The Concordian. NEWS // Clubs during COVID / Lufa Rooftop Greenhouse / Zoom Learning / Tuition Petition
COMMENTARY // The Woodnote / Is Gen Z Lazy / Rosh Hashanah / Yum Or Yikes
ARTS // MURAL Festival / Reflecting on PostLockdown Art / Nuestras Madres
MUSIC // Damso’s New Album / BTS And The American Music Industry
VOLUME 38, ISSUE 2 TUESDAY SEPT. 29, 2020
// theconcordian @theconcordian @theconcordian theconcordian.com
SPORTS // Hab’s Draft / 2020 Montreal Marathon Cancelled
News.
NEWS EDITORS Hadassah Alencar / @Hadassahalencar Juliette Palin / @PalinJuliette news@theconcordian.com
CLUBS
How are Concordia’s clubs adapting to the pandemic?
From esports to cheerleading, the clubs at Concordia have a lot to offer
Hadassah Alencar News Editor For many students, a big part of the university experience is joining a club. Participating in any club can help students gain resumeworthy skills, build new and longlasting friendships, and really just make life at university more memorable. Clubs are facing hurdles to engage new students and continue their legacy during this “new normal” year. The Concordian spoke to several Concordia clubs to ask how they’re adjusting to the changes the pandemic has brought on. The Concordia Debate Society was able to quickly switch their weekly meetings to an online platform when quarantine began. Violet Maxfield, Vice President of Internal External for the club said that she was able to continue participating in the debate practices even when she moved back home to Boston in March. Maxfield said the adjustment has been challenging for new members.
“For people who don’t know what debates are like in person and they’re just there online, it’s just more difficult, because it doesn’t feel as fun as it normally does,”
Omar Salem, Vice President of Training for the Concordia Debate Society, added to the issue, saying, “now
our biggest concern is trying to keep them engaged, and trying to adapt our program … so it’s more encouraging to the more novice debaters.” Salem explained that meetings on Discord are organized to help answer questions and guide new recruits. “We’re trying to tailor those meetings ... so that they’ll be able to learn, improve, [be] more professional, and gain some more expertise.” Debate teams operate in a structured style, with two opposing teams having 15 minutes to prepare and present arguments that are either for or against a motion. Motions can be on any topic from philosophical to scientific, said Salem. The team practices in weekly online meetings on Discord, and sometimes on Zoom, to prepare
for tournaments against other universities. Isaac Finkelstein, the Executive of Communications for the Concordia Debate Society said, “the pluses are that anyone can join from anywhere, and it’s more convenient.” For the Concordia Esports Association, the transition to a completely online platform was not as easy as it may seem. President of the Concordia Esports Association Patryk Surowiak argued that it would be wrong to assume gamers haven’t been affected by the changes in the pandemic, saying, “People could say it didn’t affect us at all but in reality, it has made a major difference.” Surowiak lamented that they cannot bond together like they did in previous years. Last year the club hosted a watch party for the League of Legends World Championship, which started at 7 a.m., and 150 students attended. He mentioned that the yearly CSU club fair was an event where he would be able to meet and recruit new members.
“We can’t participate in the yearly club fair and make these friendships, bonds, and connections with people who want to join on day one, we have to interact with them solely through online.”
Now the club needs to advertise through alternative
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platforms, which they didn’t need to before. Surowiak said part of the difficulty in reaching out online is because not everyone will actually read their emails or social media posts. The Concordia Esports club has a Discord server with about 700 active participants. The club also has teams to participate in collegiate esports leagues that compete against other universities. This year, the esports club will help fill in for the missing inperson sports by partnering with Concordia Recreation to host three different online intramural leagues with video games such as League of Legends, Valorant, and FIFA20. The competitions are open to all, and require teams to sign up online. For the Concordia Ski & Snowboard Club (CSSC), an online version isn’t possible. President of the CSSC, Luke Martin, said they were brainstorming options for the new year. The CSSC is open to Concordia students and Montrealers alike, and in nonpandemic years club members paid a $10 deposit fee to purchase discounted trips to ski resorts. These weekly oneday trips transported about 100 people to the mountains, with the club even offering some longer weekend outings on occasion. Martin said they were
thinking of possibly becoming a ski ride share “where people can use us as a mediator to get people to go skiing.”
“We are still planning on running trips but just with less people to be properly socially distanced,” Martin added.
