Welcoming Words

Claudia Mitchell and Relebohile Moletsane

Dr. Claudia Mitchell started the event by acknowledging we were coming together on zoom two years after the original Imbizo was planned to take place in South Africa. She acknowledged what challenging times and circumstances had arisen for the groups including the riots, death and destruction in South Africa exasperating the already devasting effects of Covid-19 and the uncovering of nearly 2000 unmarked graves of Indigenous children on former residential “school” grounds. Meeting over zoom, people were joining from the lands and territories of many different Indigenous Nations and peoples. Claudia acknowledges she is joining from Mi’kmaq territory in Prince Edward Island, and noted that the team from McGill University is joining from unceded Kanien'kehá:ka land, she then invited everyone in attendance to reflect on the territories they were joining from.

Finally, it was recognized that as a platform zoom privileges some voices over others. For example, individuals without access to reliable internet or technology, or who struggle with technology literacy were unable to participate in this virtual conversation.