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“Over {1200} native women and girls in Canada have been reported missing or have been murdered in the last 30 years. Many vanished without a trace with inadequate inquiry into their disappearance or murders paid by the media, general public, politicians and even law enforcement. This is a travesty of injustice.” (87)
McCall, Sophie, and Gabrielle LHirondelle Hill. The Land We Are: Artists & Writers Unsettle the Politics of Reconciliation. Winnipeg: ARP Books, 2015.
The Land We Are is co-authored by a group of indigenous writers and artists. It addresses the issue of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. The writers-artists creatively share their views on the subject, and contribute their own narratives based on personal experiences, as well as those of their ancestors, on systematic incidents of injustice and oppression against the First Nations families, communities and land. Those include residential schools, racism, stereotyping, violence, and the overlooked mysterious disappearances of indigenous women and children. The contributors also discuss issues of decolonization, exploitation of First Nations’ lands, Indigenous-settler relations and look into venues of dialogue, rather than an inauthentic closure,towards a better and just future for indigenous people. In addition to the collection of interviews and inspiring poetic language of the written contributions, this book takes the reader in a visual journey through photography, installation, performance, among other forms of art.
As an artist coming from an occupied country, I find that the experiences of the writers and artists in this book resonate with my own experience and that of my people. Palestinians are going through similar circumstances to those of the indigenous people. Thus, reading The Land We Arehelps me in the writing about my thesis themes. In addition, looking at the artworks published in this book makes me aware of how other artists have addressed similar issues to mine.
2- Iskander, Adel, and Hakem Rustom. Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010.
a journey that wasn't 