Martin said they are waiting to make any concrete decisions. First they need to see how the pandemic will unfold during the winter and if the resorts will be able to open. The logistics of organizing and planning online events is also an issue that the Concordia Real Estate Club (CREC) is facing. The club’s main events of the year will most likely go online, along with the club’s “CREC talks,” a recurring event where one or two guest speakers talk to students about the real estate industry. One of their big events is a yearly conference about the real estate industry. CREC Vice President of Marketing, Camille Hamel, argued that it’s difficult to give continued attention to an
online conference the same way you do an in-person one. For that reason, they will host the event over the course of a few days. Hamel said that the CREC isn’t just about connecting students to the real estate industry, it’s about creating a welcoming community space for students. “It’s so important at uni to have close friends to meet people, because sometimes it can get very overwhelming, just for your general motivation, and also mental health. It’s so much help to have people.” Creating that environment on an online platform has its challenges. Yasamin Fawzi, President of the Concordia Dance Club said that the team is focusing on moving to a digital platform. “Some people embrace, some people don’t, and it’s hard to guarantee attendance with things that are online,” said Fawzi. The dance club used to organize weekly classes that featured a different dance style every week, and members could show up to any classes they were interested in. With COVID-19,
Fawzi said the club is considering Zoom dance classes, and possibly renting studios off-campus for dance classes, where a limited number of members attend. But the real issue is their legacy: the club is only two years old and both the founding members will graduate this year. On this, Fawzi said, “we obviously have to keep the club alive after we graduate.” The Concordia Cheerleading team shares the same concern. Monica Knaapen, one of the two captains of the Concordia cheerleading team, said,
game last year. Before that, the team cheered exclusively on the sidelines. The team captains said they are looking into doing Zoom cheerleading practices. Co-captain Arianne Bellerive mentioned that they still want newcomers to feel a welcoming club experience despite the circumstances, saying, “we want the new girls who come to feel like you’re a part of something. Just because it’s not like what it’s been in the past years, nothing is normal right now, so we want them “when we eventually leave the to feel like it’s a team.”
team and the other vets leave the team we want to basically have a legacy … [that] we’ve established something concrete.”
Graphic by @the.beta.lab
The club is four years old, Photo by Britanny Clarke and became an ever-growing presence on and off campus, with the cheerleading squad performing at WE Day in Montreal in 2018 and for the first time at halftime at a Stinger’s football
TUITION
Tuition fees in the age of Zoom University Students all over Quebec asking for universities to lower tuition Juliette Palin News Editor Multiple petitions to lower the online semester’s tuition at Concordia are making their way through our Facebook feeds. The first petition, created by Yuvraj Singh Athwal, has a goal of 1,500 signatures, and has around 1,200. The second petition, created by a group of anonymous Concordia Students, has a goal of 1,000 signatures, and currently has around 700. Due to this very necessary shift into the online world, students have lost inperson access to many resources which, for many, are a crucial part of the typical university experience. Athwal, the organizer of the ‘Reduce tuition fees due to online classes’ petition, explains in the description, “None of the students are using any of the university resources including libraries, labs etc. Also, the learning experience with online classes is not even comparable to that with in-person classes which is more dynamic and life-like.” The second petition remains similar, stating in its description, “This substantial change is having an immense impact on the quality of our education. In-person interactions, facilities and resources represent a great part of our learning experience.”
In-person resources can include library study spaces, clubs, gyms, labs, certain food experiences, and most importantly the social context of university. However, it is important to note that on certain occasions labs are open, and students can reserve in-person study spaces at the library. In the petition description, Concordia students go on to say, “Students are required to work from home, in confined spaces where distractions are prominent and exchange of ideas nonexistent.” Students have written comments on the petition explaining their frustrations with the cost of this unique semester. Student Leila Beyea wrote, “Finding a job during this has been so hard, and I just don’t have $10,000 to spend on a year of school where I don’t even get to meet anyone or see the school.” In addition to the petition, a class-action lawsuit has been brought forward by the law firm Jean-François Bertrand Avocats Inc., with Claudia Larose, a student at Laval University, as a representative. According to Flavie Garceau-Bolduc, a lawyer on the case, “[The class-action lawsuit] is a request for a reimbursement of the perceived cost of university for the Winter 2020 semester. The students — when enrolling to courses — had
certain expectations in terms of the services they’d have access to. Without going into specifics, this can include libraries, gyms, and study rooms. This also encompasses the social context for which students pay. So when [students] cover their academic costs, it’s not only for classes but for much more than that.” In its first stages, and still waiting for approval from the Quebec judiciary system, the lawsuit seeks retribution of damages of $30 per credit for each student enrolled in the Winter 2020 semester Garceau-Bolduc said. “Instead of each student taking judicial action against universities to ask for reimbursements [...] we take on that burden collectively for the students. This avoids overworking the tribunals, but also avoids individual costs for each student looking for retribution of damages. It’s really a procedure which has the objective to give access to justice for all citizens looking to recuperate these damages.” Graphic by Taylor Reddam
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News.
