Category Archives: Asian Canadian Cultural Events

Joy of Canadian Words: April 25th fundraiser for Kogawa House – Actors read Canadian Literary works to Astound!

7:30pm

April 25th, 2006

Christ Church Cathedral
Georgia and Burrard

A beaming Joy Kogawa stands between
the evening's co-hosts Todd Wong (Save Kogawa House committee) and Bill
Turner (The Land Conservancy), following a magical evening of reading
performances – photo Deb Martin

The
audience listened attentively to literary interpretations of how Coyote
played a role in the Japanese internment and confiscation of property,
as written through the comical lens of Thomas King. The short
story “Coyote and the Enemy Aliens” was read by Chief Rhonda Larrabee
of the Qayqayt First Nations. It is painted a funny but ugly
truth about how Canadians of Japanese descent were deprived of basic
citizenship rights, and had their property confiscated for no reason
other than possessing Japanese ancestry, even if they were 3rd
generation Canadian. The trickster figure of Coyote is used to
create a metaphor for mischief, as the BC and Canadian government found
reasons based on racism, to move the Japanese out of Canada, and keep
them from reclaiming their wrongfully confiscated property, homes and
fishing boats.

This
event was to raise money and awareness about the house that author Joy
Kogawa grew up in. When she was 6 years old, her family was
forced from the only home she had ever known and forced to live in what
she described as shacks for the next 30 years. The family was
interned in Slocan, than sent to work beet farms in Alberta, “to work
for nothing and prove their loyalty to Canada,” as Coyote said in the
Thomas King story.

Actors
and cultural celebrities were invited to read some of
Canada's most important literary works. Obasan and some of the works
read such as Anne of Green Gables are listed on the recent Literary
Review of Canada's 100 Most Important Canadian Books Ever
Written. Authors such as Thomas King and Leonard Cohen were also
presented, to create a short but incredibly rich and diverse samplng of
Canadian literary riches.

Bill Turner, co-host for the evening, executive director of The Land Conservancy – photo Deb Martin

Bill Turner,
executive director of The Land Conservancy of BC, opened up the evening
explaining how the Land Conservancy became involved in
leading the fundraising to turn Kogawa's child hood home into a
literary and historic land mark for Vancouver. “It is much more
than a house,” stated Turner citing the importance and role of Kogawa
House in the literary works of Obasan and Naomi's Road, “It is a symbol
of what we can create for society, to ensure that such racism never
happens again.”

Sheryl Mackay, reads from Anne of Green Gables – photo Deb Martin

Sheryl Mackay, host of CBC Radio's weekend program “North By Northwest”
read from Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery. McKay is
a native Prince Edward Islander, and told of many people who go to
visit “Anne of Green Gables House” telling themselves “This is where
she slept.” McKay secretly commented to the audience “She isn't
real – she's just a work of fiction.” McKay also pointed out that
Kogawa House is real, and that Joy Kogawa actually slept in the
bedrooms of Kogawa House, and it would be wonderful to save the house
for generations to visit.

Joy Coghill read from Emily Carr's “Klee Wyck” – photo Deb Martin

Joy Coghill, esteemed and legendary actor
read from Emily Carr’s “Klee Wyck,” a collection of sketches about
Carr's experience with First Nations peoples. The book had won
the Governor General's prize for non-fiction
Joy
Coghill was amazing to watch. The timing and
delivery was breathtaking as she read from Emily Carr's
“Klee-wyck.” As I watched, I knew that we had really hit the
jackpot when we decided to ask actors to choose a book to read.

Doris Chilcott read poems by Alden Nowlan – photo Deb Martin

3rd up was actor Doris Chilcott, again amazing to watch as the actor's
craft of presentation and speaking unfolded. Doris read three Alden
Nowlan poems, a gifted writer who served many writers in residence
programs across the country.

