Je t`aime, I love you, Te amo: Love, culturally

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Jewish artists
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Vol 12 No 3 | February 8–22, 2011
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Je t’aime, I love you, Te amo: Love, culturally
by Lou Corpuz Bosshart
ive in a multicultural country like Canada long enough
and the different ways different
cultures celebrate and express
love will become increasingly
fascinating.
And it’s perhaps on Valentine’s
Day that the differences – and
common themes – most come
to light.
While the purists might rail
against the highly commercial
nature of Valentine’s Day, in
many cultures the younger people have jumped on the bandwagon with glee.
In the Persian community,
Valentine’s Day has become
more popular in recent years.
“There’s reliable evidence that
the number of Persians who are
celebrating Valentine’s Day is
dramatically rising,” said Abdul
Salezhai, volunteer programs coordinator at the non-profit South
Burnaby Neighbourhood House.
“Young Persians argue that celebrating love is a part of Persian
culture and tradition, and dates
back thousands of years.”
In fact, there is a love deity enshrined in Zoroastrianism, the
Persian religion. It’s no cherubic
boy: Spenta Armaiti is a formidable earth and fertility goddess, the symbol of devotion and
unconditional love.
Valentine’s Day has gained
traction in India, conservativeminded critics notwithstanding.
Many young people are celebrating Feb. 14 with fancy dinners,
romantic presents and impassioned declarations of love.
“You still won’t find older people and those in smaller cities
Also in this issue
Illustration by Afshin Sabouki
L
and towns engaging in public displays of affection,” said Pradeep
Chakraborty, a telecoms consultant and frequent traveller. “But
Indians are generally loving and
caring by nature. A modern Indian generally expresses romantic
love with flowers and the works.”
North American-style Valentine’s Day celebrations are common among Filipinos, whose
country’s history has been compared to “48 years in Hollywood
after 300 years in Church” in
reference to successive waves of
Spanish and American colonial
rule. Floral bouquets and boxes
Japanese-American
finds solace in art
Page 3
Studio 58 laughs
it up on stage
Page 5
of chocolates are delivered to the
loved one’s workplace – often inciting envy among the bouquetand chocolate-less. Plus it’s common to make dinner reservations
weeks in advance.
The Japanese celebrate Valentine’s Day with a twist. The ladies
give chocolates to the gentlemen
on Feb. 14, and are feted in their
turn on March 14, also called
White Day, when the men present
gifts of white chocolate.
Another red-letter day is
Christmas Eve, said Sachiyo
Takahashi, a multimedia artist
See “Love” Page 5
The loneliness of a Franco-Ontarian
by marc-andré blouin
I
t was really cold in Quebec and my friend Nicholas
looked at me dumbfounded.
The silence was palpable in my
apartment in the St. Jean Baptiste neighbourhood.
“Vancouver? You’re really
going to Vancouver? Are you
sure?” he said.
The question was simple
but it was difficult for me to
provide a more convincing answer than a simple, dry “yes.”
To tell the truth, nothing was
more uncertain than the task
that awaited me, to uproot
myself and rebuild my home
on Canada’s west coast.
My poor buddy, who makes
a living as a sommelier in our
beloved town of Embrun in
Ontario, was already bummed
out by the five hours that separated us since I had moved to
Quebec City seven years ago. I
think that if he had to say what
it is like to grow up in a small
francophone town in Ontario,
he would borrow from his professional vocabulary.
“The great Franco-Ontarian
vintage: pale and lazy on the
outside, with an aroma smelling suspiciously of Fleur-de-lis
loyalty without wanting to let
go the Rockies, a taste of independence hitting the tongue, a
complexity in the assault, yet
assimilated and, in the end,
full of hang-ups.” I would answer that it’s useless to turn
acidic and act like a Grinch
towards your own people. He
knows very well that’s the case
with all wines, aging in a cellar
comes with its risks.
I can already hear you exclaiming, “But how can there
be Francophones in Ontario?” I
assure you, dear readers, we
are many. From Timmins to
Sudbury, passing by Cornwall,
North Bay and Ottawa, there
See “Verbatim” Page 2
The Source
Vol 12 No 3 | February 8–22, 2011
My Turn
serge corbeil
Photo by Messay Shoakena, Flickr
Democracy: Some want it
while others couldn’t care less
Sign from a protest in front of the Egyptian embassy in Washington DC.
