A relational art event to better know the refugees
of yesterday and today
who make up Montreal's social fabric
Video by Jérémie Battaglia
In the heart of the city, the staging immerses us in a universe that blends the reminiscence of the journey of flight, the memory of the home left behind, and the hospitality of the new one that offers the possibility of rebuilding a life. A row of tents resembling those very Montreal winter car shelters too is, for some, a throwback to refugee camps. Under each shelter awaits a world to be discovered: unique, congenial, and informative.
Some recent arrivals have successfully integrated, some people have just newly arrived, while others have yet to arrive... There are those here who reach out to welcome the new arrivals, with all the humanity and apprehension that entails. The project proposes a historical perspective; an assessment of the present and the issues related to integration within the host society; and a reflection on what to expect in light of the current international situation.
A Québec-style kitchen party, Le Temps d’une Soupe one-on-one conversations, seminars, testimonials, exhibitions, and lively performances will enrich this essentially human experience, allowing us to understand, to forge ties, and to get involved in the lives of people who were forced to leave their home in great haste, who have experienced unimaginable distress and uncertainty, and who now have hope of rebuilding their lives here..
Refugees of yesterday and today, we are calling on you! Hungarians from ’56, the Boat People of ’79, members of the Jewish, Haitian, Armenian, Colombian, Chilean, Congolese, Bhutanese, Iranian, and now Syrian, communities... and all others who at one point arrived and have since become our fellow citizens, and who are part of Montreal society as we celebrate its 375th anniversary. This project seeks to bring us together: to help us get to know one another and to find our place within the wide spectrum of challenges we need to meet together.
“We wish to learn and understand, to establish ties and to instigate an encounter with these people who have had to precipitously abandon their homes, suffer through unimaginable distress and precarity, and rebuild their lives here. Some recent arrivals have successfully integrated, some people have just newly arrived, while others have yet to arrive... There are those here who reach out to welcome the new arrivals, with all the humanity and apprehension that entails. Cuisine ta ville proposes a historical perspective; an assessment of the present and the issues related to integration within the host society; and a reflection on what to expect in light of the current international situation. Moyad, Véronique, Amram, Sasha,Papy, Gracia, Philippe, Marya, Thibe.... Come meet them!” --- Annie Roy and Pierre Allard
GET INVOLVED IN OUR “KITCHEN PARTIES” AND IN THE PROGRAMMING TOO!
Do you enjoy cooking and chatting up a storm? DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENT
We are organizing some “kitchen parties” in the tents! We will talk and we will discuss what it's like to be a new arrival in Montreal, while preparing a soup that will be savoured a bit later on during the event. We will need interpreters, facilitators and/or mediators; some cooks; and some teams of sponsors and sponsored persons or matches to host these “kitchen parties.” So... Feel like it? Get in touch with us!
Public speakers and talented people wanted! DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENT
We want to develop programming consisting of seminars, testimonials, discussions, workshops, exhibitions, acoustic music performances, films, radio shows, theatre or small-scale dance performances—by and about people who have fled from oppression. Are you such a person, or do you know such a person? Let us know!
A sudden urge to get involved? A programming idea for the event?
Contact Frédérique Piat Corson at coordination@atsa.qc.ca or at 514-844-9830.
ATSA followers, supporters and believers:
We have numerous time slots in need of your volunteer spirit! Mark May 12, 13 and 14 on your calendars—registration begins April 4!
This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada and is being brewed up
in collaboration with the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes
(TCRI — council of organizations serving refugees and immigrants)
and Amnesty International Canada's Francophone Branch,
with help from a multitude of such organizations.
