You are invited to a presentation and discussion with
Steve Stewart on Canadian foreign policy in Latin America with Venezuela, Honduras and beyond
The Canadian government’s inflammatory position regarding Venezuela has
been in the news recently, but much more is happening that does not make
headlines in Canada. Steve will present on the impacts of Canadian foreign
policy in Venezuela, Honduras and elsewhere in Latin America.
Steve Stewart is CoDev’s Executive Director, and a former
journalist. He covered the civil wars
and land, labour and human rights struggles during the 1990s in Mexico,
Guatemala and El Salvador for the CERIGUA news agency. He was the Co-Chair of
the Americas Policy Group from April 2016-March, 2019 and is active with BC CASA/Cafe
Justicia and the Mining Justice Alliance. CoDevelopment Canada (CoDev) is a
Vancouver-based NGO that builds partnerships between organizations in Canada
and Latin America to support women’s, workers and human rights and sustainable
development.
1923 Fernwood Road
Doors open at 7 pm: Music at 7:30 p, Presentation at 8:0 pm
Cafe Simpatico hosted the premiere of this play at a reading
on Feb. 22. 2019/ It was well received and was followed by an engaged
discussion. The audience was given these
background notes to help understand the context of the play. We hope you will
find them of interest before you view the video and after you will find the
resources helpful for action.
Background notes: Stories from the Walled-off Hotel
The play is set in a hotel recently conceived by the British
artist, Banksy in order to encourage tourism in Bethlehem. It is in a dangerous
area of Bethlehem, close to the Israeli-constructed wall, near the gate and
check point of entry to an Israeli military presence. It is near several refugee
camps that have been there since 1948 as a result of the ‘Nakba’. Israeli
soldiers often come through the gate and enter these camps, spraying tear gas
and harassing and detaining residents.
All the characters portrayed in the play are fictitious. The
events and background stories are based on reality; people were buried alive in
Nablus; homes and whole villages are continually being bulldozed and destroyed;
residents are driven out by force. More than 1.5 million trees have been
destroyed by the Israeli occupiers; replanting olive trees and harvesting from
orchards are dangerous activities; people including children are killed during
these times; others are detained, jailed or injured.
People are killed by the Israeli military during peaceful
demonstrations. Israel often takes the bodies of their victims if they can.
Roads and checkpoints are closed at the whim of the occupier.
Yes, some Israelis call Palestinians ‘cockroaches’.
This play conveys the strong resistance that Palestinians
integrate into their daily life, as they have for more than seventy years.
Palestinians believe that living a full, normal and culturally rich life is an
essential part of their resistance.
The One Democratic State movement is gaining support among
Israelis and Palestinians. They call for a one secular, democratic state with
an equal vote for all and with the right of return for the seven million
Palestinians living in exile around the world. At this time almost two million
Palestinians live as 2nd class citizens within Israel and more than 700,000
Israelis live in illegal settlements with special services and access within
the West Bank of Palestine.
The pay is dedicated to all those thousands of Palestinians who have died in the struggle for freedom and independence of their country. The four people named are; Nizin Jamjoum, a fourteen year old girl, shot while standing on the balcony of her family home in Hebron; Ziad Abu Ain a[i][i]senior, minister in in the Palestine Authority government; Aisha al-Rawbi, a woman who was stoned to death by settlers while a passenger in a car driven by her husband; Hassan Iyad Shalaby, a teen-aged boy killed by an Israeli sniper in Gaza.
The play presents Palestinians as human beings with
personalities, stories, lives and loves. Palestinians are sumud, steadfast, in
their struggle for their rights.
We can support them by telling our government to respect the
right Palestinians and to stop profiting from the Israeli occupation/ war on
Palestinians. We can raise awareness
among friends and take part in public events as well as respecting the call for
boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel.
To view the video of the play see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkaZNUePMyA&t=105s
Resources for
PALESTINE
Websites:
Arab Group for the Protection of Nature http://www.apnature.org/en
Palestine Museum of Natural History https://www.palestinenature.org/
Addameer
www.addameer.org/ ADDAMEER
(Arabic for conscience) Prisoner Support & H.R. Association works for child
prisoners. Also:
http://nwttac.dci-palestine.org/
The Promise -a 4 part compelling drama made by UK Channel 4
available on YouTube
Canadian BDS Coalition:
https://bdscoalition.ca/
BDS Movement https://bdsmovement.net/
BDS In Jordan https://bdsmovement.net/countries/jordan
https://electronicintifada.net/ E magazine current issues in Palestine
BOYCOTT Hewlett-Packard electronics and Hyundai vehicles:
both used by Israeli government to enforce occupation, detention, demolition.
See: https://bdscoalition.ca/
Popular Resistance in
Palestinehttp://bookreviews.bbcf.ca/2012/10/qumsiyeh-mazin-b-popular-resistance-in-palestine-a-history-of-hope-and-empowerment-2010-pluto-press-uk-usa/
Married to another man
http://bookreviews.bbcf.ca/2013/11/karmi-ghada-married-to-another-man-israels-dilemma-
in-palestine-pluto-press-london-uk-isbn-978-0-7453-2065-6/
Canada and Israel: Building apartheid
http://bookreviews.bbcf.ca/2012/09/engler-yves-canada-and-israel-building-apartheid-2010-red-publishing-b-c-and-fernwood-publishing-n-s-canada/
The Battle for Justice in Palestine
http://bookreviews.bbcf.ca/2014/05/abunimah-ali-the-battle-
or-justice-in-palestine-2014-haymarket-book-chicago-usa-isbn-978-1-60846-324-4/
The Last Earth (and other books) by Ramzy Baroud. Pluto
Books
POETRY
Here We Shall Stay by Tawfiq Zayyad
https://www.poemhunter.com/tawfiq-zayyad/
It’s also Fine by Mourid Barghouti from:
Midnight and other poems
www.bookreviews.bbcf.ca/?s=mourid
Hearts: by Theresa
Wolfwood from: Love and Resistance.
www.bookreviews.bbcf.ca/?s=love+and+Resistance
CASC is fortunate to host this outstanding speaker Monday March 18, at Fernwood Community Association, 1923 Fernwood Road. Doors open at 7 pm Presentation at 7:30 pm
Lucia’s talk will centre on the general political context in Mexico and the challenges faced by indigenous movements.
