Mir Lecture Series continues in October
By Contributor
The Mir Lecture Series, continues in October with a diverse selection of local and international speakers to the West Kootenay-Boundary.
“These events are important because they bring the community into the conversations and raise awareness about important issues related to peace and social justice,” says Cara-Lee Malange, Coordinator of Mir Centre Community Programs.
“We want to stimulate inquiry and hope that people are inspired by listening to people like Steven Lewis or James Orbinski or Chris Hedges. Not only to understand more about the issues, but to engage in the issues more fully so that our citizens are empowered to participate more effectively in the solutions to the complex social, political and economic challenges underlying social injustice and threats to peace.”
Since 2007 the ongoing series of lectures has allowed for speakers such as Canadian humanitarian Stephen Lewis, David Suzuki, Izzeldin Abuelaish, Justice Murray Sinclair and Samantha Nutt to come face-to-face with locals.
“Having good insight from these world class speakers about what the real and structural challenges are behind these peace and social justice related issues,” says Malange.
This year’s series peace cafés and lectures have already begun with a visit by Tibetan Buddhist scholar and artist Lama Losang Samten who spent a week in the Nelson area earlier this month. Samten took part in a peace café at the United Church in Nelson where he spoke about his time working as an advisor on the Martin Scorsese movie Kundun.
The series continues over the next few months with the following events (see selkirk.ca for details of times and locations):
October 2: Peace Café – Guatemalan feminist and performance artist Sandra Moran will speak on “Confronting the Multiple Systems of Oppression in the Path to Peace.”
October 9: Peace Café – Selkirk College Instructor Denis Kleine and the Peace Symbol Project
October 16: Peace Café – North & South: The Documentary.
November 7: Mire Lecture – Award winning Canadian author Lawrence Hill will speak on his new book Blood: The Stuff of Life.
November 13: Resource Extraction Industries in the South & the North
More events and dates will be announced for the second half of the year which will begin in January.
Without individual and corporate donors, Malange says the series would not be possible.
“This is a result of the individuals and organizations that have been so generous with the endowment that allows for this level of speakers,” she says.
Find out more about the Mir Lecture Series and Mir Peace Cafés.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Tibetan Buddhist scholar and artist Lama Losang Samten was the first visitor to the region that was part of the Mir Peace Cafés series. He spent a week in the Nelson area earlier this month and took part in a peace café at the United Church in Nelson where he spoke about his time working as an advisor on the Martin Scorsese movie Kundun.