T
he events that are occurring in Egypt are important
on many levels. It must have
quite an impact on some Canadian citizens to watch, from
thousands of kilometres away,
people rise up in order to change
their colelctive destiny. However,
I cannot help but sigh in despair
at our reaction. While we are
captivated by what is happening
“Verbatim” from page 1
are almost 500,000 Franco-Ontarians. And big names and
other stars aren’t missing from
the ranks—I could mention
the Dionne quintuplets, Alanis
Morissette, and... Paul Martin.
Well, never mind! Did I mention
the summer in Hearst is fantastic? Aside from the clouds of giant black flies... well, never mind.
Did you know that there’s a ninemetre-high nickel in Sudbury?
That’s something to make the
other provinces jealous, no?
But how do we explain that
we come from a country where
we are a minority inside of a
minority?
I’m French-Canadian. Oh! A
little cousin from Quebec! No,
not exactly. French-Canadian
from Ontario. From Ontario—a
little Canadian cousin! Well yes,
that’s about right, but we speak
English too... well, never mind.
Upon my return to Canada,
I chose Quebec City as a base
where I became an ESL teacher.
It wasn’t easy for me to describe
my identity there either. When
people heard me speaking Eng-
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out there, the seeming birth of
democracy abroad, our own democracy is ailing.
I am not saying that we aren’t
living in a democratic way. It’s
just that, here in Canada, we take
democracy for granted and that
is sad.
In these past few days, the media has been inundating us with
images, reports and analyses on
the Egyptians’ fervor for democracy. What is happening in Egypt
is of historical importance and, in
a word, extraordinary. The Egyptian people have decided to take
their destiny into their own hands
in a revolution that is, so far, largely devoid of extreme violence.
We, for our part, are watching
with admiration at the hundreds
of thousands who are risking
everything to change their country’s political system. We can
only say to ourselves that they
are right to want democracy.
On the other hand, what would
we say if, after the sound and fury,
the people who fought hard for
democratic change found themselves politically ambivalent
about the very institutions that
they had risked life and limb to
create? Let’s face it; we are a bad
example for the rest of the world.
We only have to look at the
extremely low rate of political
participation at election time to
realize that our concerns with
public policies are far more cerebral than action driven. Yes, we
love to blog our complaints, answer enthusiastically when polls
call, or dedicate our energies to
contributing time and resources
to interest groups and organizations as a means to voice our discontent. However, when the time
comes to act, well, any excuse
is good enough not to go to the
polling stations.
There are, of course, excep-
Spencie’s View
tions. The petition to force the
BC government to arrange for a
referendum on HST is an example
of people acting on their beliefs
while shaking up the government
in a legitimate way.
Yet, at times, the idea we have of
democracy is a bit odd. Very few
of us go to the polling stations on
voting days, yet we are all for political measures such as recalling
an MP. This sort of action, which
has its roots in populist movements, is a false democracy. More
than 8,000 people took the time
to sign the petition to recall MP
Ida Chong on Vancouver Island. It
wasn’t enough, but, if you ask me,
it was way too much.
When we remember that the
participation rate in the 2009
general elections was at a disconcerting low of 51 per cent, it
comes as a surprise that many
more people, statistically speaking, turned out to sign recall efforts than to vote. This type of
development is deeply troubling.
What we have to do as Canadians is to take voting seriously.
I am certain that both the Egyptians and the Yemenis, who are
latecomers to western democracy, will treat their hard won
democracy with all the respect
owed to such a priceless form
of governance.
Translation Monique Kroeger
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lish, they gave me dirty looks. In
Ontario, when I was a kid, I was
branded a little “Frenchie.” In
France, I was the cousin from
Quebec. None of this is easy to
navigate! But really, I couldn’t
disagree with these differences
of opinion because they touched
upon a bit of truth—I was at once
all and none of those things.
And here I am several years
later in Vancouver. My friend
Nicholas was wrong to have
worried: it’s fine here. It’s not
too cold here and the people are
relaxed. However, I don’t think
this will be my final destination.
