FREEBilingual and interculturalVersion française au verso

A breath of fresh air on the Pacific Coastby LaEtitia BERthEt

by Riyah Lakhani

www.thelasource.com

See “Verbatim” page 3

Vol 13 No 5 | August 28–September 11, 2012

mmigrating to Vancouver was a near and dear project

to me. It meant a well needed escape from a Parisian life that isn’t as glamorous as you might think.

It only took me a few days to get a first feel of Vancou-ver and its inhabitants. I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy it is for Vancou-verites to converse, joke and share personal stories with perfect strangers. A simple look or smile can trigger a lasting conversation.

A diverse population can prompt an interest in others, so why doesn't this seem to apply to Parisians? There are many immigrants in Paris too, but for some reason Parisians and suburbanites have a hard time being open and friendly with people they don’t know. Individualism comes first, it is what drives us. We are not used to being helpful, caring or to chitchatting for the sake of it.

The first time I took the SkyTrain in Vancouver I was completely disorientated. I did not ask for directions as I was certain no one would waste a minute of their precious time to help me. I was astounded that three people actually stopped by to help me figure out the SkyTrain system.

When I describe Vancouveri-tes, I now use words like “civic-minded”, “kind”, “generous” and “accommodating”. What a change for the lifelong Parisian that I was until not so long ago!

First of all, I am now forced to observe rules, for my own good. For instance, I try hard to become a considerate pedestrian who obeys the orange hand and the white walk signal at each intersec-tion. It will take me some time though, to break my typically Parisian pattern of not abid-

I

ew British Columbians have heard of English 12 First Peo-

ples. It is a high school course designed as an equivalent to English 12 and is open to anyone of Aboriginal and non-Aborig-inal background. It is accepted by many post-secondary institu-tions in B.C and Alberta.

Deborah Jeffrey, Executive Director at First Nations Edu-cation Steering Committee has some ideas as to why English

F

Also in this issue

Since

1999

See “Aboriginal Education” page 2

Aboriginal education in B.C. public schools

VLaFF features the struggles of Latin American people

Page 6

12 First Peoples is not widely known.

“There is a resistance to change,” she says. A vicious cycle ensues: until there is increased enrolment in the course, most B.C. schools will not offer it. How-ever, if schools are not offering the E12FP in their course hand-books, students won’t enroll in what they don’t see.

The numbers are startling: there were just 217 students in E12FP that were assigned a mark in the 2010/2011 school year in

the entire province of B.C., as op-posed to the 38,929 students in English 12 in the same year.

English 12 First Peoples A major challenge that B.C. schools are facing is finding com-petent teachers for the course, which makes it even harder to offer. There is a severe short-age of Aboriginal teachers in the system, and according to Shane Coutlee, vice principal at Salmon Arm Secondary School in the North Okanagan-Shuswap

school district, “Non-aboriginal teachers find it difficult teaching First Nations perspective. They aren’t fully aware of [First Na-tions] protocols.” His experience dictates that a lot of the teach-ers are afraid of disrespecting the culture and tend to shy away from teaching it.

English 12 First Peoples is a four credit course and is an equivalent of English 12, its curriculum built around First Nations culture and world views. The course encour-

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Also in this issue

Local mother brings hope to ill children in former Soviet countriesPage 5

Bilingual and interculturalVersion française au verso

Newcomer goes greenwith recycling envyPage 3

2 The Source Vol 13 No 5 | August 28–September 11, 2012

oters aged 18 to 24 hold in their hands the fate of two

politicians who will stand be-fore the electorate this fall. And, according to what these voters decide, the results will prove quite different for them.

The two politicians we are talking about are Jean Charest in Quebec and Barack Obama in the United States. Both are hoping for a re-election and are doing so in a difficult context. According to polls, both are facing a tight race. So much so that their fate won't be sealed until the very end.

The electoral survival of these politicians rests, in a significant way, on the choices that young voters will make on voting day. If a great many of those young voters make use of their demo-cratic right, the outcome will be completely different than if they hadn't voted.

Let’s start with Quebec, where Jean Charest is vying for

Spencie's View

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We welcome appropriate, unsolicited edito-rial submissions if accompanied by the author's real name, address and telephone number. The author should retain the original as we cannot return submissions without prior agreement, nor does submission guarantee publication.

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Website Eric Chu, Marjo Pekonen, Ernest SalvatSocial Media Laetitia Berthet, Laurence Gatinel, Marc HewittEditorial Advisor Monique KroegerArt Director Laura R. Copes

Graphic Designers Esther YuenPhotographers Denis Bouvier, Tomomi Iguchi, Sophia Hyeyoen KimIllustrators Joseph Laquerre, Gordon SpenceWriters Laetitia Berthet, Serge Corbeil, Guillaume Debaene, Nalla Faye, Tomomi Iguchi, Yvette Jalade, Sophia Hyeyoen Kim, Riyah Lakhani, Hélène Lequitte, Justine Leondhart, Natalie

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legalities Copyright and/or property rights subsist in all display advertising, editorial and other material appearing in it. The Source shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do

sERGE CORBEiL

My Turn

Youth hold the balance of power over two politicians

ages non-conventional forms of teaching and learning, all based on First Nations texts and lit-erature by prominent Aborigi-nal authors. Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples comprise three distinct groups: First Nations, Métis (of mixed Indian and European descent) and Inuit. Recurring themes of the course are the con-nection between individual, fam-ily and community relationships, as well as the importance of oral tradition, among others.

