Tuesday, April 7th
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; concerts starts at 7:00 p.m.
A Musical Celebration of Burns in North America
Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat, “Burns Songs in BC”
Kirsteen McCue and David Hamilton, “Burns Songs Set by Serge Hovey”
Gung Haggis Fat Choy Performers
Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson Street, Vancouver
ALL WELCOME!!!
Writer-in-residence John Asfour welcomes novelist, playwright, and essayist Ann Diamond to read excerpts from My Cold War, stories from 1950s Montreal
Montreal writer John Asfour met the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society at a board meeting March 23. John (with dark glasses) stands beside life-size photo of Joy Kogawa used in the Royal BC Museum exhibit “Free Spirit.” – photo Deb Martin.
Monday, April 6, at 7:30pm, by donation
Historic Joy Kogawa House, 1450 West 64th Avenue, Vancouver
Ann Diamond's best-known work is a long poem, A Nun's Diary
(1989), which was adapted for theatre by Robert Lepage and became the
subject of a National Film Board documentary, “Breaking a Leg” directed
by Donald Winkler. Her first novel, Mona's Dance, was chosen by CBC as the best small press novel of 1988. In 1994, a story collection, Evil Eye, won the Hugh MacLennan Award for fiction. As an experiment, she self-published her novel Static Control after it had been accepted by DC Books and Les Editeurs XYZ.
Since 2002 when Diamond began work on her memoir, My Cold War,
she has reincarnated as a researcher and haunter of libraries,
fine-tooth-comber of documents and files, and explorer of a forbidden
chapter in recent Canadian history. This ongoing project has been, in
many ways, about reclaiming her own history as the daughter of a
Canadian Air Force intelligence officer, who came to Quebec from Sea
Island, BC, in 1943 to “hunt for Nazi spies.” Learning of her father's
secret activities led her inevitably into a wide-ranging study of the
history of that period, some of which remains classified to this day.
It
has also changed Diamond's relationship to the community she came
from–Anglo Montreal. It was a mixed blessing to live in a city with a
rich cultural tradition and a multi-layered history. By the mid-1980s,
when I began publishing fiction and poetry, Montreal had wandered off
the literary map of Canada. Diamond waged a personal campaign to change
that, writing for the Gazette, Books in Canada, Canadian Forum, CBC, Montreal Mirror, Room of One's Own, Geist, and so on.
Today
Diamond continues to study the history of Cold War experiments on
children, a secret program that spanned the country. Her birthplace,
Montreal, was the epicentre of a project that has altered our future in
countless ways which need to be faced. After five years of research and
writing, Diamond is pleased to shared those stories with a Vancouver
audience at Kogawa house.
Join us on Monday, April 6, at 7:30pm at Historic Joy Kogawa House, 1450 West 64th Avenue in Vancouver. Admission by donation.
The C-Word is a new play by Grace Chin…
Gung Haggis members saw her first play Twisting Fortunes and the 2nd play “The Quickie”
Both were featured as sneak preview excerpts at Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners in 2007 and 2008.
Check out Grace's play “The C-Word“
The C-Word cast (from left): Preet Cheema
(Akesh Gill), Sheryl Thompson (Ashley Hennessey), Grace Chin (Kelly
Cho), Fane Tse (Steve Chung), Raahul Singh (Pal Prasad). Photo by Terry
Wong, wonger.ca
From http://www.scriptingaloud.ca/cword/
If cheating is colour blind, so is commitment, increasingly a “C-word”
to both sexes. How do you deal with intercultural cheating, commitment,
and consequences? The C-Word,
a contemporary, set-in-Vancouver dramedy directed by Mel Tuck, invites
an intimate in-and-out of the bedroom view of four friends' lives when
infidelity and unforeseen consequences force them to choose to whom,
and to what, they must commit. More
Playwrights Theatre Centre, Granville Island
1398 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC
Thurs Apr 2 – Sat Apr 4
Thurs Apr 9 – Sat Apr 11
All shows 8 pm
Tickets:
$18 online (PayPal)
“2 for $30” Thursday April 9
$20 at the door
DOOR PRIZES MOST NIGHTS
To buy tickets in advance and for more information:
www.scriptingaloud.ca/cword
cwordplay@gmail.com
“Toddish McWong”- the creator of “Gung Haggis Fat Choy.”
What are Canadian values? and Canadian diversity?
Who makes them: Canadian citizens? Immigrant Canadians?
or Jason Kenney – minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism?