Leora Cashe lifts the musical mood with Leonard Cohen's “Dance Me to the End of Love” with Jay Krebs on piano – photo Deb Martin

Next up to hit a home run, was gospel jazz singer Leora Cashe. How
could she not hit a home run while singing Leonard Cohen's song “Dance
Me to the End of Love.” Definitely a winner.

Rhonda Larrabee, Chief of Qayqayt First Nations, reads “Coyote and the Enemy Aliens” by Thomas King – photo Deb Martin

Chief Rhonda
Larrabee hit another home run, with the insightful and wickedly ironic
and humourous Thomas King story titled “Coyote and the Enemy Aliens”?
Imagine the trickster figure of Coyote behind the internment of
Japanese Canadians and the confiscation of their property. It all
sounds like a bad dream, and King makes it so!

Bill Dow reads Aron Buchkowsky's “The Promised Land” – photo Deb Martin

I introduced
actor Bill Dow, as having recently performed in the play The Diary of
Anne Frank, relating how the House of Anne Frank is a major tourist
attraction in Amsterdam, and how Kogawa House could be that for
Vancouver. Tourist and people making pilgramages could say to each
other “This is the house that Joy was taken away from.”

Bill gave a dramatic reading of Aron Buchkowsky's “The
Promised Land.”

I pointed out that Buchowsky, Leora Cashe and Joy Kogawa all had
fathers who were ministers. Rhonda Larrabee's great grandfather had
been a minister.

Maiko Yamamoto, Manami Hara, Bill Dow and Hiro Kanagawa read Dorothy Livesay's “Call My People Home” – photo Deb Martin.

Bill next invited to the stage actors, Hiro
Kanagawa, Maiko Yamamoto and Manami Hara to read Dorothy Livesay's
radio documentary poem “Call My People Home.” Written in 1949, it is
one of the first written pieces to criticize the internment of Japanese
Canadians. It was a magical group reading, as the voices took
turns speaking alone or in unison, each giving voice to different
aspects of the internment and the dispersal of Japanese Canadians, away
from their homes on the BC West coast.

Marion Quednau spoke about the cultural importance for saving Kogawa House – photo Deb Martin

Marion Quednau of the Writer's Union of Canada,
gave a spirited explanation about why Kogawa House is an important
landmark for all Canadians, by telling the story of how she convinced
the city council of Mission to support Kogawa House, by explaining the
historical Japanese connections in the Fraser Valley.

Joy Kogawa was thrilled with both the audience and the evening's performances – photo Deb Martin

I was
privileged to introduce Joy Kogawa, and held up the program asking
everybody to look at the cover picture of Richmond school children with
a smiling white haired lady raising her arms in happiness. “That's Joy
Kogawa…” and I shared some of Joy's accomplishments.

Joy stood at the podium, and stated simply, “This is wonderful…. how
could you ask for anything more.” She thanked members of The Land
Conservancy and the Save Kogawa House committee for helping bring a
dream closer to reality. “I believe in miracles, and these people are
miracles,” she shared,

Joy then read from the prologue of
Obasan, then a section describing the house. She then read from a
section she had never read from before. It was about the process of
how the Canadian government had voted to keep the Japanese Canadians
interned up to 1947, and decided to continually exclude them from
resettling on the Pacific Coast. It was all decidely heart-breaking
and apalling to learn that this was the Canadian government's doing.

Bill Turner came back and explained how the audience could help support the vision of Kogawa House.

It was a wonderful evening. An evening where there were friendly
smiles on everybody's faces. Strangers greeted strangers. And books
were bought and signed. A six year old girl named Ashashi proudly
showed me the copy of Obasan that Joy had signed for her.

Then on the evening CTV news… we saw Bill Turner interviewed at our
event, as he made his plea for Canadians to support the Kogawa House
project.

Cheers, Todd

To donate for Save Kogawa House – check out www.conservancy.bc.ca

For more information – check www.kogawahouse.com

BBC News reports: A Scottish-Chinese Tartan – I am NOT making this up!