The course is recognised by many prominent post-secondary institutions, including the Uni-versity of British Columbia, Si-mon Fraser University, British

2008 Quebec election, which gave the Liberals a majority, indicated that the rate of active voters in the 18–24 age category was a di-sastrous 36%.

For Jean Charest and his team, this tendency is in no way trou-bling because the younger elec-torate in Quebec, especially among the francophones, tends to vote for the Parti Quebecois.

Should the student strike movement, which made so much noise last spring, manage to awaken young Quebecers’ politi-cal vigor, the Parti Quebecois will, no doubt, greatly benefit from it. They will be the deciding factor in the final outcome.

It’s no doubt why people have made such a big deal of young pequiste candidate Leo Bureau-Blouin, the poster-child of the student demonstration move-ment, who resonated with such a great number of young people last spring. His presence among the Parti Quebecois’s troops cer-tainly encourages the hope that young voters will take action, since they have so clearly demon-strated their disdain of the Lib-eral Party.

A similar phenomenon is to be observed south of the border. But there, should young voters go to the polls, the current Presi-dent, Barack Obama, would have

V

ment’s “Aboriginal Report: How Are We Doing?” recording the number of students in B.C. that identified as being Aboriginal at 63,899 in the 2010/2011 school year (compared to 515,216 of non-Aboriginal students).

“Education is the transmission of value and culture”Jeffery, along with FNESC, is committed to promoting First Nations education that teaches students self-identity, to accept who they are and where they come from, thereby establishing where they want to go. “Educa-tion is the transmission of value and culture,” says Jeffrey. When you address a person’s identity

education, and becoming more informed about Canadian history, culture and the development of the country from an Aboriginal perspective. Aboriginal Peoples are an integral part of Canadian society and are present in many industries, and non-Aboriginal students would gain by being able to relate and understand their culture as they venture out into the work force.

B.C.’s First Aboriginal-focused elementary schoolStudent enrolment in First Na-tions education is suffering at the elementary level as well. The first Aboriginal School in B.C., located in Vancouver at MacDon-ald Elementary School has only six students enrolled so far. The school, set to open in September, is currently accepting students from grade one to three. Its cur-riculum is founded on the goal of instilling a sense of pride and honour into its young students for the role of their ancestors and communities in Canada, and creating strong cultural and so-cial ties in the community. “We plan to honour and respect the culture, knowledge and tradi-tions of Aboriginal people of British Columbia and to reflect the unique cultural heritage of each of our students,” says prin-cipal Vonnie Hutchingson in a letter to parents and guardians that are interested in enrolling their children.

Coutlee believes that Aborigi-nal students need a strong el-ementary school foundation. He says that grade four, with its stiff increase in student workload, tends to throw off Aboriginal student progress and leaves stu-dents struggling when they get to secondary school.

According to the “Aboriginal Report: How Are We Doing?” there is also a steady decline in

a fourth consecutive mandate. That race is threefold, and could easily end up in a minority gov-ernment. It’s what happened last time when three parties fiercely competed for power. During the election of 2007, Jean Charest’s Liberals only obtained a minori-ty, and this happened because of the interest generated by Mario Dumont's Action Democratique du Quebec.

However, one element could change everything and seal the fate of Jean Charest’s govern-ment – voters aged 18 to 24. They could give Pauline Marois’ Parti Quebecois a majority.

Nevertheless, if these young people stay away from the polls on September 4 – as they have done in the past – this would be good for Jean Charest and please him greatly, I’m sure.

In fact, the reality in Quebec and elsewhere in the country, is alarming. A study based on the

“'Aboriginal Education" from page 1

a clear lead over his Republican opponent.

President Obama owes his 2008 victory in great part to the younger electorate. With an es-timated participation rate of 50–54%, the second highest par-ticipation rate in the history of the United States, these young people voted for Obama in a two to one ratio. But the 2008 par-ticipation rate was only a hiccup, and not at all representative of young people’s usual inclination

toward the democratic exercise. In fact, it is said that this very

group has been greatly disap-pointed with the current Presi-dent’s performance. If it goes back to its usual apathy toward the voting process and shuns the polls, Obama will find himself in a difficult spot. This is why we can expect his team to multiply its efforts to reach out to this strategic group.