NEWS EDITORS Hadassah Alencar / @Hadassahalencar Juliette Palin / @PalinJuliette news@theconcordian.com
SUSTAINABILITY
Montreal has the world’s biggest rooftop greenhouse Lufa Farms opens its fourth rooftop greenhouse in Montreal, which can feed over 10,000 families
simply fly away. “Bugs are an excellent, and overlooked, tool in keeping crops healthy.” Munoz explained that greenhouses Lufa Farms opened its fourth rooftop have less food waste than in a normal field greenhouse, the biggest in the world, on Aug. setting. This is because the crops aren’t 26. The greenhouse is 163,000 square feet — affected by wind, rain, or animals. almost three football fields — and is located “These plants are grown in an in the borough of Saint-Laurent. environment that is designed to be perfect for According to Lufa Farms, the their development,” said Munoz. greenhouse is capable of growing enough food for 10,000 families, meaning Lufa “It’s an unbelievable step Farms can double its production, going from forward for hyper-local, sustainable feeding one per cent of Montreal to two per urban farming,” said Mohamed Hage, cent. co-founder and CEO of Lufa Farms, Adiran Munoz, who is doing a major in Biology and a minor in Sustainability in a press release regarding the new Studies, sees this increase in sustainable greenhouse. food practices as exciting, and he hopes this “With each greenhouse, we hold means that more businesses will invest in ourselves to an ever-higher standard for this type of agriculture. Lufa Farms opened its first rooftop sustainable design,” said Lauren Rathmell, greenhouse in 2011 in the borough of Co-Founder and Greenhouse Director. “Our new farm will be the most energy Ahuntsic, and at the time it was the world’s first commercial rooftop greenhouse. Since efficient to-date and [will] integrate all our then, according to Euronews, organizations learnings from the last 10 years to responsibly began building their own rooftop greenhouses — such as American Gotham Greens, who built eight greenhouses in New York City, Chicago, and Denver. “It’s kinda crazy, I’m actually subscribed to the Lufa Farms food baskets, but I had no idea that they were such a game changer in the rooftop greenhouse world,” said Munoz. He explained that Lufa delivers weekly boxes of local food, and that customers call themselves ‘Lufavores.’ At Lufa Farms, over 100 varieties of vegetables and herbs are grown year-round in hydroponic containers lined with coconut coir and given liquid nutrients to promote growth. Bumblebees pollinate the plants, while wasps and ladybugs keep aphids in check — without the need for pesticides. “Growing in a greenhouse means you can use good bugs to fight bad bugs, instead of relying on pesticides,” said Munoz. He explained that this process is called integrated pest management, and that it can’t be used outside a greenhouse because the bugs would Fern Clair Assistant News Editor
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grow more vegetables for Lufavores yearround,” Rathmell said. “This greenhouse will facilitate residents’ access to local, sustainably-grown products and further promote healthy habits,” said Alan DeSousa, Saint-Laurent’s Mayor. He explained that the greenhouse will combat ‘heat islands,’ which is an area in a city that is significantly hotter than surrounding rural areas due to human activity. “Honestly I just feel happy that I can say I live in the city with the world’s biggest [rooftop] greenhouse,” said Munoz. He explained that he hopes this inspires people to buy sustainable produce, not just from Lufa Farms, but from local farms and businesses, too. “I find so many people are talking about climate change, and how they can be sustainable, and the best way you can do that is to buy locally,” said Munoz. “If you buy locally then bigger companies will get the message, and not ship things from across the world.”