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BBC News reports: 
A Scottish-Chinese Tartan 
- I am NOT making this up!

Grant Hayter-Menzies saw this story on BBC News Online and thought I
should see it. 

The idea of a McWong tartan, or a Clan Gung Haggis Fat Choy tartan
is not too far off.  A few years ago, Ian MacLeod, President of 
Clan MacLeod Canada, volunteered to help me register a McWong tartan.
It would have to be yellow like the McLeod tartan because in Chinese,
"Wong" means yellow (just like the Wong River or Wong Mountain).

** Message **
Very interesting!  Elizabeth Wayland Barber's book on the Xinjiang 
gravegoods tartans deals with this topic in spectacular fashion.

** Chinese-Scottish tartan launched **
A new Chinese tartan aims to boost tourism and business to Scotland.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4876622.stm >


Chinese-Scottish tartan launched

The new tartan incorporates colours of the Saltire and Chinese flag.

A Chinese-Scottish tartan has been created to strengthen links between the two countries.

It was inspired by Chinese Consul General Madame Guo
Guifang, who said tartan was a key to the appeal Scotland holds for
Chinese tourists.

The creators hope the tartan will boost tourism and business opportunities between China and Scotland.

It was specially designed by the Strathmore Woollen Company and the Scottish Tartans Authority.

The company is also hoping to link up with a business partner in China to launch a clothing label using the design.

3,000-year link

The new tartan incorporates blue and white from the Saltire and the red and yellow featured in the Chinese flag.

The tartan will be officially unveiled in Angus on Tartan Day, on 6 April.

Angus provost Bill Middleton said: “The new
Chinese-Scottish tartan symbolises the co-operation and harmony that
exists between Chinese people and Scottish people everywhere.

“As this tartan belongs to the Chinese as a nation, we hope to see it worn around the world.”

China's link with tartan goes back almost 3,000 years
when an explorer in Xinjiang, Western China, discovered the burial
place of a group of ancient Caucasian travellers wearing perfectly
preserved tartans.

BBC Radio Scotland: Vancouver's Toddish McWong talks about Canada's Scottish-Chinese-Canadian Community: Gung Haggis Fat Choy!

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BBC Radio Scotland: Vancouver's Toddish McWong talks about Canada's Scottish-Chinese-Canadian Community: Gung Haggis Fat Choy!

A special warm welcome to Scots finding our website after listening to BBC Radio Scotland's arts and culture program The Radio Café.

“Everything you’ve always wanted to know about Canada’s
Scottish Chinese community,” is how the Radio host described what was
coming up on the Monday April 3rd program, as Radio Cafe this week is featuring aspects of the Scottish diaspora and its influences around the world, and will highlight Tartan Week in New York City where a huge parade will take over the street with men in kilts!

I, Todd Wong aka Toddish McWong, was featured today on BBC Radio Scotland this afternoon at approximately 2:53pm Greenich Time (5:53am Pacific). But you can listen to the BBC Radio website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/noscript.shtml?/radio/aod/scotland_aod.shtml?scotland/radiocafe_mon”
Click on Play to hear the introducations, then click on the Fast Forward buttons to reach 38:00

Clips from a pre-recorded interview of me run from approximately 38:30 to 41:45 of the full 45 minute Radio Cafe broadcast.

“This is what you get when you cross Robbie Burns Day with Chinese New Year”, opens the host, as my voice comes in.

“Gung Haggis Fat Choy is the intersection of Robbie Burns Day and Chinese New Year Day.

“The Scots came across the Atlantic and named the land Nova Scotia, the Chinese came across the Pacific and called it “Gum San” (Gold Mountain).

“With haggis – we mix in with haggis with Chinese food!
We invented Deep Fried Haggis Won Ton.

“This is what Canada is about.
Many white Canadians can wear Chinese outfits and say they are learning about Multiculturalism.

