14 Sep
Are you wondering what you can do to help the approximately 300,000 Rohingyas who have had to flee for their lives from their homes in Myanmar?
On another note, what can be more official about the world in Toronto than to have a national flag fluttering at Toronto City Hall? In September, countries with flags flying there are Brazil, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Malta, and China. The Wiphala flag of Indigenous Peoples in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and parts of Argentina, Chile and Colombia is flying on September 24.
For official flag raisings this and other months, see: https://web.toronto.ca/city-government/awards-tributes/tributes/flag-raising-half-masting/2017-flag-raising-listing/.
The following are more opportunities to meet with people from other countries now resident of Toronto. There you might learn that you have more in common with them than you suspected. This blog is aiming as usual for unity in the diversity of our many cultures.
Most of the following events are free.
Britain. India. Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie discusses his new novel The Golden House. September 21. 7pm. Free but already sold out, alas. Toronto Reference Library. Torontopubliclibrary.ca.
To avoid future disappointments, subscribe to the mailing list for library events at: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/email-newsletter. Upcoming library readings include: Jan Wong, Claire Messud, and Dalton Higgins.
Ethiopia. Meskel Celebration of the Founding of the True Cross. Sunday, September 24. 5am with hymnal songs and prayer by priests and the Mass service at 8am. After the brief sermon inside the Church, the outside celebration and the lighting of the bonfire will start at 12:30 pm. The gathering will be slowly diminished by 2:30pm. Free. St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral, 80 & 84 Tycos Drive near Dufferin and Lawrence. For more information, telephone 416-781-4802.
For our previous blog about this sacred, meaningful and colourful event, see: https://www.torontomulticulturalcalendar.com/2014/10/09/518-finland-in-ethiopia-ethiopia-in-toronto-2014-with-video.
Copyright ©2014 Ruth Lor Malloy
First Nations. Great Lakes Water Walk. September 24. 7am-4pm. Free. “This is… an open invitation to all people to join an Indigenous-led Water Walk to honor Nibi (Water). Following Anishinaabe ceremonial protocols, Grandmothers and Elders will make water offerings, sing water songs and make petitions for our water to be clean and pure … along the Toronto waterfront with a concluding ceremony at Marilyn Bell Park.“ http://greatlakeswaterwalk.ca/event-details
This walk will have two starting points: Scarboro Missions (Kingston Road and Brimley Road) in Scarborough, and JC Saddington Park, 53 Lake Street, in Mississauga, with multiple stops along the way.
First Nations. Lecture on The Enduring Power of Anishinaabe Art. September 28. 11am. Free with ROM admission. RSVP required. Bonnie Devine, Indigenous Visual Culture, OCADU. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park.
http://www.rom.on.ca/en/whats-on/rom-daytime-the-enduring-power-of-anishinaabe-art.
Shaman by Norval Morrisseau. Image in the ROM’s exhibition.
Francophone. Francophonie-en-Fête. September 21-30. Several free concerts: “This year, we collaborate with Conseil scolaire MonAvenir and Viamonde to celebrate Franco-Ontarian Day on September 25. A free noon-day concert at Mel Lastman Square in North York features Gabrielle Goulet, winner of the prestigious Trille D’Or in 2015.
“Free Concerts on the OLG Stage at the Distillery all weekend long. A phenomenal 16 musical acts will be performing on the OLG Stage in the Distillery District on September 23th and September 24th! The diverse range of sounds will offer something for everyone, with performances from Stephanie Martin, Eric St-Laurent, Gabrielle Goulet, Seydina Ndiaye, Amara Kanté, Matt Tomlinson, La Jarry, Kyris and many more.” Randolph Theatre, The Distillery, Mel Lastman Square: http://francophonie-en-fete.com/en/best-francophone-music-festival/
Image of Gabrielle Goulet from her website: http://gabriellegoulet.com
Japan. Mishima: a Life in Four Chapters. (1985). Film with English subtitles. Tuesday, September 19. 6:30pm; Monday, September 25. 6:30pm. Free. Reserve a place soon to see this classic film because it is very popular. Directed by Paul Schrader, it is an artistic rendering of the life of one of Japan’s most significant authors and playwrights who died in 1970 by public seppuku (ritual suicide).
Japan Foundation, Toronto, 3rd floor, Hudson’s Bay Centre, above Royal Bank, 2 Bloor Street East. Reservation required: 416-966-1600 x229. http://jftor.org/event/mishima-a-life-in-four-chapters/2017-09-19/.
