POETRY OUR SECOND LANGUAGE as part of NUIT BLANCE October 3rd!

dope poetry. spoken word performances. open minds. & an open mic.

For the month of August, we spent every Thursday exploring the language of Poetry.

For the month of September, we spent every Friday learning to find our voice.

This coming SATURDAY, we’re kicking off October by launching The PSL COLLECTIVE! Over a dozen young artists come together, joined by their mentors, to share with you their stories… their struggle… & their second language… POETRY.

In conjunction with Les Rues des Refusés “The renegade guide for off-program nuit blanche events” http://lesruesdesrefuses.com/eventlistings we invite you to experience a Poetry Slam/Jam like no other you’ve seen or heard. Word.

“If you want to know what we are
WE ARE REVOLUTION!” – Carlos Bulosan

Be inspired.

This event is open to all ages, but if you would like to partake in a drink, bring ID!
There’s gonna be some Filipino food too!
PWYC suggested donation only $2.00!

http://kapisanan.wordpress.com/
http://migranteontarioyouth.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=1417251287

cross posted to

Kamayan: A real Filipino dining experience

The anatomy of a Kamayan

DID YOU KNOW…
The traditional way (in the Philippines)
of eating is with the hands, especially
dry dishes such as inihaw or prito.
The diner will take a bite of the main
dish, then eat rice pressed together
with his/her fingers… Filipinos tend to feel the
spirit of kamayan when eating amidst
nature during out of town trips, beach
vacations, and town fiestas.  (Wikipedia.com)

* * * * *

Migrante Ontario Youth and Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts & Culture in collaboration with the Filipino Canadian Association of Ryerson invite you to

KAMAYAN
A fundraising dinner in support of the upcoming Filipino Youth Festival

Please join us for a fun-filled night of authentic Filipino cuisine and entertainment.

Saturday, August 29, 2009
Starting @ 5:00pm
(Please be early to secure good seats.)
Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts & Culture
167 Augusta Avenue

MENU
Appetizer – Mangga at bagoong
Soup – Tinolang manok
Main course – Menudo, laing, lumpiang sariwa, steamed rice
Dessert – Turon, halo-halo

$25 minimum donation (includes food, drinks* and entertainment)

Limited seating available.

Please RSVP with Rowena at (416) 522-8676 or by e-mail migranteON.youth@gmail.com to secure your seats.

*Drinks included in the $25 are non-alcoholic types.

Coming in January 2009

Crispin Beltran Philippine History Lectures
Part II:  The Philippine Working Class Movement in the Era of U.S. Colonial Rule
Second Half:  The Commonwealth Government and Attempts to Divide the Union Movement
Date and location TBA.
Once again presented in collaboration with the Filipino Students Association of Toronto (FSAT).

Filipino Youth Festival
A whole day of activities on awareness-raising about Philippine history and culture and community engagement.  A collaborative project of Migrante Ontario Youth, Philippine Advocacy Through Arts and Culture, Kapisanan Philippine Centre, Filipino Students’ Association of Toronto, Filipino Canadian Association of Ryerson.
Saturday, January 24, 2008
Time and location TBA.

MOY member to speak at Saturday Night Love

One of our members will be speaking at Saturday Night Love this Saturday, December 13, on the topic of exploitation of women in the Philippines.  Saturday Night Love is a weekly event hosted by Toronto Poets, consisting of a panel discussion followed by musical and spoken word performances.

SATURDAY NIGHT LOVE
Saturday, December 13, 2008
7:30pm – 10:00pm
Ritz Caribbean Restaurant, 3rd Floor
606 Yonge Street, just North of Wellesley subway station

Facebook event page:  http://www.facebook.com/events.php?ref=sb#/event.php?eid=63204112432

What Makes a Hero

WHAT MAKES A HERO
Music and spoken word performances commemorating Jeffrey Reodica and the community’s campaign for truth and justice

Saturday, June 28, 2008
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Wellesley Community Centre, Room B
495 Sherbourne Street
(northeast corner of Sherbourne And Wellesley)

Migrante Ontario Youth, with the support of the Community Alliance for Social Justice and Philippine Advocacy Through Arts and Culture, is holding a cultural event on Saturday, June 28, 2008, 2-4pm at Wellesley Community Centre, Room B, 495 Sherbourne Street, Toronto (northeast corner of Wellesley and Sherbourne Sts.). The event, entitled “What Makes a Hero”, aims to commemorate Jeffrey Reodica and the Justice for Jeffrey campaign, and to update the community on the results of the campaign.