ZOOM
Zoom: a technology unable to replace lecture halls? This has not been the smoothest the fall semester
start to
Bogdan Lytvynenko Assistant News Editor Concordia students are divided on the success of Zoom as a medium of instruction, while it has just been announced that the winter term will also be remote. The majority of courses at Concordia University have been taught online since March 2020, when COVID-19 became a serious public health concern in Montreal. Many students, however, are still having difficulties with adapting to online schooling. For Alexander Abuzeid, a secondyear student in Cell and Molecular Biology, the beginning of the 2020–21 academic year has not been as enjoyable as last year.
“I’d like to focus more on my assignments and new material, instead of worrying about my microphone not working or my Internet connection not being stable enough.” According to Abuzeid, potential technical difficulties on Zoom are not even the biggest inconvenience. “Instead of seeing my professor behind the screen, I’d like to be going to class and interacting face-to-face. In Biology, we need hands-on practice to truly master the concepts — and all we’re getting this semester is three inperson bio labs in total. It’s honestly disappointing.” The lack of human contact was to be expected since the start of the pandemic, in a world where social distancing is necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Allowing all Concordia students to return to campus would go against Quebec’s regulations regarding public gatherings. Following the limit of 250 people would simply force Concordia to prioritize certain faculties over others. Virtual communication, however, is not a downside for all Concordia students. Civil Engineering student Juanes Lucuara believes that online
lectures on Zoom are a better alternative for the same reason: minimal physical interaction. “Being behind the screen is something that is comforting to a lot of us, since people like me, who are pretty introverted, would rather help out their peers while avoiding real-life contact and the anxiety that comes along with it,” said Lucuara. Another advantage of Zoom classes is a flexible schedule. Many professors record their Zoom lectures and upload them to Moodle, so that students who missed the live session can view the material when it is most convenient for them. This is particularly useful for international students who are currently living in a different time zone. At the same time, however, such flexibility may lead to poor planning and a stressful pre-exam period full of lectures that have to be watched last minute. Lucuara also addressed this issue, saying,
“When you have in-person classes, you have more motivation, and a sense of responsibility for attending all your lectures. I don’t want this false feeling of freedom to affect my academic performance.”
Communication Studies student Natalia Camargo, on the other hand, is noticing more limitations than excess freedom. She believes that Zoom lectures are generally an efficient way of online teaching, but not necessarily for her program. “Online instruction goes well with theoretical courses, but in Communications, I would need that human interaction with my peers and my professors, let alone having access to professional filming equipment. I hope in-person classes resume in the winter, so that I can produce high-quality content once again!” Concordia announced Monday that, like the fall term, the winter term will take place remotely. Photos by Kit Mergaert
POLI-SAVVY:
The clock is TikToking Elyette Levy Assistant Commentary Editor
There’s trouble in paradise as Americans’ beloved entertainment app is threatened to be banned. It seems like every week, the U.S. government is threatening to ban TikTok, everyone’s favourite entertainment app. Though the removal of the app was originally set to happen on Sept. 20, the confusing ebb and flow of Chinese-American politics has unsurprisingly decided against it, pushing it back to this Sunday. Unsurprisingly though, after weeks of suspense, the ban was finally suppressed by a federal judge. But the restraints applied to TikTok go beyond preventing young Americans from watching and making viral videos: it has implications with censorship, data privacy, discrimination, and economic relations as well. A quick 15 second recap In recent months, the Trump administration has grown increasingly suspicious of TikTok’s soaring popularity, with members of each major party questioning the security of the app, especially after a long investigation Photo by Kit Mergaert into Russian involvement in the American elections. Though its U.S. headquarters are in Los Angeles, TikTok’s mother company, ByteDance, is Chinese-owned. The same is true of multi-purpose app WeChat, which is owned by China-based Tencent. Right now, TikTok has an estimated 100 million monthly American users, to WeChat’s more humble 3.3 million (though the latter has recorded around 1.2 billion monthly users across the world). With a combined usership equating to a third of the US population — or almost three times the population of Canada — the proportions and allegations concerning this decision are huge. What’s going on with the apps? Legally, the government of China is entitled to all the data owned by Chinese companies. For a while now, the U.S. government has been concerned about ByteDance sharing private information, including location and contacts with the Chinese government, which earned them a lawsuit last year. This comes after other scandals involving TikTok in regards to censorship: leaked documents about their algorithm policies showed they removed videos that were considered “controversial,” including any post which referred to the liberation movement in Tibet, the camps of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province, or the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. On another occasion, some of the apps’ discriminatory policies were also exposed, showing that their algorithms tended to hide the content of “unattractive, disabled, or poor users.” For some time, the only way for the Trump administration to let TikTok off the hook was to sell it to an American company, which would solve its informationsharing habit. The top contenders have been Microsoft — but the deal fell through a few weeks ago — Walmart, and Oracle, who are now in talks to buy huge amounts of shares in TikTok, but not enough to please Trump, who won’t rule the ban off the table until the app cuts all ties with its Chinese owners. Ultimately, prohibiting the operation of these apps seems to be a proxy for the friction in the U.S. and China’s relations. With constant quarrels about trade, national security, and just the general values of each country’s leader, it is clear that TikTok and WeChat have found themselves at the forefront of yet another political conflict.