Translation Monique Kroeger

school completion among Ab-original students as they ad-vance to older grades. While 87 per cent complete grade four, the rate declines to a mere 54 per cent of Aboriginal students who graduate from secondary school within six years after entering Grade 8. The six-year comple-tion rate for the 2010/2011 school year for non-Aboriginal students was 83 per cent. Coutlee believes that if elementary schools can provide students with a sense of pride and security from an early age, it could lead to higher stu-dent success.

Vancouver School Board spokesperson Kurt Heinrich,

says that more students are ex-pected to enrol in the Aborigi-nal School in the next couple of weeks as the summer winds down and parents get into back-to-school mode. Parents that are interested in their children exploring their cultural ties are encouraged to apply. The school is expecting to have smaller-than-average class sizes, which Vancouver School Board insists is a plus, as students get individ-ualised attention, which will help their academic success. Market-ing for the school includes distri-bution of fliers and brochures to target neighbourhoods, newspa-per ads, and its website.

Columbia Institute of Technology, and Capilano College. The out-of-province University of Calgary also accepts E12FP.

Aboriginal students make up an average of about 11 per cent of the entire B.C. student population, with B.C. Govern-

and teach something that is rel-evant, something that says First Nations have a key role in the social fabric and development of Canada, this gives the students confidence in themselves, their ability and identity. This self-determination allows students to blossom and succeed both so-cially and academically.

Non-aboriginal students are also encouraged to enrol in the course, or other courses that ed-ucate and promote First Nations teaching methods. Students ben-efit from having a more rounded

Six-year* completion rate for aboriginal vs non-aboriginal students

aboriginal

non-aboriginal

100%

75%

25%

50%

0%2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2010/11 2011/12

* Grade 8 students who complete high school within 6 years

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The Source 3Vol 13 No 5 | August 28–September 11, 2012

Newcomers break bad recycling habitsby sOPhia hyEyOEn kim

akako Kobayashi, is a Japa-nese international student,

who moved to Vancouver six months ago to learn English. She believes that Japan has a better recycling system than Vancou-ver, and that Vancouver should have programs educating new-comers about being green and how to recycle effectively.

“We follow the way of the place we come from and it's very dif-ferent from Vancouver,” says Ko-bayashi.

She says that in 2001, Japan de-fined 34 waste categories with thorough specifications such as size, material, utility and colour. According to the Council for PET Bottle Recycling, Japan recycles 72.1 per cent of the plastic bottles it uses contrary to the U.S. with only 30 per cent.

Thas organized many educational programs to promote “green” liv-ing. For example, there exists a food-composting program that is specifically focused on the Pun-jabi community in order to get citizens to put their organic ma-terials in green bins. There are translated educational videos and materials that are in Punjabi, ensuring that the Punjabi com-munity have the opportunities to learn about the program in rel-evance to their cultures.

Madhu Toshniwal, an immi-grant from India explains that sustainability is an important concept in India and that it is part of the culture. She says that any waste is frowned upon and everyone recycles, but she is not entirely happy with India’s pub-lic cleanliness.

“You keep the inside of your home very clean and you are re-cycling and not wasting all that is there. But [in] public space[s], people don’t respect the cleanli-ness of it, which I don’t think is a good thing,” says Toshniwal.

She believes that education on being more conscious about the environment and respecting public space would discourage such behaviours and encourage public cleanliness. With this in mind and knowing that a lot of people bring their habits from their home countries to Vancou-ver, Toshniwal suggests that Van-couver should hand out “To Do Lists” at the airport.

“It would make life a bit simpler,” she says.

Artie Zhong, a nine-year-old second generation Chinese-Ca-

Plan. But for new comers like Ko-bayashi, she doesn’t feel the city is including the different commu-nities.

“I think Vancouver…needs to promote the green lifestyle more and they have to keep going,” says Kobayashi.

three times larger than what the Earth can sustain and it sends enough waste to the landfills and incinerators to fill up garbage trucks lined up from the city hall to Kamloops every year.

An official from city hall says that it needs the cooperation and

Artie Zhong, Age 9.

nadian, translates for his mother that in Shanghai, they had a lot of garbage and that they didn’t have separated bins or garbage cans like in Vancouver.

“Verbatim" from page 1ing by any rules. Then, because I feel so secure in this city, I am not as cautious as I used to be. I wander around town with my iPhone in hand without the fear of being robbed, I walk in empty streets at 3 a.m. without checking compulsively if I am being followed, I don’t feel ex-posed to aggressive behaviors and I generally feel safer than when I was in Paris.

Also, I enjoy Vancouver for its diversity and the fact that you can meet people from all around the globe. Diversity is part of the city’s identity. For me, Vancou-ver is the ultimate cosmopolitan city. With the many intertwined communities, people in Vancou-ver tend to be more open, and to better understand and appreci-ate cultural differences.

I learn a lot by comparing and getting to know my new friends’ cultural twists. I find myself steering the conversa-tion towards cultural subjects to learn about the different life-

been a foreigner in Paris, I would probably have been exposed to more diverse communities.

