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The Canadian Museum of Human Rights, by David Exum\u00e9<\/p><\/div>\n
My classmate, Irma and I, first visited Two Rivers, where employee Terry Clark highlighted the local native sculptures for sale. At its sister store, The Forks Trading Company, 90% of the items are on consignment from small local companies like Bear Naked Wonders. Employee Dorothy MacClure explained it is a miracle product made from Black Bear Oil. The product sign described using fat from black bears as a \u201cway of life locally for many years.\u201d<\/p>\n
We learned more at Teekca\u2019s Aboriginal Boutique, which collects Native Indian items from all across North America. Bo, the shopkeeper, enjoys it when visitors who are not familiar with Indian Cultures \u201cget their first education in the store.\u201d She says that 60% of the items are handmade. The rest are manufactured because \u201cpeople want to see native designs on a mug.\u201d She points to a pair of moccasins with rubber soles. The moccasins sell because rubber soles keep feet warm on cement sidewalks. She mentioned how important it is to adapt to the present, but not lose the substance of the past.<\/p>\n
After visiting The Forks, I felt that Winnipeg was like the moccasins – changing with the times, but not losing its\u00a0historical culture.<\/p>\n
We quickly crossed many streets (there were no cars to stop us) to visit Nadim Ado\u2019s studio. Nadim is a Syrian photographer who relocated to Winnipeg with his wife. He is also a Yazidi, a religious minority that has been targeted by Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq.<\/p>\n
Nadim\u2019s eyes and cameras have captured stories of the Yazidis. He told us about the pain the Yazidis have faced, and how he feels in Canada. \u201cEverything I did, I did on my own. I did four exhibitions on my own,\u201d Nadim says. His wife shows the same self-initiative. She has written a poetry book in Arabic, which translates, to, \u201cGoodbye Life as an Old Profession.\u201d But while pursuing their dreams, they worry for family back home. \u201cThis is another kind of death every day,\u201d Nadim says. He says that Facebook and his pictures don\u2019t let him forget. His photographs are on public display at the Prairie View School of Photography.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s through art that people like Nadim make their impact on Winnipeg. That\u2019s when I began to think. Winnipeg may not be a physical transit hub, but it could be a cultural one. I saw this when we talked to the Sawa theater group, which casts young newcomer refugees who pick up and showcase their acting skills in half-English, half-Arabic shows. I saw this when we ate dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant with Tam Nguyen, who recently published his book \u201cA Lucky Man\u201d. He came to the restaurant, hugged his friends, and told us how he tailored pants for Patrick Swayze in 24 hours. He\u2019s been in Winnipeg for 38 years as a refugee from Vietnam.<\/p>\n
I saw Winnipeg as a cultural transit hub when I met Omar. He left Somalia at age 6, studied in Egypt, and became a citizen of Canada. He came to the US and earned a degree in electronics while working at Dell. After being detained for months in Arizona, he walked back to Canada. Tomorrow he will start a job at a warehouse. He says that Winnipeg is a stop for him because he has nothing. Because American ICE agents took everything.<\/p>\n
I learned that Winnipeg is a transit city. I saw the effects of people coming and leaving through culture, food, and history. I also realized something. I didn\u2019t see any cars today because it is Sunday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWe\u2019ll give you a discount – five tickets for $10,\u201d Joel Margolese, of WinNTrack, joked. WinNTrack, a club for model train enthusiasts, was raffling a train model at The Forks, Winnipeg – one ticket for two dollars. The location couldn\u2019t have been better. WinNTrack\u2019s Larry Maltman explained that The Forks used to be a train<\/p>\n