Perhaps to feel really at
home, it will be necessary for
me to create my own province
in the middle of Canada where
all the Canadian French-speaking people outside Quebec will
be able to live! The official languages would be Franglais and
Jouale (a province of Quebec
dialect) and we could call the
province Nevermind. It would
finally give us something interesting to answer to the question, “Where are you from?”
Translation Nikki Bernhardt
Founding Publisher Mamadou Gangué
Associate Publisher Saeed Dyanatkar
Editor in Chief Kerry Hall
Editor - English Section Mike Lee
Editor - French Section Nathalie Tarkowska
Web Editor Laurence Gatinel
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Art Director Laura R. Copes
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Illustration Afshin Sabouki
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Writers Marc-André Blouin, Lou Corpuz Bosshart,
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Anahita Matloubi, Kevin Paré, Don Richardson,
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The Source Jaffa Road will perform at the festival for the first time.
A Cure for the February Blues
by Jon Grenke
T
he Chutzpah Festival arrives this month just in time
to save the city from the winter doldrums. Also known as
the Lisa Nemetz International
Showcase of Jewish Performing
Arts, this festival brings a vast
array of performances to the
city with something to satisfy
every taste.
Chutzpah, running from Feb.
10 to 27, can certainly be called
eclectic. Performances range
from dance to theatre to a mindboggling array of musical genres.
This year, acts from Israel, Italy,
Yemen, Poland, the U.S. and Canada will be gracing the stage.
Mary-Louise Albert, artistic
managing director for the festival, said they are bringing in and
“supporting top artists and presenting them to an audience.” She
also said their purpose, in addition to bringing in higher profile
acts, is “getting the work [of new
artists] out there, and also giving
facility and financial support to
new work being created.”
Talking more about the purpose
of the festival, and what it brings
to its audience, Albert said, “The
first thing that it brings is really
top artists: local, national and international. The level of artistry
is very high. I feel that the festival really introduces very interesting Israeli artists that really
show the eclectic range of music,
and dance especially, that are
coming out of Israel.”
Two very different acts give a
hint to the diverse nature of this
year’s program. One of those acts
is the Toronto-based band Jaffa
Road. Taking its name from one
of Jerusalem’s oldest and longest
streets, the five-member ensemble cites many influences such as
sacred and secular Jewish music,
classical Indian and Arabic songs,
jazz, rock, pop, and dub.
Aaron Lightstone, one of the
founders of the band, said that in
bringing the group together, he
was, “inspired by current trends
in world music, fusion music, and
Jewish music to found a band that
could, at once, reflect the multicultural diversity of the music
scene in Canada and also some
kind of expression of Jewish roots
and heritage.”
Lightstone and his band, which
toured Nunavut last summer,
are first-time performers at the
festival and are looking forward
to playing.
“It’s another opportunity for us
to develop a new fan base outside
of our home province,” he says.
“It’s a very established and wellknown and reputable festival
within the Jewish arts world.”
Another first time production
is Visiting Mr. Green, a play about
a young corporate executive
forced to make weekly visits to
an elderly man he almost hit with
his car. It has been translated
into 22 different languages and is
one of the most produced in the
world. Yet this is the Vancouver
premiere for the production.
The play’s director, Neil Scott
sees this as an advantage. “It’s
nice that we know our audiences
have no preconceptions of the
show,” he said.
The production of Visiting Mr.
Green also marks the first time
the festival has had a venue on
the North Shore, at Presentation
House Theatre in North Vancouver. Scott believes this partnership between Presentation
House and Chutzpah is beneficial
for both parties. “The Chutzpah
Festival is going to bring new
people to Presentation House
and Presentation House is going
to bring new people to the Chutzpah Festival. So it’s that really
great cross-marketing thing that
is so important.”
Scott believes the play has
a broad appeal to audiences,
which is why it has been so popular. It deals with issues familiar
to everyone. “I think the theme
of the play has a lot to do with
prejudice and marginalization,
and how we as humans deal with
persecution.”
Artist
transcends
adversity
by kerry hall
A
current exhibition in Burnaby demonstrates the sustaining power of art in one’s life.
Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani is
a Japanese American artist who
survived internment in California
during the Second World War as
well as 10 years of homelessness
in New York City. At 90, now living
in seniors’ housing, he still produces art every day. A series of 30
pieces of his original work are on
display until the end of March at
the Japanese Canadian National
Museum. Most of these were created when he lived on the street.
Beth Carter is the curator for
museum, which is housed in Nikkei Place in Burnaby.
“It’s incredibly compelling,”
said Carter about the exhibit,
adding Mirikitani addresses universal topics that apply to Japanese Canadians and everyone
else. “Along with his trials of living through the war and internment, there is his added experience of 9/11.”
She said the war has affected
his entire life but he survives be-
Photo by Hiroko Masuike
Photo courtesy of the Chutzpah Festival
Vol 12 No 3 | February 8–22, 2011
Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani
cause of his art work. “His motto
is make art not war.”
Mirikitani studied traditional
Japanese art. The exhibit shows
the form and perspective from
this early training, although it is
a contemporary expression with
For more information about these some pieces quite literal and
shows and more, see www.chutz- some abstract. Mirikitani didn’t
See “ Mirikitani” Page 4
pahfestival.com
The Source
Vol 12 No 3 | February 8–22, 2011
by kerry hall
S
Photo by Kerry Hall
ome of India’s leading contemporary visual artists are
exhibiting their work for the
first time in Canada now at the
Surrey Art Gallery.
In Transition: New Art from India
is one of the only exhibitions to be
held in North America of its kind,
said Jordan Strom, the gallery curator, at the opening of the show. It
provides a rare opportunity to see
some extraordinary work by some
of the most critically-acclaimed
artists of Punjabi heritage, especially Ranbir Kaleka as well as
Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra
(collectively known as T&T).
“It’s a concise snapshot of Indian contemporary art in the
last two decades,” said Liane Davidson, director of the SAG. The
quality of the work is big, bold
and shows the shift in practice
Detail of Sudarshan Shetty’s Taj Mahal.
“Mirikitani” from page 3
have access to traditional materials while on the street so
these works use ballpoint pen,
crayon, coloured pencil, a range
of papers and media types.
A documentary was made in
2006 about the artist’s life—The
Cats of Mirikitani won a number
of awards on the festival circuit.
“People had such strong rec-
by metro-based artists to using
media-infused work.
In his exhibition essay, Vancouver-based curator Keith
Wallace said, “...in spite of the
pressures of globalization to
produce homogeneous cultural
commodities...much contemporary art in India still turns to
its own traditions, mythologies,
vernacular idiosyncrasies, and
cultural particularities.”
Ranbir Kaleka’s work is an excellent example. He is an accomplished artist who has exhibited
extensively around the world,
including galleries in Delhi,
Mumbai, London, Venice, New
York and Los Angeles. His artistic practice is based in the histories of painting and cinema.
In the gallery now, Crossings is
a series of four acrylic still paintings overlaid with a 15-minute
looped video projection on 6foot by 8-foot panels.
The installation presents open-ended, multidimensional stories
about boundaries and
passages, including
a story about a family on a journey, a bird
seller and Sikhs engaged in creating and
tying turbans.
ollections of the film,” Carter said,
adding that made it even more
special to bring in the exhibition.
“It really stuck in people’s minds.”
She said the story is fascinating.
“It’s a very thoughtful look at the
role of war in our lives, past and
present—how art can transcend
our lives.” It is also a story of the
last century, how Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians
“Each canvas begins to tell its
story in a metaphorical manner,”
said Kaleka, in a a telephone interview. “It’s a reflection of many
things—one is that art itself is
kind of a illusion. It’s a method of
making meaning through creating illusions and picture making.”
Crucial to his practice, said
Kaleka, is that these illusions and
invented situations reflect upon
life and make us think about life
around us. He hopes audiences
will be able to experience that
within themselves as well.
Thukrai and Tagra have two
major pieces in the exhibition,
Keep Out of Reach of Children
(Tank) and Morning (bosedk
products). They have created a
trade name, Bosedk Design, with
a faux-industrial line up of products in order to challenge the values of fine art fabrication and the
art market.