Another striking difference here is that Vancouver culti-vates an ubiquitous cultural mix. Diversity is more valued here than uniqueness. In Paris, we try to comply with the norm. We become what society dic-tates to us. For instance, a per-son generally fits in more easily if they display specific physical traits or dress, and this is true for both adults and kids alike. A person who overweight or who is not dressed in the latest fash-ion will instantly be scoffed at and will feel ashamed that they do not look like everybody else. I have not witnessed this sort of pressure in Vancouver. Each person can uphold their own cultural uniqueness because diversity benefits everyone.

Freedom has a price, and for me it was leaving Paris. Is Van-couver really one of the most liv-able city in the world? Yes, 100%, and I invite all French people

“Shanghai had big garbage cans on the street and we put everything in them,” says Zhong’s mother. Like Toshniwal, Zhong believes that education, regulations, media and public influence could improve the habits of newcomers to Vancou-

I think Vancouver…needs to promote the green lifestyle more and they have to keep going.Takoko Kobayashi, international student from Japan

“

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ver when it comes to how they recycle.

According to statistics from the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan, Vancouver has a footprint

collaboration of everyone, from corporations, organizations, the government, to citizens in order to achieve the green goals set by the Greenest City 2020 Action

Japanese International Student Takako Kobayashi (right) with friend Eman Abdulsalam.

styles and ways of thinking of people around me.

In essence, I consider Van-couver to be a school of life. The city’s cultural abundance can be seen at every street corner.

My outlook is clearly subjec-tive since I am a newcomer here, a stranger of sorts, as opposed to when I'm in France. If I had

who are tired of their reprehen-sible fellow citizens to come here for a big breath of fresh air. They will rediscover what it means to live in a society where variety is more important than uniformity. A society where difference is not despised but cherished.

Translation Aurore Thiercelin

A Skytrain employee helps a transit user at Nanaimo Skytrain Station.

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To Vancouver’s credit, but un-beknownst to people like Ko-bayashi, the city of Vancouver

Residential recycling rate by Canadian province*

* The amount of all residential waste recycled as a proportion of waste generated.

Information not available for PEI or NFL

BC

AB

SK

MB

ON

QC

NS

NB

0% 50% 100%

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4 The Source Vol 13 No 5 | August 28–September 11, 2012

DERRiCk O'kEEFE

Left Bank

ig Oil executives are not used to not getting their way. How

else can we explain the recent bizarre, whining outburst from Enbridge’s CEO Patrick Daniel? Lamenting his company’s spate of disastrous press – the low point was getting compared to

“Keystone Kops” by U.S. investi-gators reporting on Enbridge’s handling of their 2010 spill in Michigan – Daniel vented his spleen to an Alberta radio host earlier this month:

“Everything that we say sounds defensive and self-interested, and on the other side, everything they say ... is really taken as gos-pel – and it isn’t… I think we’re facing a very strong, almost revolutionary movement to try to get off oil worldwide, and it creates a lot of passion and drive in those revolutionaries that are trying to change the environ-ment in which we work.”

B

Living through a revolutionary movement against Big Oil

along the pipeline route, as well as most people throughout B.C., can see that his proposed pipe-line would be disastrous.

I think this odd outburst by Enbridge’s CEO is an encouraging measure of just how far the de-bate on the issue of this pipeline has shifted in little more than half a year. Remember, it was just last winter that saw the Con-servatives’ Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver charging op-ponents of Enbridge’s project as being foreign-backed “radicals” and “extremists” – enemies of the state. That kind of over-heat-ed rhetoric turned out to be over-reach by the Harper government, a lessen Pat Daniel seems to have failed to absorb.

Pat Daniel was not completely wrong, however. Although “rev-olutionaries” have very little to do with why he’s losing the debate over his pipeline, he

In this inelegant complaint, Pat Daniel is, paradoxically, both wildly wrong and quite correct.

On the one hand, this is through the looking glass stuff, charging essentially that his embattled company can’t get a fair hearing in the press. To counter this struc-tural injustice, Enbridge spent hundreds of thousands of full-page ads in a number of major Canadian newspapers, supplementing their usual fold-out, glossy paid spreads in magazines like The Walrus and Macleans, not to mention their wall-to-wall ads during the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, etc.

It’s also hilariously misplaced for Daniel to blame “revolution-aries” for his company’s pre-dicament. Like the Harper gov-ernment, which has variously labeled pipeline critics as “radi-cals,” “extremists” and “foreign-backed,” it’s an attempt to use an exotic word to frame all op-ponents of the pipeline project as extremists. This name-calling is supposed to make Big Oil critics look like a fringe bunch.

But of course you don’t need to be a “radical” or a “revolutionary” to oppose Enbridge and other similar bitumen-exporting mega-projects. You just need a modi-cum of common sense. People in B.C. understand very easily the danger posed by running twin pipelines across hundreds of fish-bearing waterways and sensitive ecosystems and then exporting toxic bitumen through one of the most dangerous water channels in North America. And of course that’s why opponents of Enbridge are not the fringe in this province, but the vast majority.