“My kilt is the maple leaf tartan, and it has all the colours of Canada in it. The Greens, yellows and reds of the Maple Leaf.”

“I recently read a book about “How the Scots invented the Modern World” and I think that the Chinese invented the Ancient World.”

Here are some links to help you navigate www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com

Origins of Gung Haggis Fat Choy story – It all started back in 1993, when I was a wee student studying at Simon Fraser University on the highlands of Burnaby Mountain.

Todd's poem “Gung Haggis Fat Choy” –

“The Chinese called this land Gum San (Gold Mountain),
And the Scots gave it the name of Nova Scotia
Westerners became Easterners
The Far East becomes the Far West.”

Dinner menu for 2005 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner – 10 courses of food, mostly traditional Chinese , but served up with haggis won ton, and haggis lettuce wrap + spicy jelly fish, noodles, rice vermicelli, curried beef and potatoes, and crab.

article and photos from Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner
– pictures of real-life intercultural music, relationships and food. Pictured above is our 2005 poster, my friends Lorrie and Tony Breen, myself with my girlfriend Deb Martin.

Recipes for Gung Haggis Won Ton, and Gung Haggis Spring Rolls and haggis-stuffed tofu – Honestly! So many people have said, “I didn't know haggis could taste so good!”

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team mixing Chinese dragon boats with wearing tartans!

Hapa Izakaya restaurant: A upscale Canadian fusion version of Japanese bistro dining

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Hapa Izakaya restaurant: A upscale Canadian fusion version of Japanese bistro dining

Hapa Izakaya, 1479 Robson Street at Nicola, 604 689-4272

There is a new kind of dining experience happening in
Vancouver…. upscale Japanese bistro dining. While
Japanese bistros have been around for awhile, making homestyle Japanese
cooking available for the rising numbers of Japanese English
language students – the upscale trend started a number of years ago
with restaurants such as Raku, which was later renamed Guu.

I was first introduced to sushi on Vancouver's Robson Street in the
early 1980's – many years before it was trendy. Today, you can
walk down Robson Street and see many of the young Japanese students
hanging out with their friends while studying in Vancouver, one of the
most popular global cities for learning English.

Vancouver's multicultural environment, and large Asian population,
makes it a natural desired destination for Asian students from around
the world. And now many former students are returning to
Vancouver to live and work. Many are involved in computers,
programming and are part of a new rising affluent demographic.

Vancouver also boasts a happening film industry. Famous actors
are often seen in many of the restaurants along Robson Street like Cin
Cin. Now… they can also be seen at Hapa Izakaya too!

Hapa Izakaya at 1479 Robson Street,
is a beautiful smooth lounge-type restaurant in minimalist black.
You step in, and you know that movement flows like water. Music
dances trance-like through the speakers. The chefs stand behind
the counters and shout out greetings, like many other Japanese
restaurants – but something's different here. It's the food.

The food mixes traditional Japanese homestyle dishes with inventive
cultural fusion – just like it's owner Justin Ault. Ault is “hapa“-
the Hawaiian word for “half” which has also come to mean half
white/half Asian. Read about Jason Ault in a 2003 Vancouver
Magazine article Diner: Beyond Sushi.

Last Wednesday night, we went to Hapa Izakaya with the Save Kogawa House
committee, as one of our members is Ellen Crowe-Swords whose nephew is
Justin Ault, the owner of Hapa Izakaya. Justin grew up on
Vancouver Island, the descendant of Japanese Canadians who had been
interened at Slocan, during World War 2. Justin was born in Port
Alberni, and spent some time in Tokyo where he met his wife, who is
also hapa.

Ellen ordered food for our table, and explained about the dishes.
All were very delicious. But I can't remember everything we
ate… The first thing I tasted was the very delicious Japanese
pumpkin puree with a whipped cream, spread on melba toast. Next,
I ate the spinach salad – very fresh and tasty, served with something
on the side – wish I could remember.

