An nou Rebati Ayiti!– A Benefit for Haiti

Montreal, January 25, 2010—Ethnoculture announced today that it is organizing a benefit to aid victims of the earthquake in Haiti. An nou Rebati Ayiti!, which is Creole for “Let’s Rebuild Haiti!”, is an event that will feature a diverse and eclectic line-up of music, spoken word and dance performances to raise funds for two organizations that provide emergency medical care: Partners in Health and Doctors without Borders.

A virtual mosaic of performers will be taking the stage, including Haitian songstresses Sarah Bernard and Vanessa Dorvily, Broadway showman Morie Williams, local indie-pop king Courtney Wing, Star Académie finalist Rich Ly, explosive Brazilian band Bombolessé, dynamic salsa dance company Dynamite Productions, Montreal punk darlings Mad June, quirky queer comedienne Deanne Smith, and sensational drag artists Liberia and Friends and Ian Poker from The Dukes of Drag, with more acts still to be confirmed.

“This is a show not to be missed,” says Sarah Bernard, one of the events coordinators. “Queers and queer allies alike from Montreal’s artistic community alike have really outdone themselves in showing their support for and solidarity with the local Haitian community and the people of Haiti by offering to play at our event. Partners in Health and Doctors without Borders have stellar reputations in providing emergency health care around the world, so we’ve put together an event that will be sure to draw a crowd and raise funds that will help make a difference. The money contributed at An nou Rebati Ayiti! will go towards improving and maintaining the health of those in Haiti who have been so profoundly affected by the devastating earthquake earlier this month.”

An nou Rebati Ayiti! will take place at Club Lambi (4465 blvd. Saint-Laurent) on Sunday, January 31, 2010. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with the show beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are by donation ($10 suggested), with no one being turned away. Partners for the event include the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy, Arc-en-Ciel Afrique, Gay and Lesbian Asians of Montreal (GLAM), Coalition MultiMundo and QPIRG Concordia.

About Ethnoculture

Incorporated in 2007, Ethnoculture is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization whose sole mandate is to coordinate community-based events for and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) ethnic and racialized minorities and aboriginals, queers of colour and Two-Spirited people in Montreal. The goal of these events is to help such individuals break free from their invisibility, silence and isolation.

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Media Contact: Sarah Bernard, Telephone: (514) 808-9532; E-mail: poursarah@gmail.com

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AFFIRM-ACTION

October 2-4, 2009

A weekend-long event in Montreal for LGBT ethnic minorities and aboriginals, queers of colour, Two-Spirited People, and their friends, families, and supporters.

BE SEEN AND BE HEARD!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009

OPENING NIGHT DANCE PARTY

Time: 10 p.m. – 3 a.m.

Location: Club Tools (1592 Ste. Catherine St. East, downstairs)

Admission: FREE (donations appreciated)

Come and dance the night away to your music, as DJ Shaunna and DJ Sikh Knowledge spin Hip Hop, Bhangra, Bollywood, World Beat, and more! Plus a special dance performance from Salsa Sophia!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 AND SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2009

Location: Association Sportive et Communautaire Centre Sud (2093 de la Visitation)

Admission: FREE (donations appreciated)

REGISTRATION

Times: 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (both days)

Room: Lobby

We kindly ask that you register for the event for our records. There will also be programmes and other paraphernalia available at the registration table.

PHOTO EXHIBIT

Times: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (both days)

Room: Lobby

Visualizing the Margins: Experiences of Queer People of Color

These photos are the culmination of a series of Photovoice workshops led by Edward Ou Jin Lee with queer racialized people living in Montreal who photographed their everyday lived experiences. A series of inter-related themes, developed collectively through a process of critical dialogue, are addressed, including Solitude, Family, Belonging, Community, Racism, Homophobia, Culture, and Colonization.

What is Photovoice?

The Photovoice Project is an innovative, community-based and visual participatory research methodology. Its purpose is to enable people through photography, helping them to reflect upon their everyday realities and promote critical dialogue and knowledge about personal and community strengths and concerns while engaging in dialogue and advocacy with policy makers and service providers. It is a creative pathway that draws a bridge between producing knowledge, informing policy, developing community and engaging in artistic practices.

FILMS

Times: Individual times and descriptions below

Room: Studio (2nd floor)

1. Solo. Directed Atif Siddiqi. Saturday, October 3, 2009. Noon – 1:15 p.m.

2. Short Films. Saturday, August 3, 2009. 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Atif Siddiqi, Arshad Khan and Kanwar Anit Singh Saini, Liz Miller, and Dana Inkster.

3. Films of Arshad Khan. Saturday August 3, 2009. 3 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

4. Ha-Buah (The Bubble). Directed by Eytan Fox. Sunday, August 4, 2009. 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

5. Rex vs. Singh. Directed by Richard Fung, Ali Kazimi, and John Greyson. Sunday, August 4, 2009. 1:15 p.m. – 2 p.m.

6. Woubi Cheri. Directed by Laurent Bocahut and Philip Brooks. Sunday, August 4, 2009. 2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2009

Location: Association Sportive et Communautaire Centre Sud (2093 de la Visitation)

Admission: FREE (donations appreciated)

COMMUNITY FAIR

Times: Noon – 4:30 p.m.