Patrick Daniel’s problem is not Bolsheviks, but British Columbi-ans. Daniel’s real problem is that farmers, fishers, First Nations and most everyone else who lives

is right to fear a revolution – an energy revolution.

Big Oil companies, year after year, continue to make the larg-est profits in human history at the expense of nature and cli-mate stability. There are many signs – for instance, record melts for Greenland and the Arctic ice sheet this year – that point to-wards the ominous conclusion that climate change is not only already underway, but that it is exceeding the predictions of most scientific models.

The logical, prudent and revo-lutionary task of our generation is to transform the world’s energy infrastructure, to get off of fossil fuel energy – such as oil, gas and coal – as soon as possible. A first step in this direction would be to end all subsidies to oil, gas and coal, and to massively invest pub-lic money into research and de-velopment of alternative energy. Another important step would be to dramatically decrease the in-equality of wealth, which results in so much wanton consumption and waste.

Of course, the Harper govern-ment is going in precisely the op-posite direction from where we need to be headed. They are rac-ing backwards to the days of cor-porate robber barons unchecked by government regulation and environmental protections. The fact that Enbridge’s boss is un-happy is a good sign, but none of us should be really happy until his friend in Ottawa is removed from power. Too much is at stake. We can’t afford to live in a world run by the likes of Patrick Daniel and Stephen Harper.

So, join the Revolution. Togeth-er we’ll end the Enbridge pipeline, transform our energy infrastruc-ture and create a more egalitar-ian and just society.

Big Oil apologists: Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources (left) and Patrick Daniel, CEO of Enbridge (right)

Advertise in The Source newspaper or on The Source website. 604.682.5545 or info@thelasource.com

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The Source 5Vol 13 No 5 | August 28–September 11, 2012

transferred for Valeria Lubota’s care. This is a practice the Ve-ronika Children Leukemia Foun-dation hopes to keep, by reallo-cating leftover money to the next child in need.

by   tOmOmi iGuChi

eanna Maslyuk, and six lo-cal mothers have formed

a group called the Veronika Children Leukemia Foundation. They created this organization to help children in need of medi-cal care in former Soviet Union countries, like Ukraine. Initially Maslyuk and the other mothers were a loose group of volunteers, but they have recently regis-tered their organization.

Maslyuk, originally from Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, is a substitute elementary school teacher in Surrey and has lived in Canada for the past 10 years. She says that unlike Canada, it is impossible for an average family to receive treatment for leuke-mia and other severe diseases in Ukraine.

“70 to 75% of children with severe conditions [in Ukraine] survive, but the rest of them do not, due to financial difficulties,” says Maslyuk.

According to the European Ob-servatory on Health Systems and Policies, which is a partnership between the World Health Orga-nization and several European governments, the system of health

L

Mothers help Ukrainian girl battle leukemia

The son of one of the members of a local group helps raise money for a 2-year-old Ukrainian cancer sufferer.

Life is completely changed when there is someone that is more important than yourself.Leanna Maslyuk, member of a local volunteer group

“

In contrast, according to BC Children’s Hospital, the Medical Services Plan will usually cover of the costs for one’s treatment. This is because Canada’s health care system is based on block

Maslyuk believes that one gains the most by giving and meeting the other mothers, who would form the group, was a per-fect opportunity to leverage her

care delivery in Ukraine is cur-rently experiencing budget short-falls. This is because the majority of the country’s population is not affluent and, therefore, health care is inaccessible to them.

funding, a federal financing pol-icy that gives provinces a fixed sum of money for health services, based on their population size.

In an email from the Canadian Cancer Society, a represenstat-ive says that “regardless of the type of leukemia, [the] patient, or treatment plan, the Canadian health care system should cover most costs related to treatment (including chemotherapy).” Fur-thermore, treatment plans are on a needs basis. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, this means “that if a delay in a per-son's treatment may have a nega-tive impact on their health, they will likely receive treatment as soon as possible.”

Maslyuk became interested in helping children after the birth of her first son, which caused her to see life from a new perspec-tive. Now a mother of two, Masly-uk deeply sympathizes with Irina Lubota, a mother living in Ukraine whose daughter, Valeria, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010. Maslyuk knows Lubota and her daughter through a mutual friend and decided to start an or-ganization.

For those like Valeria Lubota, the organization helps to offset the financial burden of a convo-luted and difficult medical care situation in Ukraine and other countries. The group has already met with success. A previous fundraising campaign helped another two-year-old girl named Veronika. The campaign for Ve-ronika’s treatment collected more than enough to pay for her bone marrow transplant, leav-ing an extra $12,500 which will be

Leanna Maslyuk.

2-year-old Valeria Lubota was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010.

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passion to help critically ill chil-dren in need of medical care.

“Life is completely changed when there is someone that is more important than yourself,” says Maslyuk.