Tuna belly chopped with spring onions, mixed with slices of red and
yellow peppers, and spread over garlic toast. ummmm…. I love
good tuna! There was a tempura prawn dish…. bacon wrapped
asparagus.

I love rice… There was a crispy rice hot pot with pork, tomato sauce
and kimchi, served in a Korean hot stone bowl. Be careful not to
touch the bowl. It reminded me of my own mother's “Spanish Rice”
dish that her father used to make for her. I offered my
girlfriend some of the crispy rice, from the sides of the bowl.

This was a great dining experience – perfect for hanging with friends. The Kogawa House committee is now planning a fundraiser event at the restaurant to help raise funds to save Kogawa House. Look for a our event before the end of April.

My friend Roland Tanglao wrote a 2003 mini-review of his visit to Hapa Izakaya for his website Van Eats, and even posted pictures of the food. Roland wrote

“Hapa Izakaya is beautiful. Black and sleek with tables where you sit
Japanese style with your shoes off, bar seating for those who are
fascinated by the chaos of activity in a restaurant kitchen and regular
tables.

“The food at Hapa is polished, down home Japanese cooking plus
more grownup touches like martinis and cool cocktails like Cassis with
Grapefruit (my personal favourite $4.50). And sake served in tall
bamboo tumblers is also a popular choice.

“Go with a group that doesn't mind sharing and go crazy. In the
unlikely event you pick something that you ALL don't like, it won't
matter since most everything is under $10. We paid about $60 after tax
but before tip for a filling dinner for three people consisting of
three drinks and five or six sharing plates on each of our two visits.
I bet you'll like almost everything you try! Highly Recommended!”

Another friend Tim Pawsey wrote his review for the Vancouver Courier 'Hapa'-ning Tokyo-style tapas

“Can a menu be euphemistic? Sure.
Tucked into the bar at this newly opened Robson dining lounge, the
Hired Belly pondered the possibilities of Saba “lightly seared at your
table.” Saba-or rather “aburi shime saba,” as it is here-is lightly
pickled mackerel. It has a bright silver skin and looks very tempting
to a fish lover-assuming you know what to do with it…

“Billed as “Tokyo-style tapas,” Hapa takes Robson's blossoming crop of good casual Asian eateries to the next level….

“Even in a town known for its reasonable
eating, it's pretty hard to find such quality and inventiveness for
this kind of cost. My four small plates came to just over $20 before
GST (no drinks). And if this is the new look of “lower” Robson, there's
increasingly plenty to like, as the street shows signs of regaining its
once celebrated multiplicity.”

Check out these other reviews from web

www.arthurhungry.com

www.frommers.com

www.dinehere.ca

Join a dragon boat team that specializes in multicultural and community activities: Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team

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Join a dragon boat team that specializes in multicultural and community activities:
Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team

Hope you can join us for a wonderful
season of dragon boat paddling. 2005 was an incredible year for the
Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team, and the 2006 season is twice as much fun!

In 2005, we were featured on CBC
NewsWorld, we won the David Lam Multicultural Award at Alcan Dragon Boat Festival, we
raced in the medal finals at ADBF and at Harrison Lake, then we finally won our medals at Vancouver Taiwanese d-boat
races.

Check
out our 2006 activities so far with reports on:

– Cherry Blossom public paddling event,
– Community public paddling on Sundays at Dragon Zone ,
– dragon boat float in the St. Patrick's Day parade
– Lotus Sports Club's “Bill Alley Memorial Dragon Boat regatta”
– False Creek Women's Regatta
– Alcan Dragon Boat Festival report
– Kent Washington “Cornucopia Days” dragon boat race
– Vernon Dragon Boat Race

www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/GungHaggisdragonboatteaminformation

1) March 26th – taking beginners out for public paddling at Dragon Zone.
2) “Gung Haggis” lion headed drummer at St. Patrick's Day parade.
3) The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat float crosses Davie St. in St. Patrick's Day parade.
4) Da Ming and Aefa take turns drumming during St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team practices

Sundays 1pm – 3pm (Recreation team)
Tuesdays at 6:00 sharp to 7:15 pm (Recreation team)
Wednesday at 7:00pm (Beginner's + technique practice)

All practices are from Dragon Zone, at Creekside Park
Southeast corner of False Creek
look for Green trailer building
South of Science World – just above aqua bus ferries.

