This approach will reflect an accepting environment to learn and to work for the ultimate well-being of the citizenry, and by extension, our polity.
Reference:

Banks, C. A. M. & Banks, J. A. (1995). Equity pedagogy: An essential component of multicultural education. Theory into Practice, 34 (3), 151-158.

We Want Your Stories and Articles

Sunday Olukoju invites all MAME Board members and friends to submit articles or stories for publication on MAME's blog.

Manitoba Association for Multicultural Education New Blog

Manitoba Association for Multicultural Education (MAME) is pleased to announce the creation of blog site to stimulate the sharing of information, ideas, and events concerning multicultural and anti-racism topics and issues related to life and developments in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and around the world.

MAME board members and friends will share personal reflections and comments that hopefully will be of interest to those concerned about equity and diversity education.

MAME is a voluntary not-for-profit organization that was formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1983.