A fundraising event for Valeria Lubota, the “See More Results 3rd Annual Charity Salmon BBQ” will be held on September 1st and 2nd from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. at Semiah-moo Park in White Rock. All are welcome. Attractions will include a bouncy castle and children’s en-tertainment. To learn more visit: www.seemoreresults.ca/events.php

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6 The Source Vol 13 No 5 | August 28–September 11, 2012

Juan Manuel Sepúlveda.

Artist travels to her childhood

by nataLiE munDy

by JustinE LEOnhaRDt

exican-born filmmaker Juan Manuel Sepúlveda is fasci-

nated by human struggle. Sepúlveda, 32, is an interna-

tionally recognised documenta-ry filmmaker and cinematogra-pher who is pursuing a master’s degree in fine arts in Vancouver. His latest film, Lessons for a War, will be showing at this year’s Vancouver Latin American Film Festival (VLAFF).

His film documents the resil-ience of the Ixil people of Guate-mala as they prepare to defend themselves against a second war.

s a child, photographer Mar-ion Penner Bancroft never

thought she would have the chance to visit the homelands of her ancestors.

Back then, Ukraine and Scot-land were places that were dis-tant and “existed entirely in my imagination,” says Bancroft, who now resides in Vancouver. She finally travelled overseas in 1997 to visit Ukraine, the home-land of her father’s ancestors and in 1998 to Scotland, that of her mother’s.

M

A

cation between the first, second and third world

“Each corner of the world is a combination of the three,” he says. “Here in Vancouver, you can find the three worlds just cross-ing a couple of streets.”

However, Sepúlveda does ac-knowledge that there are many who see these worlds crossing, yet ignore those who are struggling.

This ignorance concerns fellow filmmaker Simone Rapisarda Ca-sanova, whose film The Strawber-ry Tree is also showing at VLAFF. Casanova worries it may be a sign that we have lost contact with both reality and our civic duty. He says that this behaviour has marked the demise of many civilizations.

In the opening scenes of The Strawberry Tree, four displaced locals reminisce about what they’ve lost after a hurricane wiped out their remote fishing village in Cuba. Sicilian-born di-rector Casanova says the hurri-cane actually came a few weeks after he completed filming. But

he thinks audience members who think they are engaging with hu-man struggle here have missed the point entirely

The Strawberry Tree is more about exploring filmmaking. Ca-sanova rejects the traditional documentary style of hiding filmmakers, instead allowing audiences to watch him develop a playful relationship with the locals as he films their everyday lives.

Sepúlveda supports Casanova’s style of filmmaking, explaining that no matter how much film-makers pretend to be distant from their subjects, the two inev-Simone Rapisarda Casanova.

Juan Manuel Sepúlveda filming.

As a part of the first generation of her family to grow up on the West Coast of Canada, a sense of interconnectedness comes into play in much of her work.

While she doesn’t notice many similarities between the places she has travelled to and Van-couver, apart from the estuaries and flatlands of Richmond and Ladner, she was made aware of

“how recent European history is in this part of the world” and how the places in her travels and the West Coast were “landscapes that both people had to leave.”

Her previous work, Lost

Filmmakers expose Latin American realities

condition of the modern world,” says Grant Arnold, Audain cura-tor for the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG). To Bancroft, it is in this way that Vancouver, Scotland and Ukraine are inherently linked. Her work posits that who the in-habitants are of many a land has consistently been in a state of flux, and living in Vancouver has given her a deeper sense of this.

An exhibition of Bancroft’s work SPIRITLANDS: t/HERE, which is showing at the VAG until Sep-tember 30, features her series By Land and Sea: Prospect and Refuge, Bancroft’s homage to her travels to her ancestral homelands. In her series of colour photographs, she depicts the Dnieper River in Ukraine, the Odessa Steps, and a multitude of nature scenes.

The images are relatively straightforward but as Arnold mentions, they are “a system of representation...not just some-thing that’s beautiful.”

He says that it is the story be-hind them and the history that Bancroft is alluding to and trying to access that makes them more complicated than a person view-ing them might initially assume.

“The photo isn’t the thing that it’s depicting,” says Bancroft.

Bancroft’s family was left in search of another land, leading to Canada. For her, Vancouver is a veritable fusion of people with different experiences, ethnicities and backgrounds. To live in Van-couver is to be “a person whose roots are mostly elsewhere,” and it is something about the city that she appreciates.

“I see Vancouver as a city mostly of immigrants, and that is a won-derful thing.”

Bancroft wanted to “have a physical experience of those places where I could actually breathe the air, feel the prevail-ing winds...get a sense of light.”

It was while she was there that she documented her journey of the land her ancestors had grown up in and eventually had to leave behind.

Streams of Kitsilano (1995), refer-ences the rivers that were cov-ered over to make way for urban development, just as XA:YTEM (1991) contrasts the coordinates of Bancroft’s home in Kitsilano with the site of Hatzic Rock, the location of an old indigenous vil-lage in British Columbia.

“Displacement is a fundamental

itably interact. He says that when someone like Casanova puts this interaction in his film, it is a way of being honest about his work.