Parking – park on the street. Try Quebec or 2nd Ave.
pay parking available at Science World – no parking on city lot anymore.

Price for Spring paddling is $160 each, and will cover boat rental, coaching, and registration in Alcan Dragon Boat Festival races June 17 & 18. Other races cost additional.

Price for Summer paddling is $100 each, and
will cover boat rental, coaching, plus registration for one summer
race. Additional summer races are aproximately $30 each.

Other possible races are:
May 20     Lotus Sports Club “Bill Alley Memorial Dragon Boat Regatta” (Burnaby)
July 15th    Kent-Seattle
Dragon Boat Races (Lake Meridien, Kent WA),
July 22/23 GreaterVernon Dragon Boat Festival (Kalamalka Lake, Vernon BC)
July 22       Fraser Valley Dragon Boat Festival (Harrison Lake, BC)
Sept 2/3    Vancouver
International Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race (Vancouver)

other races may be considered, depending on interest

1) Paddling at Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
2) Winning medals at the Vancouver International Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race
3) Group shoulder massage at Sea Vancouver regatta
4) Naoko is our flag grabber on top a Taiwanese dragon boat

Will we have 1 or 2 teams?
One
team is now confirmed for the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival – but if
enough new people come on board, we can expand to two teams –
Recreation and Beginner.

We
have a lot of people returning. There are some former paddlers
who have also expressed interest in re-joining, and we have lots of
interest from wanna-be paddlers.

Please
invite friends to come out to try dragon boating over the next two
weeks. We may run our practices in coordination with the Dragon Zone
public paddling, as we have done so far in April.

contact me by e-mail: gunghaggis at yahoo dot ca
or
cell
phone: 778-846-7090

Cheers, Todd

Pictures from 2005
1) Drummer Todd with Flag Grabber Ed on The Eh? Team at Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race
2) Todd with Dave Samis, at Sea Vancouver Festival for dragon head carving tent
3) Todd with then Vancouver City Councillor Ellen Woodsworth and friend

Joy Kogawa and Naomi's Road opera go to Lethbridge Alberta: report from Ann-Marie Metten

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Joy Kogawa and Naomi's Road opera go to Lethbridge Alberta:
Report from Ann-Marie Metten

Ann-Marie
Metten is the Vancouver coordinator for the Save Kogawa House
committee. She and Joy Kogawa have travelled to Lethbridge
Alberta to attend the Alberta premiere of the Naomi's Road opera, by
the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble.

Ann-Marie is a wonderful person with many literary connections and dedicated to
the cause. She first contacted me in early 2005, after I posted a
message suggesting Obasan could be nominated for Vancouver Public
Library's One Book One Vancouver program. She then contacted me in
September, when the City of Vancouver recieved an inquiry about a
demolition permit for Kogawa House.

The following message is from Ann-Marie:

Just want to report several small
donations received at the reception following the performance of Naomi’s
Road in Lethbridge yesterday.

The Vancouver Opera troupe ended their
evening show to a standing ovation, with many Japanese Canadians in the
audience – those interned and their families. Joy spoke strongly about
the need for forgiveness within the community and within Canada as a nation, and I got
to say a few words at the reception about Kogawa House and invited questions
and discussion. Lisa Doolittle of the University of Lethbridge Theatre
Department was generous in her publicity of the campaign to rescue Kogawa
House, including a summary of the project in the programme for the evening,
posting notices of the project around the reception area, speaking about it in
her introduction, and displaying pledge forms at the buffet and book sales
tables. Lisa also arranged press coverage with the Lethbridge Herald, which ran our story on the cover of today’s
edition, along with a photograph of the troupe and a photo of Joy inside on
page 2. Global TV was expected to run the story not only at noon today but also on their
evening news report.