Jason Kenney is the federal minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism. He presided over the Chinese Canadian Head Tax redress, that resulted in Prime Minister Stephen Harper giving a parliamentary apology for a racist tax but only gave an ex-gratia payments that recognized less than 1% of head tax certificates, because it was limited to only surviving head tax payers and spouses… most have long since died since Margaret Mitchell first brought up the the issue of Head Tax Redress in the Canadian Parliament back in 1984.
Recently, Jason Kenney waded into the discussion about Canadian identity, and immigration language classes, when he talked with editors at the Calgary Herald:
To that end, the government has
sensibly ceased funding programs such as heritage language classes. Why
should the federal government pay for children to learn the language of
the country their parents and grandparents come from? It's the family's
responsibility to teach children about their heritage, including the
language.
The original story appeared in the Calgary Herald on March 20th.
Kenney right person for immigration minefield
http://www.calgaryherald.com/columnists/Kenney+right+person+immigration+minefield/1409011/story.html
The same story appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on March 30th (with comments)
Kenney stands for Canada
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/personal-tech/Kenney+stands+Canada/1443307/story.html
Today, the same story appeared in the Vancouver Sun on April 1st, with a new title:
Immigration minister is right to stand up for Canadian values.
http://www.vancouversun.co
But this time, it appeared with a picture of Todd Wong aka “Toddish McWong” with the caption:
I have to be flattered that my picture has appeared in the news media.
But while the original story never mentioned “Toddish McWong” or “Gung Haggis Fat Choy,” a picture of Wong is used mainly to capture the reader's attention and draw them to the article.
But I am a bit confused as to what the picture is meant to represent?
Is it because:
1 “Being Canadian means being everything to everyone who comes to our shores?”
2 – “People want to define Canada by how many politically correct contations this country can do to accomodate others?”
3 – “New Canadians have a duty to integrate,” says Kenney. “We don't need the state to promote diversity. It is a natural part of our ciivl society.”
The article, by Naomi Lakritz of the Calgary Herald, goes on to share Kenney's views that: “the government has sensibly ceased funding programs such as heritage language classes [other than english or french].”
“I think it's really neat that a fifth generation Ukrainian Canadian can speak Ukrainian… but pay for it yourself,” Kenney says. Kenney's right… it is neat. If you can speak your family's mother tongue, your life is just that much more enriched. But such immersion in heritage shouldn't come at the expense of you identifying yourself as a Canadian first… and it certainly shouldn't come at Canadian taxpayer's expense.”
The article also goes on to give an example of how Kenney says that a grant for language training to the Canadian Arab Federation will not be renewed: “The government should support moderate mainstream voices, not people on the fringe.”
The Gung Haggis Fat Choy events that I have created since 1998 have never received any federal grant money.
I am a fifth generation Chinese Canadian that speaks better French than Chinese.
I am a descendant of Chinese head tax payers.
I have travelled to Oak Bay in Nova Scotia, walked the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, stood on Point Pelee in Ontario, skiied in Banff Alberta, visited totem poles in Haida Gwaii, and even stood on the corner of Portage and Main in Winnipeg during windchilled Winter.
I have been the guest speaker at a Terry Fox Run in Beijing, China.
By creating Gung Haggis Fat Choy events, my aim is to recognize both the pioneer histories of Chinese Canadians and Scottish Canadians, as well as the future of Canadians born with these shared ancestries.
I believe that culture evolves, and is not stagnant.
I believe that all Canadians should read “How to Be a Canadian” by Will Ferguson and his brother Ian Ferguson.
If it is a Canadian value to laugh, make fun of ourselves and not take ourselves too seriously, then maybe this book should also be mandatory reading when all new immigrants apply to become Canadian citizens, along with learning English or French.
And that's what Gung Haggis Fat Choy also encourages us to do… laugh and make fun of ourselves, by flipping stereotypes of Scottish and Chinese tradional customs into juxtapositions of cultural fusion.
Historic Joy Kogawa House chooses first writer-in-residence
Historic Joy Kogawa House is pleased to announce our first writer-in-residence, Montreal poet John Asfour.
Upon
arriving in Vancouver, Asfour said: “I am pleased to be chosen as the
first writer-in-residence at Kogawa house. I’m here to learn how a
community like the Japanese Canadian would turn a part of their
historical suffering into something positive by establishing a place
where writers can live and work. Japanese Canadians were very
supportive of the community of Arab Canadians and what it had to endure
after September 11.”
Asfour
is the author of four books of poetry in English and two in Arabic. He
translated the poetry of Muhammad al-Maghut into English under the title Joy Is Not My Profession (Véhicule Press), and he selected, edited and introduced the landmark anthology When the Words Burn: An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry, 1945–1987 (Cormorant Books).