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Commentary.
COMMENTARY EDITOR Aviva Majerczyk / @aviva_majerczyk commentary@theconcordian.com
STUDENT LIFE
The Woodnote: Peeking behind curtains
Chloë Lalonde Creative Director Click here read more and watch the video.
I just yelled “hey, on a des cours en ligne, enlève la music ou baise la volume” out of my window hoping the construction workers blasting the radio outside would hear me. They didn’t. At least I have wifi now. When Videotron finally came to install the wifi, I had to move around all my furniture because apparently there is a specific cable wire that the router needs to be plugged into and my wonderful credenza was in the way. Now it’s three inches off the wall, because the cable is that rigid. My partner and I are considering making a hole in the back of the unit, feeding the wire through and back out underneath. We’ll see if that actually happens. The past two weeks have been a jumble of spending too much time outside with inappropriate clothing for the recent weather change, worrying about having COVID, not having COVID, seeing friends I haven’t seen in months, attending lots of art shows, shopping for prints to decorate our bare walls and plants to decorate our windowsill. Oh, and I can’t forget the ridiculously long fire alarm test last week that burst my eardrums. As the construction worker’s French radio starts to grow on me, my concerns for my HelloFresh meal kit delivery grows. Recently, packages have been going missing at The Woodnote. Tenants think people from the street are walking in and stealing them or that they are straight up not being delivered. The building’s postal code was updated in early September, but it has not yet been recognized by Canada Post, nor have mail
boxes been installed; so the situation is super precarious right now. Yesterday, according to The Woodnote’s Facebook group chat, a homeless man was spotted vaping in the mezzanine. The temptation to create one of those “things in my Montreal studio apartment that just make sense” TikToks is enticing. Directly in front of one of our kitchen cupboards is a hanging light. Why is it there? It’s impossible to open the cupboard without hitting the light. Can I ask for it to be removed? And to whoever’s job it is to fix these kinds of things, while you’re at it, this piece of green tape on my window marking a chip in the plastic also needed to be fixed before I moved in. Also, my dad thinks my fridge doors should be reversed. But I’m too stressed to ask because we made too many holes in the walls and I don’t want to get in trouble. Yes, we’ll patch them, and yes, I’m overexaggerating. At first, the Facebook chat was super chaotic and awful. But as the weeks go by, I’m glad it exists. Tenants are sharing
printers, moving each others’ packages to safety, giving tips and tricks on how to stop your smoke detector from going off when you’re cooking, and how, or what, to bring to the property manager’s attention. I’m grateful for such a community that’s there when I need them, but also a mute button away when I just don’t want to hear about it. The building’s laundry machine system is kind of a scam, mirrors have fallen off walls, dents have been made, and strange ladies (potentially reporters) wait outside to ask tenants about the new cool co-op building. It’s not all bad though, I really love my little apartment and concrete view. It keeps me focused on school and work instead of distracted by the blue skies. I actually feel productive! I’m not kidding! All in all, I think the building has good bones, but there is still so much work to be done. Photos by Christine Beaudoin
Small Steps: The joy of a good, long walk Aviva Majerczyk Commentary Editor For most of the summer I was alone on a day-to-day basis. My two roommates had fled for the greener pastures of British Columbia by mid-May. So I was stuck in my apartment, occasionally seeing friends around the city, but without the default company of those in my house that I had come to rely on. Without people to share dinnertime and evening drinks with, I began to go a bit stir-crazy. In a simple attempt to vary up my routine, I started taking post-dinner walks. I’ve always appreciated walking, and even before COVID I was well aware of a good walk’s therapeutic effects. In high school, when experiencing a rocky adjustment to antidepressants, my mom and I would take a walk every afternoon as a way to force myself out of my bed-cave; fresh air and exercise always helped to give me some perspective. So, it only made sense that I would