The show also features work
by Hema Upadhyay, T.V. Santhosh,
Sudarshan Shetty, and Reena
Saini Kallat.
Upadhyay’s work, Loco-FocoMotto, is a group of grand chandeliers created entirely from
unignited matchsticks. Her work
explores violence co-existing
with beauty by using delicate, yet
dangerous, materials.
were affected by discrimination,
and how one man dealt with it.
“It’s simple yet complex.”
The film will show on Feb. 26 and
March 26 at 2 p.m. with a guided
gallery tour afterwards. Suggested donation $5. Nikkei Place is at
6688 Southoaks Cres. in Burnaby.
The museum is open Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Photo by Kerry Hall
South Asian art shines
in unique exhibition
Hema Upadhyay’s chandeliers are built from thousands of matchsticks.
Shetty’s installation, Taj Mahal,
explores the disintegration of
meaning through the monument
that was intended to memorialize a dead wife then became a national symbol and is now a tourist souvenir.
In Transition is co-sponsored
by the Vancouver Biennale and
presented as part of the 2011 Year
of India in Canada sponsored by
Government of India Tourism.
The Surrey Art Gallery is located
at 13750 88 Ave., Surrey. The exhibition runs until March 27 with
the gallery open daily. Admission
by donation.
The Source Vol 12 No 3 | February 8–22, 2011
Maverick musician sings from the soul
Review
Visionary Iranian artist to perform at the end of February at UBC’s Chan Centre
Photo by Emily Cooper
M
Anton Lipovetsky as Antipholus of Syracuse and Kendall Wright as Adriana.
Camping it up with Shakespeare
by Kerry Hall
F
ans of the Bard of Avon will
delight in the newest production of his comedy about mistaken identities on stage now at
Langara College.
Studio 58, the student theatre program, runs The Comedy
of Errors until Feb. 20. One of
Shakespeare’s early farces, it
tells the story of a pair of identical twin brothers and their
servants, who are also identical
twin brothers, that were separated as young children and
then lived in different cities.
Having grown up in the city of
Syracuse, Antipholus and Dromio decide to visit the city of Ephesus, where unknown to them,
each of their twin brothers has
been living. As it turns out, these
twins also have the same names.
The play unfolds as Antipholus
of Syracuse is mistaken for Antipholus of Ephesus by his wife,
her sister, servants, local merchants, other townspeople, and
even their father, and vice versa.
Similarly, the two Dromios are
also mistaken for each other. A
chaotic and funny series of encounters follows.
Audience members who are
familiar with Shakespeare are
likely to enjoy the show as the
play includes his signature wit in
conversational banter and puns.
Unfortunately, the play suffers
from actors that speak too fast or
don’t articulate their lines well.
Viewers, who don’t have a firm
grasp of English, particularly
Shakespearean language, will
have a difficult time following
the dialogue. In the end, though,
the brothers’ situation and its
resolution are understandable
enough from the whole context
of the show.
The best acting comes from a
couple of the supporting players. Paula Burrows as Luciana,
the sister-in-law of Antipholus
of Ephesus, shines as the young
woman who falls in love with
his twin brother. Her elocution
is outstanding and worthy of a
larger part. The Stratford festival
could easily be in her future. Similarly, Adam Weidl as Angelo, the
goldsmith, could also be headed
for such main stages with his fine
diction and manner.
Overall, no one can deny the
cast’s exuberance for the theatre.
They do a good job of remembering their lines, which in some
of the scenes is no small feat. In
particular, Matthew Beairsto as
Egeon, the father of the twin Antipholus, delivers a monologue of
more than 400 words—the longest of any speech in all of Shakespeare’s work.
The play has been transported to a steampunk setting, no
doubt in an attempt to attract a
younger audience. For the uninitiated, steampunk is a growing
subculture created from a blend
of Victorianism, technology, science fiction, goth and punk. Pam
Johnson, the set designer, has
done an admirable job with the
stage and props. Sound designer
Shawn Sorensen’s audio track is
a perfect foil to it all. Naomi Sider’s costumes don’t hit the mark
in every instance but reflect the
genre the best in both of the outfits for Antipholus.
