Redefining a Nation

Co-Presentation with York University

Sunday, July 30, 2017, 1 pm @ The Garafraxa Café
Curated by Caroline Klimek

This programme is a moment of reflection post Canada150 celebrations on what it means to be a nation. Now
that the fireworks have come to a close and half a billion dollars has been spent, I question who are we celebrating and what kind of nation are we building. Broadcaster, Advocate and Pop Culture Philosopher Jesse Wente reframes Canada150 away from 150 years of nation building to a focus on families and communities by translating150 years into a generational count. 150 years is seven generations. Seven generations of indigenous people that have lost their language, culture, identity and sovereignty because of the nation we call Canada.

How do we define a nation? What does it mean to be a citizen of that nation? What happens (to the nation and
its citizens) when a nation is not recognized? Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Diaz stated, “What makes a nation is the counter-nation. The nation is its silences, its exclusions and who are left out of the formula.” This programme puts the spotlight on those who are forgotten, excluded and overlooked in the name of the nation.

The focus of this programme is to present the best films from students at York University’s Cinema and Media Arts program. Our film program is made up of some brilliant individuals from around the world. I want to highlight their incredible work but also their perspective/voice on nationhood/citizenship and how that complicates an already problematic history of Canada. With films from various undergraduate and graduate classes from the past year this compilation of films emphasizes the responsibility of nations to consider different perspectives and provides a moment of self-reflection on our own position of citizenship and nation within this land that belongs to the Saugeen Obijway Nation traditional territory.