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adopt this routine again in the summer of COVID, when most of us were (or still are) on the brink of mental breakdown. Typically, after dinner I’d grab my CJLO tote bag, put on my headphones, and walk out of my door, with no direction in mind. I live in the upper Plateau, on the edge of Mile End, so I made a point to walk through all the idyllic alleys of the neighbourhood, covered in quirky graffiti and murals with large trees draping over the road. Taking my evening strolls made me feel more connected to the city. Typically, I’m a fast, aggressive walker, so being able to really take my time and absorb the environment around me without any specific destination gave me a new appreciation for my pretty little borough. Walking is also the only thing that has been able to rip me away from my various screens. Throughout quarantine, it seemed like the only thing consuming my time was Netflix
and falling down rabbit holes of YouTube video essays. So, breaking up the monotony with some physical exercise became a necessity. That’s not to say I didn’t find a way to continue to absorb media through my walks. Podcasts became a necessary staple for my long strolls. A 50 minute WTF with Marc Maron or You’re Wrong About became the soundtrack to most of my Montreal adventures this summer. I had always used my home to school metro transit as my time to wind down from the day and catch up on my favourite podcasts, so I’m glad that habit hasn’t had to go away completely. I think I’ll continue to go on my walks until the weather forces me to stop. Even now that we are permitted to be a bit more social than earlier in COVID, it’s still important to take time with yourself and your thoughts. For me, it’s a nice long walk, but everyone’s different. Graphic by Taylor Reddam
CULTURE
A very COVID Rosh Hashanah
Jewish holidays are fundamentally communal activities, but with COVID, they’ve become a time to reflect on what traditions are most Aviva Majerczyk Commentary Editor As the summer started to wane and the pandemic didn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon, I started to wonder how Jewish people around the world would celebrate the High Holidays. The High Holidays are the most important weeks of the Jewish calendar. Starting with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and ending with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, it’s a time to welcome a new year by reflecting on the past year’s transgressions and asking for forgiveness from those in your life and then, ultimately, from God. Growing up, Rosh Hashanah meant taking the day off of school, getting dressed up, and attending synagogue with my parents. The services were long and mostly felt pretty boring at the time, minus the sprinkling of cantorial songs that would make the synagogue swell with harmonizing voices. After three long hours, the congregation would be dismissed and all the families would wish each other a “( ”הָבֹוט הָנָׁשshana tova, i.e. happy new year) as they slowly made their way out of the sanctuary. To me, the High Holidays were a fundamentally communal experience. Growing up in a small southern synagogue, it was the time for the Jewish community to connect through Torah study, Tashlich and Yom Kippur break-fast potlucks that served to, well, break our fasts. But, for obvious reasons, these traditions are more difficult this
year. Even if I wasn’t separated from my childhood synagogue by over 1,000 kilometres, Rosh Hashanah would still be a fairly isolated activity — but I knew I wanted to celebrate the new year in some way. The idea of not being able to celebrate the holidays due to COVID left me feeling helpless. Sure, there would be Zoom services, but watching Torah readings on the holiest days of the year through a laptop screen just felt a tad dystopian. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that old Jewish people and technology don’t go together well.