Lucia is an Indigenous Nahuatl, from the central zone of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, a teacher of indigenous education since 2002. She has actively participated in the foundation of the Democratic Movement of Teachers in Veracruz – MMPV- and is currently a political leader collective “Totlahtol Yoltok”.
Lucia’s talk will centre on the general political context in Mexico and the challenges faced by indigenous movements. Lucia is an Indigenous Nahuatl, from the central zone of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, a teacher of indigenous education since 2002. She has actively participated in the foundation of the Democratic Movement of Teachers in Veracruz – MMPV- and is currently a political leader collective “Totlahtol Yoltok”.
Refreshments, Fair
Trade Coffee Admission by donation
Mark the date for our first cafe of 2019 on January 25!
1923 Fernwood Road Doors open at 7 Live Music at 7:30 pm Presentation at 8 pm
CLIMATE JUSTICE
Slide show and panel lead by Eric Doherty with other speakers, Followed by ample time for discussion and action ideas. Climate change is affecting the lives of many Central Americans as well as Canadians and has widespread global consequences. We can be part of the solution!
Refreshments: Fair Trade Organic Coffee from Nicaragua
Admission by donation All welcome!
Sponsored by the Victoria Central America Support Committee
The Zapatista Movement in Chiapas
“¡Zapata vive, la lucha sigue!”
(Zapata lives, the struggle continues!)
In 1994, the day the NAFTA agreement became operational, threatening the survival of Mexican campesinos, the Zapatista National Liberation Army staged a 12-day-long uprising. Mexican society shook to its core.
After 24 years of resistance, the Zapatistas remain well organized and continue to protect their Indigenous culture, their right to land and their autonomy.
Music by: Héctor Vázquez, classical musician from Mexico and PhD candidate at UVic.
Café Simpatico
1923 Fernwood Road
November 30
Doors open at 7:00 pm
Music at 7:30 pm
Presentation at 8:00 pm
Admission by donation
Refreshments served
Nicaraguan Fair Trade Organic Coffee for sale
Sponsored by: Victoria Central America Support Committee
www.facebook.com/vcasc www.victoriacasc.org/
Real life super heroes and the quest for mining justice in Canada and Guatemala
Activist and MJAC member Kay Gimbel will talk about his trip with Rights Action in June. This was Kay’s second trip to Guatemala and he will discuss the ongoing social justice issues introduced by Canadian mining activities.
Presented by the Mining Justice Action Committee and the Central America Support Committee.
The BC premier of a wonderful Canadian film about western Sahara with the story of two women and their grandmothers, refugees from Africa’s only colony. The film also explains Canada’s role in the colonization of Western Sahara.
Peter Golden, founding member of CASC, human rights and solidarity activist, refugee lawyer, friend of many, died July 31. He had lived with cancer and true to his spirit he carried on until almost to the end, engaged and involved in life.
Peter was a constant presence and strength in CASC for more than 30 years. He went on human rights delegations to Central America, met with endangered activists there; helped lawyers and others threatened with death and disappearance. He will particularly be remembered for his hard work for Coca-Cola workers and union organizers in Guatemala. Only recently was CASC with Peter’s support able to help the creation and installation of sculptures of nine assassinated Coca-Cola activists in a prominent place in Guatemala City.
CASC activists will remember Peter’s wealth of knowledge, his compassion for the oppressed, his reasoned discussion of contentious issues, his positive contributions to organizing our Cafe Simpatico gatherings and his humour and warmth.
We remember with fond laughter his incredible ability to fund-raise at Café- going through a performance with his wallet, $20 bills and the collection basket on his head. People always responded and gave generously to his appeal.
Peter attended our last Café Simpatico on June 27, frail, but in good spirits. We treasure this last photo taken with some CASC activists and our Guatemalan guest speakers.
We give our heartfelt sympathy to his life partner, Charlotte Bell, his daughters, brother and the rest of his family. They were with him until his last breath.
His steadfast commitment to social justice will continue to inspire us.
We will miss you Peter.
Peter Golden ! Presente!
TW on behalf of CASC planning committee
Photo at Café Simpatico, June 27, 2018: Peter standing tall 2nd from left in back row. We are wearing photos of murdered and disappeared people in Guatemala.
Doors open at 7 pm
We welcome back Nedjo Rogers as our musician for this evening at 7:30 pm
1923 Fernwood Road
Presentation at 8 pm:
SIN MIEDO (Fearless) A documentary film by Claudio Zulian
About Guatemala’s military diaries and popular resistance with the filmmaker on tour in Canada
Made in 2017: 75 minutes long. Spanish & English sub-titles. Discussion to follow.
Refreshments: Admission by donation
The Victoria Central America Support Committee
https://www.facebook.com/vcasc/ & https://www.victoriacasc.org/