The mission of the Okanagan Institute
is to contribute to
the quality of creative engagement in the Okanagan through publications and events.
» Home
» Events
» Publications
» Collegium
» Poet Laureate
» Culinaria
» ArtsCare
» The Institute
» Contact
Kelowna BC Canada
Telephone 250.870.2690
Email: Click here
Click here to help us improve our programs.
|
|
Give Peace a Second Chance
A CRITICAL DIALOGUE
» Thursday 29 October 2009 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas
and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join us as writer and ecologist Don Gayton and Middle-East peace activist Lisa Talesnick present their different - but complementary - experiences engaging with "peace and understanding".
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Activists Provide Perspective on "Peace and Understanding"
The world is starting to once again give peace a chance. It wasn't so long ago that thousands of people across North America took part in mass demonstrations marching in favour of peace, nuclear disarmament and a host of other causes and ideals. For many, those days seem so dated now - bringing back memories of John and Yoko's infamous Montreal Bed in, anti-Cruise Missile marches and "sit-ins". The Okanagan was once a safe haven for Americans escaping the draft, and many have stayed and become a part of the social and cultural fabric of communities up and down the Valley.
A new generation of activists is confronting what they see as a growing militarist and brinkmanship trend in society. And they're asking tough questions. Canada's involvement in Afganistan is not universally approved. The conflicts that seem to continuously simmer and burst into flames in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere speak to the same issues that previous generations tried to find solutions to.
So what are old peaceniks, and new peace-lovers, to do?
On Thursday, October 29nd at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents Give Peace a Second Chance: A Critical Dialogue. Join us as writer and ecologist Don Gayton and Middle-East peace activist Lisa Talesnick present their different - but complementary - experiences engaging with "peace and understanding".
 Don Gayton lives in Summerland where he works as an ecologist. He's also an author, and his upcoming book - Man Facing West, to be published by Thistledown Press next fall - explores the Vietnam era from an intensely personal perspective. Gayton grew up in the Western US, and spent three years in the Peace Corps in South America. Upon returning home he was confronted with the Vietnam War and the draft.
Like many of his generation, he became an anti-war activist, conscientious objector, and draft resister. He and his family came to Canada in the early seventies, and Don has continued to ponder and write about the moral issues of war and anti-war protests.
 Lisa Talesnick has spent the last four years splitting her time between the Okanagan and Jerusalem. Prior to moving to Kelowna, she spent 10 years as a foreign correspondent for The Boston Globe and the Associated Press in Jerusalem where she established her own news service: Israel News Today, which translates daily news stories from the Israeli and Palestinian media into English for foreign correspondents, diplomats and think tanks covering the Middle East.
While there she worked with a group of like-minded friends to establish a non-profit organization called he All Nations Cafe. The ANC gathers together Christians, Jews, Muslims, Israelis, Palestinians and internationals to celebrate what we have in common, rather than our differences. Over the years, the All Nations Cafe has created summer and winter camps for children from Palestinian refugee camps, and run Arabic classes for Israelis and a lecture series on how to create One State for All.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Give Peace a Second Chance: A Critical Dialogue takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 113th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007.
Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and others from a wide range of creative fields.
Special Events coming up in November (Click on image for more information.)
  
The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that has gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
|