Many friends and relatives came to support
Joy, with 25 Japanese Canadian seniors traveling from Calgary to attend the noon performance and many,
many others attending the evening performance. Joy and I also drove out to the
communities of Coaldale, the model of Granton in Obasan — and Vauxhall, where I spent some childhood years –
and connected with people there. We visited the Galt Museum, which houses the Kogawa
Collection of furnishings and pieces from the Marpole house. What topped
everything, though, was our walk through the coulee and the thrill of the prairie
after snowmelt, just before spring.

It was a trip well worth the effort.
Photos to come this evening . . .

Ann-Marie Metten

Save Kogawa House Committee

604-263-6586

www.conservancy.bc.ca

www.kogawahouse.com

Vancouver International Dance Festival highlights Denise Fujwara, Battery Opera and Kokoro Dance Theatre

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Vancouver International Dance Festival highlights Denise Fujwara, Battery Opera and Kokoro Dance Theatre

Contemporary dance in Canada has long integrated cultural themes and identities. I have been fortunate to meet Asian-Canadian choreographers Andrea Nann and Denise Fujiwara, as well as watch performances by Battery Opera and Kokoro Dance Theatre over the years.

Jay Hirabayashi and Barabara Bourget lead Kokoro Dance, and also organize the the Vancouver International Dance Festival.

Earlier last week Toronto dancer/choreographer Denise Fujiwara, and Battery Opera, both performed at The Roundhouse in Vancouver. Kokoro Dance performs March 21 to Saturday March 25 at The Roundhouse, and Sunday March 26th at the Scotia Bank Dance Centre.

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival kick-off on Thursday!

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Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival kick-off on Thursday!

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom
Festival invite you to celebrate the Official Festival Launch and Cherry
Blossom Viewing at Burrard SkyTrain Station
12 noon
Thursday,
March 16th 2006

Launch MC'd by CBC Radio's On The Coast host Katie
Bennison. Special guests, live Taiko drum performance, Canada's Cherry Blossom
Fanfare! music premiere, Haiku Invitational performance, free drinks &
Blossom Viewing Picnic samples, Cherry Tree Dedication and more.

Come try out the Cherry Blossom dragon boat friendship regatta on
Sunday March 26th at Creekside Park, beside Science World – 2pm to 4pm.

Invite your friends to these rain or shine events.

For the official
invitation click: http://www.vcbf.ca/site_assets/www.vcbf.ca/images/dynamic/FestivalLaunchInvitation.pdf

Vancouver Opera's “Naomi's Road” goes to the heart of Vancouver's old Japantown – a fundraiser for Powell Street Festival

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Vancouver Opera's “Naomi's Road” goes to the heart of Vancouver's old Japantown

– a fundraiser for Powell Street Festival

The Japanese Canadian community used to thrive along Powell St. in
Vancouver. I remember walking down there in the late 1960's and
visiting the different stores, on the search for more origami paper,
after being taught to fold origami paper figures by my father.
Today it is a shadow of its former self. But it's memory is kept
alive by both the annual Powell Street Festival
and the Japanese Hall / Japanese Language School on Alexander St.

Naomi's Road opera, put on by the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble, came to old Japantown on Saturday night. It was presented in the hall at the Vancouver Japanese Language School,
newly built and connected to the Japanese Hall, built in 1918, which
stands alone as the only property among any Japanese Canadian
private citizen, business or organization to retain ownership after the
war.

About 100 people filled the new hall, in anticipation of watching the
touring production which has been playing to schools throughout
BC. This was about the 95th presentation of the production so
far, and the cast does a remarkable job of keeping each presentation
fresh.

