Svāhā’s Fierce Promise and Quiet Reminder
By Brannavy Jeyasundaram Featured Image Courtesy of Dahlia Katz “Rituals don’t just exist in the past, they’re how we connect to the here and now,” says Nova Bhattacharya prior to announcing the premiere date of her upcoming production. It is the middle of September 2019; she speaks to a room full of eclectic musicians, performance artists, and…
[Literature] - Coconut Dreams by Derek Mascarenhas
By Shailee Koranne Image Courtesy of Book*hug Published by Book*hug Press in 2019, Coconut Dreams explores the lives of the Pinto family through seventeen linked short stories. In Coconut Dreams, a boy exposes his town priest’s crimes through a thrilling series of events; a widow reflects on a romantic safari trip while watching The Lion King;…
[Theatre] 49th Day at Next Stage
Reviewed by Allyson Aritcheta All Images by Zeeshan Safdar In Việt Nam, a young woman rushes through a cemetery, dropping before a grave. Shaking, she burns incense, makes offerings, and performs rituals, waiting for a sign from her deceased grandmother. Alone, the woman confronts her complicated relationship with her loved one. Weaving together poetry and drama,…
October Event Spotlight
It’s October and the federal election is right around the corner! As well as checking out the awesome events this month has in store, make sure to get out and vote for the issues that matter to you! 8: De-escalation Workshop In a neighbourhood that has traditionally been home to marginalized people but is…
August Event Spotlight
We’re halfway through Summer but nowhere near done with the season’s events. Check out the places to be and the things to see below—and make sure to join us at 187 Augusta for the Diasporasian Futures Final Showcase on August 3rd! 1: Go Somewhere! Japanese Art Tour The Go Somewhere! Japanese Art Tour is…
[Exhibition] Pattern (dis)Placement by Soheila Esfahani
By Allyson Aritcheta All images by Jing Tey Soheila Esfahani meditates on cultural translation by examining ornaments and souvenirs as vessels of “portable culture” in Pattern (dis)Placement (2019). The Iranian visual artist aims to disrupt cultural origins by exploring the spaces between cultures that influence the ornaments and souvenirs on display. The ornaments that Esfahani…
[Exhibition] Beyond Borders - CONTACT Photography Festival
By Allyson Aritcheta All images by Jing Tey OCAD University students test the things that separate us in Beyond Borders, examining themes that deal with physical, psychological, and societal divides. These works process borders in surreal and evocative ways. Immigration Inspired by the story of King Shahryar in One Thousand and One Nights—a tale of…
[Film] Memories of My Body, directed by Garin Nugroho
Featured Image courtesy of Fourcolour Films *Includes Spoilers* TW Warnings: Violence, Sexual Abuse, Body Traumas Text by Philbert Lui Lengger is a traditional form of Indonesian dance originating from the island of Java, where the dancers are allowed to perform and play freely with fluid gender identity. Memories of My Body uses this particular form…
[Exhibition] “Salam From Niagara Falls” by Mitra Fakhrashrafi
Text and Images by Laila Jafri “Salam From Niagara Falls” features a series of mixed media manipulations from the personal archives of local Afghan and Iranian artists as they rearrange their idea of home within the context of settler colonialism. The exhibit is curated by Mitra Fakhrashrafi, who credits family photographs at Niagara Falls as…
[Literature] Toward the North - Stories by Chinese Canadian Writers
Published by Inanna Publications in late 2018 and edited by Hua Laura Wu, Xueqing Xu and Corinne Bieman Davies, Toward the North: Stories by Chinese Canadian Writers is an anthology of short fiction written by Chinese Canadians over the last 20 years. This review was done by Jasmine Gui I was stoked to be asked to…