magazine / jf05
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January/February 2005 issue |
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Reverberations
Moved to tears
I cried and held my head while reading "World views" (CG Nov/Dec
2004), then laughed at the photo of the cheese-rolling competition.
I am a 27-year-old community health nurse working with a First Nations band in British
Columbia. The article "Canada: global citizen" rang true for me. I recently visited
my grandmother’s birthplace in Mijdrecht, Netherlands; my brother, who has become
fluent in German in 11½ years and married a German; and Portugal, where I danced
best with fellow Canadians.
As I ponder career moves and lifestyle choices and play with my own style of photography,
your magazine’s authors and photographers moved me with their work.
Amy deVos,
Lillooet, B.C.
With blurred vision from tears in my eyes, I read the anniversary issue (CG Nov/Dec
2004) cover to cover — absolutely a brilliant undertaking.
I sincerely hope that your readers appreciate this country of ours. We aren’t perfect,
but we are so very fortunate to have what we have.
Thank you for opening my eyes to the plight of so many others.
Lorraine Caldwell,
Lanark, Ont.
Past sins
Pico Iyer’s essay ("Canada: global citizen," CG Nov/Dec
2004) was tremendously positive, spare for one glaring statement, "Canadians … enjoy
a great advantage in not having a colonizing past." Yikes! Tell that one to the indigenous
peoples. He really went way off the mark with this statement.
Larry Borgerson,
Victoria
Where’s Tibet?
The generous addition of the world wall map to your special anniversary issue was met with
great enthusiasm, especially by my children.
I left them at the dining room table with their new fun activity as I was busy in the
kitchen. But soon they asked, "Dad, where’s Tibet?" My kids had just seen
an inspiring television program about His Holiness the Dalai Lama minutes before.
I replied, "Well you have to look for it, around northern India and Nepal."
"We did," they said. "It’s not there." So I went to have a
look, and sure enough, there is no Tibet on the map.
This issue of the magazine purports to be about becoming a Canadian global citizen and
all the new and evolving responsibilities that should imply. Apparently, ignoring the existence
of one of the world’s most famous and legendary countries, Tibet, is what one of
these new, evolving global-citizen attitudes entails. Not in my house.
Tibet, like France, Holland, Hungary, Austria, and so on, during the Second World War
and like Palestine and Iraq today, is an illegally occupied country. In the view of millions
of Tibetans and millions of truly compassionate global citizens, it remains the wonderful
country it always was. It was brutally overrun by a more militarily powerful, imperialistic
nation, while the rest of the world did nothing. If Tibet had oil as its main natural resource,
the world’s countries might have shown concern, but they did nothing, despite the
pleas of its rightful leader to intervene on its behalf. That Tibet might not be able to
defend itself against a global superpower was likely further emphasized by the fact that
its political leader was also its spiritual leader.
Personally, I find the exclusion of Tibet from this apparent world map extremely socially,
culturally, morally and, yes, globally, repugnant.
Rob Bell-Irving
Garibaldi Highlands, B.C.
Editor’s note: We recognize that many Canadians are deeply
sympathetic to the struggles of the people of Tibet. However, we chose to follow the
cartographic policies of the Canadian government, which provided the base map data, recognizing
that many borders are mutable and in dispute. The absence of Tibet and the depiction
of other contested territories on the Canada and the World map should not be read as
an endorsement of those borders by the magazine.
Women for women
Women for women Congratulations on the special anniversary issue (CG Nov/Dec
2004) focusing on our evolving role as global citizens. Hamida Ghafour’s article, "Operation
Kabul," highlighted many of the complex issues Canadians must consider when contributing
to peacekeeping and how the resilience and dedication of the Afghan people offer each of
us incredible inspiration and guidance for our efforts as global citizens.
Hundreds of members of our Canadian volunteer network, Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan
(with 15 chapters and affiliated groups across Canada), have been involved in supporting
the rights of Afghan women since the Taliban first took control of Kabul in 1996. We are
honoured to join together not as a charity but in partnership with Afghan women sharing
these common values and learning from each other how best to secure and protect our universal
rights.
With generous donations from Canadians across the country and long-term support from
Rights & Democracy, a human-rights organization based in Montréal, our volunteer group
has raised over $1 million for women-centred projects in Afghanistan. As important, we
have demonstrated that Afghan women are not alone and that Canadians deeply value the opportunity
to be involved.
I was fortunate to have met photojournalist Lana Slezic in March 2004 when our member
Carolyn Reicher and I were heading to Kabul for our first trip to Afghanistan. I remember
how surreal was the experience as we passed the hours throughout the night in an airport
waiting for our connecting flights into Kabul. While it was unspoken at the time, we shared
a sense of pride and cautious excitement as we embarked on this journey. We were mutually
awed by how Canadians from all walks of life are taking action toward bettering the lives
of all citizens of the world.
Janice Eisenhauer
President, Treasurer
Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, Calgary
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* Letters may be edited for length, accuracy and liability.
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