The majority of the writer’s time in residence will be devoted to work on a book of poems entitled Blindfold,
which exposes the “rich and strange” possibilities of a life that has
undergone some frightening transformation and is displaced from its
element. The book is partly autobiographical—born in Lebanon, Asfour
was blinded in 1958 at age 13 during the Civil War there.
The
poems also explore feelings of loss, displacement and disorientation
experienced by the disabled and relates them to immigrant themes that
Asfour has previously addressed. Asfour suggests that the disabled
often feel like foreigners in their own land, hampered by prejudice
(sometimes well-meaning), communications barriers and the sense of
“limited personality” that characterizes the second-language learner.
While
in Vancouver between now until the end of May, Asfour will present
poetry workshops to a variety of audiences, in collaboration with the
Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Simon Fraser University’s
Writers Studio and the Vancouver Public Library. Opportunities for
consultation on work in development are also available.
Further information can be found on the website of the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society at www.kogawahouse.com and TLC, The Land Conservancy of BC, at www.conservancy.bc.ca or by calling (604) 263-6586.
Contacts: Kogawa House Society: Ann-Marie Metten (604) 263-6586
TLC, The Land Conservancy of BC: Tamsin Baker (604) 733-2313
Information on Historic Joy Kogawa House Historic
Joy Kogawa House is the former home of the Canadian author Joy Kogawa
(born 1935). It stands as a cultural and historical reminder of the
expropriation of property that all Canadians of Japanese descent
experienced after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Between 2003 and
2006, a grassroots committee fundraised in a well-publicized national
campaign, and with the help of The Land Conservancy of BC, a non-profit
land trust, managed to purchase the house in 2006.
Together
with Joy Kogawa, the various groups decided that the wisest and best
use of the property would be to establish it as a place where writers
could live and work. Following the models of the writer-in-residence
programs in place at the Berton House Writers’ Retreat in Dawson City,
Yukon, and Roderick Haig-Brown House in Campbell River, BC, the
Historic Joy Kogawa House writer-in-residence program brings
well-regarded professional writers in touch with a local community of
writers, readers, editors, publishers, booksellers and librarians.
While
in residence, the writer works to enrich the literary community around
him or her and to foster an appreciation for Canadian writing through
programs that involve students, other established and emerging writers
and members of the general public.
Beginning
in March 2009, as a partner with TLC, the Historic Joy Kogawa Society
will begin hosting writers to live and work in the house on a paid
basis. Funding is provided through the Michael Audain Foundation for
the Arts, the Canada Council and through donations from the general
public.
Rob O'Dea is the latest survivor of the Hunger Strike Relay.
The Hunger Strike relay was started on December 29th by community and housing activisit Am Johal. The protest raises awareness for the need for a national housing strategy—missing in Canada since 1993.
see: http://www.straight.com/article-205278/hunger-strike-relay-has-vancouver-lining-housing-strategy
Am passed it on to Michael Byers who I saw on his last day of the hunger strike, when he came to give a talk for CUPE 391 Vancouver Library Workers.
Along the way, the hunger strike relay spoon was passed to Sarah Evans, Brent Granby, Dr. Marria Townsend, Jason Gratl, Sister Elizabeth Kelleher, Mira Malestinic, David Eby, and Sarah Blyth, Constance Barnes,
Rob O'Dea took the wooden relay spoon from Jay Black and Garvin Snider
I met Rob at the Jenn McGinn fundraiser at Figmint on Saturday night. He told me that he lost about 19 pounds in 7 days, on his liquid diet that did not allow for any soup or processed foods. Lots of juices and water. Luckily, Rob was able to drink some beer at the fundraiser, but unable to eat any of the delicious appetizers being passed around on trays.
Rob described being on the fast, as “very cleansing”, and said it really helped to bring clarity to his thinking. But it was also distracting due to hunger yearnings. He recommended keeping active, if you choose to volunteer for this hunger strike relay.
Rob's goal was to try to help raise the profile of the hunger strike relay, which he did by sending letters to National leaders in Canadian Parliament. Rob started a Hunger Strike Blog on http://rabble.ca/blog/17095, and met with Jack Layton while he was in Vancouver last weekend.
It's not everyday, you meet an important Canadian parliamentary leader in a pub on St. Patrick's Day…
– but Jack Layton was in Vancouver for Celticfest and the St. Patrick's Day Parade
Todd Wong, Jack Layton, Allan McMordie, Trish McMordie – photo T.Wong/T.Lam
We had spent 3 hours in the cold preparing and walking in the parade
with the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Pipe & Drums, and Gung Haggis Fat
Choy dragon boat team, carrying a parade dragon, lion head masks and
dragon boat paddles. We were cold, and in need of warm food and
carbohydrate replenishment. Jack Layton, federal NDP leader had been in the parade too. He often
comes in August for Vancouver's Pride Parade. Jack said he was also in Vancouver to attend an event for Don Davies, MP for Vancouver Kensington.