Regardless of their filmmaking differences, Sepúlveda and Ca-sanova are promoting dialogue about relations between Canada and Latin America through the festival. These relations, says Sepúlveda, are unfortunately not always positive.

Casanova hopes that this year attention will be drawn to the struggle of Latin Ameri-can communities who are being threatened by Canadian mining companies.

Amidst all this struggle and ig-

norance, Sepúlveda doesn’t want to be pessimistic. He says that those first-world-problem-facing audiences are picking up on a new trend.

Being politically active and en-gaged has become fashionable. He says many people who wouldn’t have otherwise made a difference are now making significant con-tributions in the world.

Ultimately, Sepúlveda’s fascina-tion is not with human struggle itself. He says it’s with the hope those struggles represent.

The Vancouver Latin America Film Festival runs from Aug. 31– Sept. 9. Visit www.vlaff.org for details.

Films focusing on human struggle have historically been well received by urban-dwelling festival audiences in the ‘first-world.’ When asked why this might be the case, Sepúlveda says he doesn’t like the classifi-

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From For Dennis and Susan Running Arms to a Civil War, 1978.

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The Source 7Vol 13 No 5 | August 28–September 11, 2012

* * *

August 28–September 11, 2012

World Poetry: Tribute to Chief Dan GeorgeSeptember 10, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.Vancouver Public Library350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver604-331-3603www.vpl.ca

Make the most out of the last re-maining days of summer with a few outdoor festivals, such as: TELUS Taiwan Fest and the West End Festival. Enrich your mind along with the young'uns at the start of September with informa-tive talks, like Let’s Talk: Art + Ancestry, World Poetry: Tribute to Chief Dan George and an Eve-ning with Elie Wiesel.

* * * Summer Tours of the Historic OrpheumAugust 28 & 30, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Orpheum Theatre601 Smithe St., Vancouver604-665-3470www.vancouver.ca

In honour of the Orpheum’s 85th anniversary, the guided tour takes you behind the scenes, to the theatre hidden spaces and backstage area, along with sto-ries about the “Grand Old Lady of Granville Street.” Tours are lim-ited to a maximum of 25 people on a first-come first-serve basis. Call in advance to book your spot. Donation of $10.

* * * Die Roten Punkte – Eurosmash!August 28–September 2The Cultch1895 Venables St., Vancouver604-251-1363www.thecultch.com

Siblings Otto and Astrid Rot pres-ent their flavour of Indie Rock

and Europop in a live showcase. Their musical performance com-bined with humour is something fans can look forward to. Single tickets from $17.

* * * TELUS Taiwan FestSeptember 1–3Vancouver Art Gallery801 W. Georgia St., VancouverRobson Square Plaza800 Robson St., Vancouverwww.taiwanfest.ca

A three-day festival of arts, music, dance and film celebrating the Tai-

by   PhOEBE yu www.westendbia.com

Celebrate the West End commu-nity and its businesses. High-lights include: concerts, drag show, heritage walking tours, active artist gallery, roller disco and more. Open to the public.

* * * Faeries’ BallSeptember 89 p.m., doors open at 8 p.m.Sideshow Studios15 W. 2nd Ave., Vancouver604-874-9325www.inthehousefestival.com

A night of enjoyment and live per-formances, where you can party with magical creatures like faer-ies and goblins, imps and trolls, dwarves and pixies or whatever else your imagination can whip up as you dress up in your own fantastical being of choice. Tick-ets: $15 with costume, $18 with-out a costume.

* * * Two-Man Art Show: Rod Pedralba & Leo Cunanan Jr.Dimasalang III International Artist GroupSeptember 8–23LUMEN Espace Galerie2nd Floor, 88 W. Pender St., Vancouver604-357-7479www.dimasalang.org

Rod Pedralba was a trained ar-chitectural draftsman in the Philippines, before becoming a painter. He finds inspiration from his travels, nature, cityscapes and people, and creates a distinct style of cubism from these. Leo Cunanan is both a graphic artist and an impressionist artist. He works with charcoal, pastel and watercolour. Free admission.

also a street banquet and outdoor concerts. Open to the public.

* * * That Which Makes Us Haida – the Haida LanguageUntil September 2Bill Reid Gallery639 Hornby St., Vancouver604-682-3455www.billreidgallery.ca

An exhibition which documents the last remaining fluent speak-ers of the Haida language and the three remaining dialects found in Alaska, Old Massett and Skidegate.

Subscribe now for the best seats in the house!Save up to 35% by choosing four or more concerts from a choice of 10.

To order your subscription, fill out an order form at www.vancouverchamberchoir.com or call 604-738-6822.

Tickets to individual concerts on sale now at Ticketmaster.