Room: Salle Communautaire (Main floor)

More than 20 community organizations will be in attendance to promote their activities and share information with the public. Entertainment will also be provided by a variety of performers.

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

Times: Noon. – 4:30 p.m. (Individual times below)

Room: Salle Polyvalente (2nd floor)

Whisper translation available

1. Discovering, Defining and Living Our Sexual Diversities in Our CulturalCommunities. Noon – 1:15 p.m.

Co-facilitators Min Kaur and Percy Lezard lead this workshop that will explore the ways different cultures view sexual diversity according to tradition, including what roles sexual minorities play in different societies and the culturally-specific names they are given as well as how gender and sexuality is constructed in various cultures. Issues such as the influence and impact of colonialism and imperialism and identity renewal through cultural reclamation will also be discussed.

2. Media, Technology, and Activism. 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Liz Miller from Concordia University’s Communication Studies Department along with some special guests from Toronto discuss the Jane Walks project.

3. Kink. 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Facilitator Nora Rohman leads this workshop that will examine sex and sexuality and the ways it is and can be explored and experimented with among LGBT ethnic minorities, queers of colour, and Two-Spirited People. Safe play, socio-cultural boundaries, and eroticism will be among the topics discussed.

STORY CIRCLE: FAMILY EXPERIENCES OF LGBT ETHNIC MINORITIES, QUEERS OF COLOUR, AND TWO-SPIRITED PEOPLE

Time: 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Room: Salle Polyvalente (2nd floor)

Whisper translation available

Co-facilitators Devora Neumark and Lisa Ndejuru lead this story circle session, where participants may share stories of their experiences concerning their sexual or gender identity and how it has affected their relationships with their families.

LGBT REFUGEES ROUNDTABLE

Time: 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Room: Studio (2nd floor)

Whisper translation available

Facilitator Edward Ou Jin Lee leads this roundtable discussion concerning legal, political, and social issues affecting LGBTQ refugee claimants in Canada. This session is part of an effort to gather activists with an interest in this issue and develop strategies to promote LGBTQ refugee issues and effect positive changes in Canadian refugee policy that affect LGBTQ claimants.

CAUCUSING SPACE

Time: 4:30 – 6 p.m.

Room: Salle Communautaire (main floor)

This time and space has been set aside for individuals wishing to network and possibly establish new LGBTQ organizations centred around specific ethnocultural communities.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2009

Location: Association Sportive et Communautaire Centre Sud (2093 de la Visitation)

Admission: FREE (donations appreciated)

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Time: 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Individual times below)

Room: Salle Communautaire

Simultaneous translation (French and English) available

1. LGBTQ Ethnic Youth in Society and Schools. 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

This panel, featuring panellists Rudy Baraka Mudenge, Nathalie Herrera, Ting Shen and Line Chamberland as well as moderator Laurent Lafontant, concerns the experiences of LGBTQ ethnic youth as they navigate their identities through the complex environment of the classroom as well as in the “real world.”

2. HIV/AIDS Among LGBT Ethnic Minorities, Queers of Colour, and Two-Spirited People. 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

This discussion features panellists Percy Lezard, Steve Bastien, and Kamel El-Fashny, who will talk about the challenges facing ethnocultural communities with respect to HIV/AIDS education, diagnosis and treatment.

3. Trans Sex Workers of Colour. 2 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

This panel, which features guest moderator Yasmeen Persad along with panellists Liberia and Anais, concerns issues that affect trans sex workers of colour, including racialized and gendered violence, access to healthcare, and police harassment.

ARTS WORKSHOPS

Time: 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Individual times below)

Room: Salle Polyvalente (2nd floor)

Whisper translation available

1. Introduction to Silk-Screening. 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Instructor Tasha Zamudio from Ste Emilie Skillshare leads this introductory workshop on silk-screening.

2. Inter-racial/cultural/religious Relationships. 12:30 – 1:45 p.m.

Co-facilitators Alan Wong and Ainsley Jenicek, lead this workshop that will look at the dynamics of inter-racial/cultural/religious relationships, including negotiating difference, exploring boundaries, and learning about and adapting to your partner’s heritage. Issues such as racism and gender-ism will also be discussed.

3. Salsa Dance with Salsa Sophia. 2 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Instructor Sophia Koukoui introduces participants to the basics of salsa dancing.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DR. LOUIS-GEORGES TIN

Time: 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Room: Salle Communautaire

Simultaneous translation (French and English) available

Dr. Louis-Georges Tin was a student of the famous Ecole Normale Supérieure and has a PhD in Renaissance Studies. On May 17, 2005, he launched the first International Day Against Homophobia, now celebrated in more than 50 countries in the world, and officially recognized by the European Parliament. In November of that same year, Dr. Tin also founded the Representative Council of Black Associations in France following the racially-charged riots that shook that country. Dr. Tin will be flying in from Paris to speak about the intersections of homophobia and racism experienced by LGBT ethnic minorities, queers of colour, and Two-Spirited People.

CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

Time: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Location: Gotha Salon Bar (1441 Amherst St.)

Admission: FREE (donations appreciated)

Come celebrate the end of a great event! Chill out to tunes spun by DJ Kani! Take in a classical Indian dance performance by Lance Desker! Listen to a reading and get a book signed by Dr. Louis-Georges Tin as he launches the English edition of The Dictionary of Homophobia! Win great prizes during our raffle draw!