Viewers who know and love
Shakespeare will be entertained
and their pocketbook will be
happy, too.
New this season at Studio 58, Tuesday evening shows are only $10. For
complete ticket info, see www.ticketstonight.ca or call 604-684-2787.
ohsen Namjoo, who the New
York Times hailed as the
“Bob Dylan of Iran,” is renowned
for his musical flair and for his
impact on contemporary Iranian youth culture. His music is
a blend of Western classical and
middle Eastern modes infused
with contemporary rhythms
and a whiff of advocacy. His
rhythmic stylings draw on the
socio-political struggle taking
place in modern Iran where the
youth of the nation are engaged
in a culture war with the conservative Islamist regime that governs the country in Tehran
Namjoo, considered unconventional in the Iranian music
landscape, also writes poetry.
His songs often combine modern
satirical lyrics with the writings
of Iranian classical poets. His
unique approach to traditional
music pushed him out of the
mainstream and into the fringe
where he found a receptive audience with his debut album, Toranj.
Namjoo transformed traditional
Persian musical styles into contemporary renditions attracting
younger generations with eclectic mixes of eastern traditions
with western rock and blues.
“Love” from page 1
from Niigata, Japan, currently
based in Vancouver. Droves of
young Japanese couples splash
money out on a big romantic
dinner and sometimes an overnight stay at a nice city hotel.
Among Chinese people, romantic love was not part of
the old culture. However, the
younger generation are more
comfortable with showing affection in public and showering loved ones with flowers and
presents.
“The adults are more reserved in their expression, but
they [too] are catching up to
the trend,” said Ying Wang, a
Richmond filmmaker who was
born in mainland China. “This
is especially true of older Chinese adults in a western environment, where they start to
be aware of the importance of
expressing their feelings.”
In South American cultures,
well before the currently grow-
“When creating music, I think
about the beauty [of the rhythms]
first” said Namjoo. “As an Iranian...I cannot deny that the political issues that are happening
within my country [have] no effect on my emotions and perceptions. As an artist, I try to focus
on [the] beauty I want to create
within...my music first before attaching [a political message to it].”
Namjoo’s music is known
among Iranian youth as a representation of a “lost generation,” which refers to the young
men and women who grew up
in Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. When asked to comment about his popularity among
young Iranians, Namjoo said he
only sees himself as an artist
who speaks from his heart.
“We have an expression in Farsi
that states, ‘When a word comes
out of someone’s heart or soul, it
will definitely sink easier into
[another’s] heart and soul as
well,’” he said. “I think this is the
case for my music where I try to
speak the unspoken words of the
Iranian youth and their battles
with everyday life in Iran.”
Given the socio-political circumstances in Iran, it is no wonder an artist like Namjoo would
elect to live in North America,
ing popularity of Valentine’s Day,
there was a tradition of expressing romantic love through poetry
and song. Friendship is deeply
valued as well.
Jessica Stites Mor, an assistant
professor at UBC who has worked
in the region since the 1990s and
whose children were born in Argentina, said, “They’re quick to
celebrate friendship. There’s a
very familial feeling with your
friends. You embrace each other
as part of a whole.”
Among older couples the concept of compañerismo, the fellowship formed as comrades
during the revolutionary struggles in South America, is important. “They were arm in arm,
they suffered together and they
came together during that period,” Mor said.
Not surprisingly Mexicans celebrate February 14 as Dia del Amor
y la Amistad, the “day of love and
friendship.” They give flowers,
candies and balloons to their ro-
away from the conservative political system that dominates
society in his homeland. Namjoo
believes that his presence outside of Iran gives him an opportunity to use his music as a critical
eye to address issues that extend
beyond the borders of his native
country and across the globe.
Namjoo’s concert is Saturday, Feb.
26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chan Centre
for the Performing Arts. Tickets are
available online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone 604-280-3311,
or in person at the Chan Centre or
Moneyway locations.
Photo courtesy of Mohsen Namjoo
by anahita matloubi
Mohsen Namjoo
mantic partners, but also try to
express their appreciation for
their friends on this day. There
is a similar day for love and
friendship in Colombia, held on
the third Friday and Saturday
in September. Dia del Amigo or
Friends’ Day, held annually on
July 20, is a very important celebration in Argentina, Brazil
and Uruguay.