I've known Don for a few years, when he first introduced himself to me at one of Meena Wong's dim sum luncheons (coincidence: Meena had been an assistant for Jack Layton's wife Olivia Chow in Toronto). Jack's wife is Chinese-Canadian MP, Olivia Chow, and they are also friends of Canadian author Joy Kogawa. Wow… Jack and Olivia are a real inter-cultural couple on a national scale! Very Gung Haggis! I had dim sum with Olivia in 2007, at one of Meena Wong's dim sum socials with Chinese head tax activists, see: Dim Sum with Olivia Chow in Vancouver
I asked Jack, if he had Scottish ancestry, which he affirmed. It was on Robbie
Burns Day, January 25th 2003, he became
federal leader of the NDP (New Democratic
Party”). If Robbie Burns was the ploughman's poet, then Jack Layton must be the workers' parliamentarian.
Layton's views of social democracy, probably
best represent Robert Burns's similar views – more
than the other federal leaders. Burns was such a progressive thinker of the Scottish enlightenment, that many of his views were not published until after his death – they would have been considered “that radical”. Remember that during Burns' time, happening around him was the American Revolution, and the French Revolution, as Modern Democracy emerged. But 250 years later they fit very much into a social democratic world. Layton's great-granduncle, William Steeves, was a
Father of Confederation. Layton's own grandfather
Gilbert Layton was a cabinet minister in the
Quebec provincial government, and his father
Robert Layton was a Member of Parliament and
cabinet minister.
Just as Jack Layton was preparing to leave the pub, our bagpipers started playing some songs. Jack took out his cell phone and started videoing them, then recorded a Happy St. Patrick's Day message. Maybe this will appear on his web page. I used my camera to record the action.
Check it this video:
Our brave troupe of paddlers, pipers and drummers… – photo T.Wong / J.McDonald
Tzhe carries and the dragon in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery, with help from Stephen – photo T. Wong
Snow and Wind did not deter our pipers and drummers: Front row Bob Wilkins, David Murray, Allan McMordie, 2nd row Barbara, Danny, Patricia, Drummers: Tony & Cassandra – photo T. Wong
Mackenzie led our contingent as “paddle bearer” leading the pipers! – photo T.Wong
And when it was all over… Pipe Major Bob Wilkins congratulated Mackenzie on a job well-done. In all his years of piping and parades, it never snowed on him before. Bob said he “never had so much fun being miserable.”
Here's a picture of the dragons on our car! – photo T.Wong
Check out more pictures on
Toddish McWong's Flickr account
Celticfest is one of Vancouver's most exciting ethno-cultural festivals:
Saturday I will check out “Battle of the Bards” King O' Men (about Robbie Burns, and the annual Gung Haggis Fat Choy entry in the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Celticfest started on Wednesday and goes to Sunday March 15th. St. Patrick's Day is on Tuesday March 17th.
Check out the website: www.celticfestvancouver.com for lots of great events featuring Ashley McIssac, Lunasa, Irish Pipes Regiment, Battle of the Bards etc. etc.
This year there is a play about Robbie Burns, titled King O'Men – featuring bagpiper Rob McDonald and actor John Hardie. All the more to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the birth of poet Robert Burns.
I was involved in the augural “Battle of the Bards” event last year, playing poet Robbie Burns. It's a great fun event, where performers “channel” the spirit of the poets, and read the poems. Check out my story from last year: www.GungHaggisFatChoy.com :: Toddish McWong's “Robert Burns” wins Battle of the Bards
The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade is lots of fun too! We usually hang out at the Celticfest Village following the parade. This year's parade is on Georgia St. Starting at Broughton, the parade route heads East ending at Howe St. The Village is on the North lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Check out my story from last year: www.GungHaggisFatChoy.com :: Gung Haggis Fat Choy puts a dragon (not a snake) in the parade.
Here are 3 events that I will be attending – hope to see you there!
