The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is finally a reality. It was a dream of a passionate philanthropist, a man of vision, a man who had given back to the community by building a museum which would become a strong foundation in educating the world about the struggle for human rights around the world.
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights will be opening its doors to the public on Saturday, September 20, 2014. It will be a time to enter and explore the labyrinths of the minds of the man, who in April 17, 2003, announced the ambitious, yet doable project which would be the only museum outside of the capital region. Israel “Issy” Asper, a consummate jazz lover, a media mogul who started from a simple beginning in Minnedosa, a dedicated and hard-working father of three successful children. Israel Asper passed away in October 7, 2003, leaving the continuity of the project to in the hands of his daughter, Gail Asper.
A decade after his death, Issy Asper’s grand ambition is standing tall as a new historic landmark; towering into the Winnipeg skyline with iconic significance; engaging intellectual discussions on the contents, on the funding, on the management, most of all, on the relevance and importance of the museum.
Museum contents had become well-known contentious issues but along the lines of prominence and importance, there will be 11 galleries showcasing various world events when human rights had been in the lowest stratum in reality and in our pervasive consciousness. These events include the Holocaust, Holodomor, the plight of Canada’s First nations, and other historic events which defined a clear violation of the basic human rights. As Angela Cassie, museum’s director of communications, explains: “The purpose of the museum is not to be a memorial for the suffering of different groups, but to be a learning experience for visitors for all ages. It will be a “museum of ideas” not just a museum of past events.”
Fortunately, there will be a Philippine content in the museum, as part of the upcoming exhibition space will feature Dr. Jose Rizal, a Filipino national hero. The project has been silently worked out for many years by the Rosalinda Natividad-Cantiveros Foundation; and the museum’s initiative to feature “Comfort Women” which was finalized when Lola Fadencia David, an 80-year old survivor, was invited by the officials of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to visit Winnipeg last October 2014 and to tell her personal story about the suffering of the comfort women during the 2nd World War in Asia.”Ysabel: Comfort Woman”, a play written by yours truly and directed by Joy Laud Lazo and with a cast of local actors (Tony and Letty Antonio, Gloria Magpali, Duchess Cayetano, and Mark Arquero) will be restaged at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in the future. ABANGAN!
Photos by Ron Cantiveros | Filipino Journal
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