Brazil also has its own counterpart to V-Day, Dia dos Namorados or “Day of the enamored”
which is celebrated on June 12.
Couples exchange gifts such
cards and chocolates and often
flower bouquets.
All these different cultures
are represented in the Canadian mosaic and, as V-Day approaches, it is heart-warming to
see the many ways love is honoured. There are differences in
ways and dates and emphasis
but one thing is common—an
appreciation for people who
give meaning to our lives.
Street Photography by Denis Bouvier
Farewell to
the Cecil!
The historic Cecil Hotel at the
north end of the Granville Bridge
will soon make way for the
Rolston, a 23-storey condo development. The Cecil Hotel was
built in 1909 on the outskirts of
Yaletown and its pub was as famous a watering hole as that of
its neighbour, the Yale. Its last incarnation was a strip club, but in
the early 1970s it was frequented
by poets, writers, and hippies. At
that time, it was also the unofficial office of Greenpeace. Pioneers of Greenpeace met there
and over 25 cent beers gave birth
to the ecological campaigns of
saving the whales. It’s claimed
that the Georgia Straight newspaper was conceived and named
over beers at the Cecil.
Meanwhile its neighbour, the
Yale Hotel, has made its name as
a well known rhythm and blues
bar. Originally built in the mid
1880s, it housed CPR workers and
soon gained a reputation for its
wild night life. The Yale, which
has a heritage designation, will
be saved and restored. It will
retain such features as its mansard roof and gabled dormers.
The pub will also be renovated
and continue to feature blues
music.
The renovated Yale, the
Rolston and a proposed new
condo development at Drake
and Howe Streets will comprise the first phase of a new
neighbourhood the developer
is calling Midtown. This signals the end of the era of strip
clubs and sex shops, and also
the boisterous bars which
were in the tradition of the
original Yaletown.
Don Richardson
The Source
Vol 12 No 3 | February 8–22, 2011
Cultural Calendar
February 8–22, 2011
Black History
Month
***
Photo by Heri R., Flickr
Diversity Health Fair
Feb. 12, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Croatian Cultural Centre
3250 Commercial Dr., Vancouver
604-718-2781
www.amssadiversityhealthfair.org
by phoebe yu
An evening of appreciation for
world poetry and music through
This February is not only Black His- readings and performances, foltory month, but it is also the time lowed by award presentations.
when the city hosted the Winter Free admission.
Olympics exactly a year ago, not
to mention Valentine’s Day. Watch
out for Afro-Canadian festivities, Veils and Visions
to learn more about local black Feb. 8–March 6, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
heritage, as well as events for the Seymour Art Gallery
Olympic anniversary celebrations, 4360 Gallant Ave., Vancouver
like seeing the Olympic cauldron 604-924-3786
light up once again.
www.seymourartgallery.com
***
What began in 2009 as a Winter
Olympics legacy event is now continuing on as exhibition of contemporary Asian arts and culture.
See different art installations and
performances such as the lantern
aquarium or shadow puppetry.
Most of the events, showcases and
workshops are free or reasonably
priced.
***
Talk Back –
Connecting Through Arts
and Conversations
National Congress of
Black Women Foundation
Feb. 20, 1–4 p.m.
Djavad Mowfaghian
World Art Centre (2nd floor)
at SFU Vancouver campus
149 W. Hastings St., Vancouver
604-605-0124
www.vancouver.ca/
multiculturalism/blackhistory.htm
Celebrate Black History month
with meaningful dialogue and
artful expressions. Admission by
donation.
***
East End Blues
and All That Jazz
Vancouver Moving Theatre,
Centre of Integration
for African Immigrants
Feb. 18–20
Friday & Saturday, 8 p.m.
Sunday, 2 p.m.
Firehall Arts Centre
280 E. Cordova St., Vancouver
604-689-0926
www.vancouvermovingtheatre.com
A forum and venue for newcomers, immigrants, ethno-cultural
communities, and for any healthconscious individual to have easy
access to health and wellness resources. Materials, information
and translators are available in
numerous languages. There will
also be various health screenings,
interactive fitness, culinary demonstrators and much more. Free
admission.