So the question became: how can I celebrate Rosh Hashanah in a way that is COVID-safe and fulfills my needs for spirituality and community? I thought about this for a while until one night when I had dinner with my roommate, who was discussing making her mother’s empanadas recipe for Chilean Independence Day. I loved her idea of taking a traditional food in her family and sharing it with us, her Montreal family. That’s when I decided to repay the favour, and make a Rosh Hashanah meal for our friends. Sharing food is a big deal in Jewish culture. Between the many laws governing food preparation (Kashrut), the commandment to feed the hungry and the several holidays and festivals that rotate around a
meal, Jews are very concerned with what and how we eat. Rosh Hashanah is no exception to this rule. While it isn’t as food centric as Passover and Tu BiShvat, there are still specific foods that you’re commanded to eat, such as apples and honey to ring in a “sweet” new year. All around, I wanted to use Rosh Hashanah as a way to connect not just to my spiritual Judaism, but to my cultural Judaism as well. So, I decided to go all out with the greatest hits of Ashkenazi cuisine. Propelled by what I can only attribute to some sort of generational feminine spirit, in the span of one day I prepared matzo ball soup, potato kugel, tzimmes, a challah and honey cake. Your bubbe could never. A few wine-toting friends arrived around 7 p.m. Surprisingly, all my dishes turned out even better than planned (which never happens to me). I recited the prayers over the candles and challah, then we sat around my small apartment table and ate, drank and talked for hours. Even though only one of my friends came from a Jewish background, that didn’t matter. To me, ringing in the new year is more about connecting with your Judaism, whatever that may look like, and surrounding yourself with those who can
help you be your best self for the upcoming year. Sharing my culture with those I care about outside of my family like I did this year wasn’t something I would have even thought to do before COVID. Yet, as annoying as social distancing has been, I’m
grateful that it forced me to look inward for my Judaism and take my religious practice into my own hands. Hopefully, next year social distancing won’t factor so heavily into all of our actions, but at this point, there’s no way to know. What I do know now is that it’s okay if my traditions change. Change doesn’t necessarily have to mean a downgrade, just a rethinking of what is most important to me. Photos by Aviva Majerczyk
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Commentary.
COMMENTARY EDITOR Aviva Majerczyk / @aviva_majerczyk commentary@theconcordian.com
SOCIAL MEDIA
The entitled and hopeless Generation Lay-Z Why are they always on their damn phones? Elyette Levy Assistant Commentary Editor
As a kid, I was lucky enough to grow up with a web developer dad, and a paranoid mom. When it finally came time for me to create my first ever email address, I distinctly remember my father telling me I should never, ever, ever use my real name online, because “you never know what could happen,” and something about how the internet is dangerous. And that’s the story of how I came to be identified with, for the few subsequent years, the terribly cringey online username of “Elycat1.” Finding a sense of belonging has been a confusing experience for those who, like me, were raised during the transition period between the offline and online ages. The security of the internet, the privacy, and the social implications of building our digital footprint were dealt with such nonchalance that I didn’t see the time go by until we were caught up with influencer culture and information overload. We can say all we want about the calamitous effects the internet will have on kids’ brains, and the havoc it will wreak on existing societal structures. Don’t get me wrong, I’d never want to underplay the devastating effects of social media or of the over-accessibility of information on mental health, self-confidence, or social expectations. But I also see so many ways in which those younger than me have thrived from growing up in the digital era, and I can’t hide the admiration I hold for them. These days, I’m noticing so much ease in younger people who are overcoming the hurdles my peers and I faced while we were shaping our identities.
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It might seem superficial, but I rarely ever see anyone dressed in the quite tasteless way I used to, or having the insecurities I did about my own interests. I know not everything we see online is to be trusted, yet I feel a lot of sincerity in what teenagers publish on the web. For me, it was always a struggle growing up to find affinities with those around me, and it was very embarrassing (it still is) to me that the community I felt I belonged to most was the One Direction fan club on Twitter. But as computers and phones have crept their way into our day-to-day, even the most fringe tastes can create kinship among strangers.
It’s uplifting to read about kids supporting each other through comingouts, anxiety episodes, experiences of abuse and other adversities they face, and to find encouraging, sympathetic voices coming from the same demographic that the media discredits as impudent and lazy. I have to admit that I sometimes feel envious of how welcoming many online spaces can be on platforms like Tumblr, which used to be seen as kingdoms of eccentricity.
if this is supported by a society that more thoroughly endorses critical thinking, or by one in which maturity has become a pressing necessity — either way, it’s impressive how aware and concerned they feel about the world. TikTok has been in the news a lot lately, and though it’s rife with short-lived trends, there has been a constant stream of heartening and self-bettering content. Educational, philosophical, politically relevant, and health-advocating videos have done numbers, and though some may see it as a trend or as a response to a demoralizing quarantine, it seems to me to be part of a greater youth-led movement that prioritizes self-realization and happiness. For a generation who has only known a world assisted by softwares and screens, a lot of what is reproached of us, like being too reliant on technology or too disconnected from physical reality, has been implemented and enabled by a society whose goal was to make life better. It’s become a game of sorts for our elders to boast the pains they experienced at our age, almost in an attempt to prove their resilience — my mother always reminds me how far she had to walk to school when I bring up the length of my daily commute. But in fact, shouldn’t we be happy that people have it easier than we do, and to hope they can thrive in ways we couldn’t? I am, at least, and I’m proud of the place young people continue to make for themselves in the world.