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Saturday March 14
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Battle of the Bards – A Literary Pub Crawl and Grand FinaleThree cheers! The Battle of the Bards is back for 2009, whisking you along on a flying tour of Granville Street’s best Irish pubs. Dynamic spoken word artists Sean McGarragle, Duncan Shields and Warren Dean Fulton The crawl culminates at The Cellar, where the bards will do final “battle” with Vancouver’s first official poet laureate George McWhirter Who will be this year’s “top bard”? Why don’t you be the judge! |
Pub Crawl Open Mic & Finale Event |
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Saturday March 14 2 shows:
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King o' Men – A Robbie Burns Stage Play & 250th Birthday TributeFeaturing John Hardie & Rob MacDonald A His performance will be followed by King o’ Men, an exciting new one-man play directed by writer and actor John Hardie Here's |
Tom Lee Music – Music Hall |
Sunday March 15
11:30 AM
6th Annual St. Patrick's Day ParadeWhere can you find hundreds of thousands of people, all seized with Celtic fever? At the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, of course! This year the parade travels a new route along Georgia Street, beginning at Broughton St., ending up at the Celtic Village
outside the Vancouver Art Gallery at Georgia and Howe. Round up your
family and friends (and favourite green attire) and enjoy the spectacle
of over 2,000 colourfully costumed participants, from pipers and
drummers to acrobats and stilt-walkers. The price is still right –
absolutely free!
Presented by Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association
Snow was predicted for Sunday morning, March 8th… and we were scheduled for 2 sessions of dragon boat practices.
Ernest leads G-Force through some practice starts. – photo T. Wong
Dragon boat paddling is always fun when it's sunny. Teams that want to do well at the big Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival start practicing early. March is a good time to start. The weather is warmer, the sun comes out. Except Vancouver got yet another big dump of snow Sunday and Monday.
We got out early on Sunday morning to paddle, as Ernest Wu and myself helped to coach and steer G-Force Winds dragon boat team, while their coach and founder Gayle Gordon is on holiday. Gayle joined the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team last year as a veteran lead stroke… and WE LOVE HER! So we will do anything to keep her happy – including coaching her team while she is away.
Ernest and G-Force Winds smile in the sunshine on Sunday morning – photo T. Wong
We like G. Force Winds. They are a very friendly group of paddlers who paddle for the fun and exercise. We helped them at some races last year with extra paddlers. It's an all women's team that emphasizes fun, friendship and fitness. Just like Gung Haggis without the haggis… or men.
G-Force paddles on False Creek for the their 4th practice of the season. – photo T. Wong
It's still early in the season and the roster isn't settled. Some paddlers probably find it too cold to paddle yet. But there were 5 rookie paddlers learning the art of paddling along with 7 experienced paddlers. Athena is wearing the blue hat and it was her second time in a dragon boat. Salome was a bit anxious for her first time in the boat, and worried if the other paddlers would like her, even if she wasn't any good. No worries. Everybody was happy, welcoming and supportive.
Canada geese brave the cold waters of False Creek and avoid the ferries. – photo T. Wong
When G.Force finished their practice at 11:30 and Ernest and I joined our regular team Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team where I am the coach and founder, and Ernest is one of our team captains. He was born in Beijing, China, so I lean on Ernest to fill in lots of things about Chinese culture that my 5 generation Canadian history doesn't know about. Ernest paddled a year of dragon boat before joining the Gung Haggis team.
Tzhe and Wendy, are two of our possible lead stroke paddlers – photo T.Wong
“Gung Haggis is like family,” declared Wendy last year… or was it the year before? Wendy really embodies the social cameraderie of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team. We are happy to have her at many of our social events – but this year, she gets to plan some of them! This will be Wendy's 4th year as a dragon boater. In her 2nd year, we became lead stroke. Tzhe also became a lead stroke in his second year of paddling dragon boats. He now enters his 3rd year of paddling dragon boat, after pulling a Ken Dryden by racing voyageur canoe with us in Fort Langley after joining the team at the end of 2006. Sitting behind Tzhe is Alissa, our rookie of the year, whom we had doing some lead stroke work in her first year of dragon boating!
Lots of smiles in the sunshie, it's one happy team on the water! – photo T.Wong
We paddled out to David Lam Park, and worked on building good technique by addressing different foundations of dragon boat paddling. We worked the core muscles. We practiced entries. We practiced timing. We worked in small groups. And the team really developed quickly and impressively.
Steven Wong and Stephen Mirowski took turns steering the boat during practice. We rotate steers so that everybody gets a chance to paddle and learn steering responsibilities. We also rotate captains from race to race. This way we also share leadership responsibilities.
I've been paddling since 1997, and it's really given me an opportunity to witness the growth and development of False Creek. It's amazing to see these buildings going up at the corner of Beach and Pacific Blvd.
It sure looks like they are building these new buildings crooked! But believe it or not – it's supposed to be good for stabilization in case of an earthquake.