Jeffrey Reodica was 17 years old in 2004 when he was shot three times in the back by Det. Constable Dan Belanger of Toronto Police Services’ 41 Division in Scarborough. His death caused an uproar in the community, leading to the formation of the Justice for Jeffrey Coalition (J4J) which held protest actions and succeeded in getting a Coroner’s inquest conducted one year after Jeffrey’s death and generated responses from the Toronto Police Services Board and the Ombudsman of Ontario.

Migrante Youth Ontario’s organizers were part of J4J.

“It’s important not to forget what happened to Jeffrey and how the Filipino community came together to demand justice for his death,” says Debbie Celis. “Two important things can be learned from this – one, that challenges like racism and discrimination are very real in our community; two, that as a community we are capable of acting together and in solidarity with others to fight for our common interests.”

Divine Montesclaros explains: “We decided to have ‘What Makes a Hero’ now, because it was around this time in 2004 when the Justice for Jeffrey campaign was taking shape. June is also a significant month because it’s the month when we celebrate Philippine Independence Day, and the way that we fought back when Jeffrey was killed is a continuation of our ancestors’ struggle against oppression by colonial powers.”

“What Makes a Hero” will feature music and spoken word performances by young artists in the community, highlighting issues of Filipino youth. There will also be speakers, including members of the Justice for Jeffrey Coalition who will report on the results of the J4J campaign, as well as members of the Reodica family who will give updates on the current status of their legal battle.

The event is free and open to the public. Migrante Ontario Youth is also looking for more performers to contribute to the program.

For more information and to perform, contact Mithi Esguerra at (647) 239-6553 or Debbie Celis at (416) 556-6265, or e-mail migranteON.youth@gmail.com.

Philippine Vignettes: A Photo Exhibition by Alex Felipe

Opening Night: 8 April @ 7:30pm.
Runs Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 7:30pm
to Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 1:30pm
Cafe Tinto
89 Roncesvalles Avenue
Toronto, Ontario

Alex Felipe is a Filipino-Canadian photographer that has just returned to Toronto after spending three months following the human rights situation in his mother country—which included a disturbing Canadian connection.

The Philippines is a country stuck in the cycle of poverty shared by many other so-called developing nations. Sixty-nine million (out of a population of ninety-one million) are living on $2/day or less.

Corruption, neo-colonial policies, and human rights abuses are the norm. According to the latest corruption survey by Berlin-based Transparency International rates the country the worst in Southeast Asia.

The current administration, led by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is accused of almost 900 extrajudicial killings and almost 200 disappearances—as well as torture, illegal detention, and displacement. UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alson visited the country in 2007 and his scathing report confirms much of this.

This exhibition will present an overview of the Philippine situation. From the family members of those killed, disappeared, and those under threat; to images from inside a prison holding accused terrorists; to protest rallies; and finally to a Canadian connection to these horrors.

Canada is one of the world’s largest mining nations. Over half of the world’s mining companies (and 2/3rds of the world’s mining exploration companies) are traded on the TSX. The Philippines is incredibly rich in mineral resources, it’s ranked second in terms of geological prospectively, and second in gold production (per land unit).

Two Canadian mining sites will be shown. Placer Dome/Barrick Gold on Marinduque Island, where three different sites have become contaminated with mine waste resulting in the loss of livelihood and extremely high incidences of heavy metal poisoning in the population. And Toronto Ventures Incorporated on Mt. Canatuan, Mindanao, where militarization, loss of livelihood, forced displacement, and looming health disasters threaten an indigenous community firmly against the mine’s presence.

—

According to respected human rights watchdog ‘Karapatan,’ the GMA regime (from 1 Jan to 31 October 2007) is accused of:

Extra-Judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions… 68 // 209 in 2006, [Total: 887 (since 21.1.01)]
Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances… 26 // 78 in 2006, [Total: 185]
Torture… 29
Illegal Detention… 116
Forcible Evacuation or Displacement… 7542

Karapatan 2007 Human Rights Report: http://stopthekillings.org/stknpv2/files/karapatan_2007hr_report.pdf

UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston confirmed much of this in his 2007 report and clearly points the finger at the government. To download his final report please visit:
http://stopthekillings.org/stknpv2/?q=resources/60/alston%E2%80%99s-final-report-rp-extrajudicial-killings
—

Mining Links:

The Association for Responsible Mining: http://www.communitymining.org/
MiningWatch: www.miningwatch.ca
Oxfam-Australia: www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/mining