The Brahms Effect: Romanticism in MusicFriday, September 28, 8 pm Ryerson United Church (Kerrisdale)

Eric Whitacre in Vancouver: The Composer ConductsSaturday, October 27, 8 pm Orpheum Theatre

Finding the Still Point: Music for HeatlingFriday, November 16, 8 pm Ryerson United Church (Kerrisdale)

Britten's Saint Nicolas with Ben HeppnerFriday, December 7, 8 pm Orpheum Theatre

A Dylan Thomas Christmas: A Child's Christmas in WalesFriday, December 14–Sunday, December 16 Ryerson United Church (Kerrisdale)A Little Jazz/A Little Tango:

A Stellar New Season!2012–2013

Songs of PassionFriday, January 18, 8 pm Ryerson United Church (Kerrisdale)

Poetry in Music: The Conductors' Symposium ConcertSaturday, February 9, 8 pm Ryerson United Church (Kerrisdale)

A Cappella Panorama: The Great Choral RepertoireFriday, March 15, 8 pm Ryerson United Church (Kerrisdale)

Bach Mass in B Minor: Ultimate BaroqueFriday, March 29, 8 pm Orpheum Theatre

Youth & Music Choral CreativityFriday, April 19, 8 pmRyerson United Church (Kerrisdale)

James Young was the last trained oral speaker in Haida culture.

Portrait by Leo Cunanan Jr.

A tribute to Chief Dan George.

This public display is to encour-age critical thinking about what language is and what it means to a people. Single tickets: $10 adults, $7 students and seniors.

* * * Let’s Talk: Art + AncestrySeptember 6, 7 p.m.–9 p.m.Roundhouse Community Arts Centre181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver604-687-6185www.companyerasgadance.ca

Urban Ink Productions’ artistic director, Diane Roberts, discuss-es stories passed down from gen-erations before and how it mani-fests as memories, fragments and images. These are stories that artists utilize to create and un-derstand our cultural traditions. Free admission.

* * * West End FestivalSeptember 8, 12 p.m.–7 p.m.Davie St. (from Burrard to Denman)604-696-0144

In remembrance of the author, poet, actor and former chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a Coast Salish band. Readings, a biography, music and dance are included in the program. Free ad-mission.

* * * An Evening with Elie WieselSeptember 10, 8 p.m.–10 p.m.Orpheum Theatre601 Smithe St., Vancouver604-638-7281www.jewishvancouver.com

Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel Peace Prize Laure-ate, Elie Wiesel, will give a talk to kick off the Jewish Federa-tion’s annual fundraiser. Wiesel was born in Romania and sent to Auschwitz with his family. He spent much of his life help-ing the oppressed. Tickets: $36 adults, $18 students.

* * * Les Échos du Pacifique, 39th SeasonSeptember 10, 7 p.m.–9 p.m.Place Maillardville1200 Cartier Ave., Coquitlam604-266-4699www.lesechosdupacifique.com

The choir’s new repertoire fea-tures the centerpiece, Elles s’appelaient Marie by franco-Albertan composer France Le-vasseur-Ouimet. The piece is about loss and isolation when a young woman leaves her home in Quebec to follow her husband to Alberta. Open auditions to those who have musical training and choral singing. Need not be French-speaking.

wanese culture. Some highlights include: a cappella performance by O-Kai Singers, tap-dancing by Dance Works, and a food demo about the art of stewing. There is

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8 The Source Vol 13 No 5 | August 28–September 11, 2012

Street Photography by Denis Bouvier

nac̓ θətəɬp or Transformation Plant is one of several installa-tions of Earth Art currently at VanDusen Botanical Gardens. It was created by New Zealand sculptor Chris Booth in collabo-ration with the B.C. Musqueam people.

As well as Chris Booth, John Grande, one of the world’s fore-most Earth Art curators, has gathered together Nils-Udo from Germany, Urs-P. Twell-

mann from Switzerland, and two B.C. artists: Michael Dennis and Nicole Dextras to display their Earth Art installations.

In general, Earth Art uses organ-ic materials to create natural sculp-tures that decay over time. It em-phasizes the relationship between nature and art, our culture and sus-tainability. It has been a popular art movement since the 1960’s.

Booth’s sculpture with its con-centric stone circles gives one

the initial impression of a mini Stonehenge. But on closer exami-nation, you discover the materi-als have a very local flavor and theme. All the stones are waste from the new Stanley Park sea-wall construction, propped up with logs of various sizes. The large upright stones of the inner circle lean outwards and have been likened to the petals on a flower, but in their centre is a ce-dar sapling whose planting was

will express life’s renewal with its exuberant growth.

“Transformation Plant” is located in a quiet corner of VanDusen’s 55 acres near the Gitxsan totem poles and the Education Centre.

Chris Booth is an incredible artist and you might find a visit to his website worthwhile: www.chrisbooth.co.nz

Don Richardson

Transformation Plant

recommended by the Musqueam people. The cedar doesn’t show in the photograph and you have to climb onto the outer flat stones to discover it. But this discovery intensifies an already serene, spiritual atmosphere. Booth’s idea is that the sculpture will col-lapse outward over several de-cades and degrade through the action of fungi which expresses a natural process. However, as the stones fall away, the cedar tree