***
Japanese Tea Ceremony
DVD Screening
Feb. 9, 1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
Nikkei Place
6688 Southoaks Cres., Burnaby
604-777-7000
www.nikkeiplace.org
***
Spirit of Africa Festival
Caravan World Rhythms
Feb. 19, 8 p.m.
Wise Hall
1882 Adanac St., Vancouver
Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m.
St. James Hall
Watch and learn about the Japa- 3214 W. 10th Ave., Vancouver
nese tea ceremony tradition from 778-886-8908
DVD screenings and subsequent www.caravanbc.com
discussions on the tea ceremony. There will also be samplings Join the celebrations and immerse
of traditional Japanese tea and in a two-day gala of music, dancing, drumming and workshops.
sweets. Tickets $12.
The performances have their cultural influences and origins from
Chad, Guinea, Benin, Brazil, ZimDebt Crisis in the EU:
babwe, Cameroon, South Africa
the Case of Greece
and of course, Canada. One day
Feb. 10, 3 p.m.
tickets $15, two days $25.
Fairleigh Dickinson University
(Room 130)
842 Cambie St., Vancouver
The Golden Age
604-648-4461 (Lynda Kuit)
of Steamship Travel:
www.fdu.edu/vancouver
Voyages of Immigration
Georgios Ayfantis, Consul General that Changed Canada
of Greece, will talk about one of Until April 1
the day’s most pressing issues, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed Mondays)
the financial state of Greece and Vancouver Maritime Museum
the European Union. Open to the 1905 Ogden Ave., Vancouver
604-257-8300
public.
www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.
com
Musically Speaking: España
Relive the glorious days of steamFeb. 11, 1:30 p.m.
ship travel that was a monumenKay Meek Centre
tal part of Canada’s history. See
1700 Mathers Ave., W. Vancouver
artifacts, documents, photographs
604-913-3634
and promotional materials used
www.kaymeekcentre.com
to entice immigrants to Canada.
Vancouver Symphony principal Tickets: $11 adults, $8.50 youth,
cellist Lee Duckles will bring forth $30 family.
a musical performance focusing
on Spanish music rich in smooth
melodies. Single tickets $20.
***
***
***
Singers Candus Churchill and Tom
Pickett entertain with performances of gospel and blues music. The
event is an ode to the historic black
neighbourhood in the Downtown Love Songs by Ana Sokolovic
Eastside. Tickets: $20 adults, $15 Feb. 11–12 and 14, 8 p.m.
for seniors and students.
Djavad Mowafaghian
World Art Centre (2nd Floor)
at SFU Vancouver campus
World Poetry Anniversary Gala 149 W. Hastings St., Vancouver
Feb. 14, 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
604-709-9973
Vancouver Public Library
www.sfuwoodwards.ca
350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver
604-331-3603
An opera performance from comwww.vpl.ca
poser Ana Sokolovic and soprano Ana Sokolovic.
***
***
Stories by the Campfire
Langley Heritage Society,
Fort Langley National Historic site
Feb. 19, 1–4 p.m.
Derby Reach Regional Park
10748 Allard Cres., Langley
604-530-4983
A painting and mixed-media ex- www.metrovancouver.org
hibit by two North Vancouver artists, Sylvia Kavanaugh explores Celebrate Heritage Week with stothe woman as a bride, while Frank rytelling around the campfire with
Zeidler focuses on visual repre- a handful of tea and bannock. Stosentations of the human being. rytellers will entertain you with
tales of Fort Langley’s past. Free
Free admission.
admission.
***
Photo courtesy of the Banff Centre, Flickr
***
Lunarfest 2011
Until Feb. 13, 4 p.m.–11 p.m. daily
Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza
750 Hornby St., Vancouver
[email protected]
www.lunarfest.org
Shannon Mercer, who has set her
favourite love poems in different
languages to music, just in time for
Valentine’s Day. The phrase “I love
you” can be heard in 100 different
languages in one performance.
Tickets $28, $20 for students and
seniors.