Jewish. Rosh Hashana. Jewish New Year, the holiest day of the Jewish year. Wednesday, September 20 to Friday, September 22. It is sometimes called the Day of Remembrance or the Day of Blowing the Shofar. According to chabad.org, “For nearly twenty-six hour… ‘we afflict our souls’: we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from marital relations.” It is a time to ask God to forgive sins.
“Shanah Tovah” is the Hebrew greeting.
Painting in Joods Historisch Museum, Amsterdam.
Multicultural. Invictus Games. September 22 – 30. More than 550 ill, injured and wounded servicemen and women from 17 allied nations compete in 12 adaptive sports. England’s Prince Harry. Opening and Closing Ceremonies are above our blog’s price range but some competitions are free for spectators, or $20-$25. Different venues. http://www.invictusgames2017.com/tickets/#ceremonies
Multicultural. My City My Six Exhibition. September 25-28. Signature celebration on September 27, 5-7 pm. Free. Toronto City Hall. “… public art project in celebration of Canada 150 that reveals Toronto and its residents, six words at a time. Toronto Poet Laureate Anne Michaels and a diverse jury selected 150 stories from more than 4,000 submissions from the public… stories will also be featured at exhibits run by the City’s six local arts services organizations.” Other dates and venues at Arts Etobicoke, East End Arts, Lakeshore Arts, North York Arts, Scarborough Arts and UrbanArts. For more information: https://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=b9de1ee157589510VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD
Image from My City My Six workshop
Multicultural. Unity Rally to End White Supremacy. Originally set for September, now postponed to October 15. 12-3pm. Free. Please show your support for a multicultural Toronto. Queen’s Park. Logo from and more information from: https://www.facebook.com/events/1939091156346752
Multicultural. The Word on the Street. September 24. Free. Harbourfront Centre. Reading from their works are Canadian writers influenced by many different countries including Bangladesh, Tunisia, England, Ethiopia, U.S. and France. http://thewordonthestreet.ca/toronto
Image of Author David-Suzuki by Shannon Mendes.
Philippines. Filipino-Chinese. FPCO Mooncake Festival. Sunday, September 23, 4-8pm. $10-$20 includes dinner. Limited space available. Please RSVP for your family early! Contact any of FPCO Executive Officers/Events Team or Board of Directors. Or e-mail: fpco.members.info@gmail.com. 7600 Kennedy Road, Markham. http://fpco.ca
Rohingya, Burma, Myanmar. Actions for Canadians to End Rohingya Genocide. Rally. Save Burma: Protest Against Oppression in Myanmar. Saturday, September 16. 2:30-5pm. Matt Cohen Park, 725 Spadina Avenue. SPECIAL GUESTS: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland & Councilor Kristyn Wong-Tam. [Bring signs with words of solidarity]
Donate to organizations like the Burma Task Force helping Rohingya refugees: https://www.gofundme.com/end-the-persecution-of-the-rohinga and the United Nations: https://donate.unhcr.org/gu-en/rohingya
Volunteer Your Time & Talent with Burma Task Force.”Burma Task Force is the only organization with a dedicated staff working exclusively to save Rohingya lives and stopping a massacre from ever happening again.” https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhJ6z2kxyT8d0MjF_rP9FIrFczVXUtRkoQJWfybU2RaiUomg/viewform.
Thanks to the Burma Task Force for sending us this and other information. https://www.facebook.com/BurmaTaskForceCanada/
Donations can also go to the United Nations: https://donate.unhcr.org/gu-en/rohingya.
Image from: https://donate.unhcr.org/gu-en/rohingya
South Asia. Must be Kismet Bridal 2017. September 24. 12pm–6pm. $10-$40. Another beautiful South Asian bridal show. Universal Event Space, 6250 Highway 7, Vaughan. Tel. 905-326-8100. universal@bypnp.com; https://www.mustbekismet.com/mbk-september-2017/
Note: TorontoMulticulturalCalendar.com chooses to promote events that encourages a peaceful world in our diverse city. Mention doesn’t mean endorsement but we try to include events we think readers will find interesting and stimulating in the cultures of other groups. We hope you will discover something to do near your neighbourhood so you can avoid Toronto’s traffic jams.
Please continue to send us posters and pictures about other upcoming affordable events that give the rest of us a chance to experience Toronto’s exemplary cultural diversity. We don’t charge to post them and we don’t accept paid advertising. We will try to post as many as we can.
Tell us about your adventures in multicultural Toronto. Subscribe to our mailing list for newsletters above. Follow us on www.twitter.com/torontomulticul. — Ruth.
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