It was also the 4th time I had seen Naomi's Road, writing a review of the premiere weekend, and also the excerpts presented at the Laurier Institution / Roy Miki lecture at the Chan Centre, and the Vancouver Arts Awards. Everytime I have seen it, it is enjoyable. I even find myself humming the songs afterwards now.

Naomi's Road, is the children's version of Joy Kogawa's
award winning novel, Obasan. It tells the story of a family being
torn apart by the events of WW2. The mother goes off to Japan to
look after her sick grandmother. The father's sister comes to
help look after the children. WW2 breaks out, and anybody of
Japanese ancestry is “evacuated” from the BC coastal region, and sent
to “internment camps.” The father is unexplainedly sent to a
different camp (as able-bodied working males were sent to work
camps). The two children Naomi and Steven, aged 10 and 14, learn
to deal with racism, and being separated from their parents, as well as
the negative impacts of war.

All the performers, Jessica Cheung (Naomi), Gina Oh (mother, Obasan,
Mitzie), Sam Chung (Stephen), and Gene Wu (father, train
conductor,bully, Roughlock Bill), perform well. Cheung really
conveys the innocence and wonder of a 10 year old, while Chung plays
her foil expressing the anger and resentment of being forced into the
internment camp.

Oh and Wu perform well in their multiple roles, convincingly altering
ther performances with each character. In Oh's case from a loving
mother, to a reserved aunt, and a youthful child named Mitzie. Wu
does the same, first as a concerned an playful father figure, a racist
bully, and also as Rough Lock Bill, a First Nations character that
befriends the two children.

The action moves quickly, with multiple scene changes which the actors
create by moving screens around as part of their stage action. It
is a wonderful way to experience a small performing arts production,
watching all this stage action unfold, as the set evokes Powell St, a
living room, a train, an internment camp, and a lakeside beach.

For this performance, it was a treat for the performers to be on a
raised stage, rather than floor level at the West Vancouver, or
Vancouver Public libraries. But unfortunately if the performers
stood too close to the front the stage, they became back lit and their
faces were difficult to be seen. The piano was also woefully out
of tune, but giving the performance and “old-time feel” to fit with
it's 1942 setting.

A question and answer was held folowing the performance, and a special
treat was that author Joy Kogawa came up on stage with the
performers. Joy exclaimed that she is moved to tears, everytime
she sees the opera. She said that it is a wonderful opportunity
for sharing the story of Japanese Canadians and for creating healing.

Questions covered many topics, but in this setting at the Japanese
Language School in Japantown, it was interesting to hear that many
former internment camp survivors thanked the performers for sharing the
story, and that they related very strongly to the performance.

At the end, I stood beside the pamphets for the Land Conservancy campaign to help save Kogawa House, and answered questions about the Save Kogawa House campaign.

also see:
my review of Naomi's Road premiere weekend,
my interview with Naomi's Road performers

Gung HAGGIS Fat Choy

Toddish McWong's Misadventures in Multiculturalism: through arts, culture, food, dragon boats, travel + more…

Category Archives: Asian Canadian Cultural Events

Joy of Canadian Words: April 25th fundraiser for Kogawa House – Actors read Canadian Literary works to Astound!

BBC News reports: A Scottish-Chinese Tartan – I am NOT making this up!

BBC Radio Scotland: Vancouver's Toddish McWong talks about Canada's Scottish-Chinese-Canadian Community: Gung Haggis Fat Choy!

Hapa Izakaya restaurant: A upscale Canadian fusion version of Japanese bistro dining

Join a dragon boat team that specializes in multicultural and community activities: Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team

Joy Kogawa and Naomi's Road opera go to Lethbridge Alberta: report from Ann-Marie Metten

Vancouver International Dance Festival highlights Denise Fujwara, Battery Opera and Kokoro Dance Theatre

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival kick-off on Thursday!