I’m very inspired by the ambition and creativity set forth by younger crowds. For better or for worse, their identities and characters are a lot better defined than my own were a few years ago. Though I only started forming concrete political beliefs at the end of high school, I’ve seen kids much younger than that at rallies and protests. I’m not sure Graphic by @the.beta.lab
OPINIONS
Can Justice Ginsburg RIP?
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away last week and, in a recent discovery, the internet has no patience for human grief
Simona Rosenfield Assistant Commentary Editor Do political figures deserve peace in death? They gave up a lot to acquire the power they wielded in life. Many sacrifice their families, their retirements, their privacy. After their death, the consequences of their actions live on — in legislature, public opinion and history books. Do public figures, especially those in politics, get to rest in peace? This conversation, most recently stoked by the passing of United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is a heavy dispute shaping the landscape of our collective values and standards. Does Ginsburg deserve a quiet, private passing, despite the public and political consequences of her death? Since her passing last Friday, with her public and personal life on display, the progressiveleaning corners of the internet have taken to criticizing Ginsburg’s policies and values, and her impact on society and law. That must be nice for her family in mourning. It is important to critically assess the decisions made by those in power. It is important to celebrate successes and openly discuss failures. In life and in death, our policymakers weave the fabric of our society, and it is our duty to use our right to think and speak freely. With this in mind, our society also has customs, and our customs guide our collective moral compass, behavioural norms and cultural taboos. We have undressed a lot of customs over the last century and determined that some no longer serve us, and we have fortified others that remain relevant today. In death, people of the Jewish faith have a custom called “sitting shiva,” shiva meaning seven in Hebrew. Sitting shiva is when the intimate family of the deceased mourn their loss over seven days by inviting loved ones and mourners to their home to fortify community and support throughout their grieving process. It is a time to come together. It is a time to lay loved ones to rest. It’s barely been a week since Ginsburg’s passing. Those closest to Ginsburg, who was Jewish herself, have not yet concluded the tradition of shiva. Meanwhile, Ginsburg’s work and legacy are in violent dispute. Can people have a moment to grieve? Ginsburg was not perfect, and should not be deified — nobody should be. I find it distressing that we have two options for celebrities in our society: hero or villain, us or them, perfect or disgraceful. Neither life nor people have to be absolute and binary. Beyond that, singular thinking like this hinders connection, productivity, and mobilization, which are major factors in democracy’s inefficiency. Why is Ginsburg, after a career championing women’s rights, in death labeled the image of “white feminism?” Can’t those who support gender equality
bridge the gaps between our differing visions, and celebrate the victories when we do reach them? We spend so much time arguing amongst ourselves how to accomplish gender equality that we create more obstacles for the movement. Ginsburg made many mistakes, such as the Atlantic Coast Pipeline crossing the Appalachian Trail, located in Virginia, that she voted to pass. She also made a lot of progress. Can’t we talk about, during this week of mourning, all of the beautiful ways she contributed to the gender equality movement? This idea is not about censorship. It is the custom of North American society, and the custom of Jewish society, and I believe it serves our society today. It is a question of dignity to allow Ginsburg’s grieving family to celebrate and love her in peace.
I want to hold hands. In her long career as a lawyer, and member of the Supreme Court Justice of the United States, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was instrumental in passing laws that support abortion rights, same sex marriage rights, prevent gender and reproductive discrimination in the workplace, include women in jury duty, ensure equality with social security and tax exemptions, enable those assigned female at birth (afab) to own credit cards and take out mortgages — the list goes on. While notorious for her guts, her grind, and her relentlessness, RBG does not deserve to be deified. Her family deserves a week of mourning. Her critics deserve a chance to reflect on her complicated legacy. Her supporters deserve a chance to learn more about her shortcomings. Ruth Bader Ginsburg deserves to rest in peace. Graphic by Taylor Reddam
Yum or Yikes!
Comptoir Koyajo
Benjamin Zelniker Contributor
Last year, I visited an enticing Korean restaurant called Comptoir Koyajo. Located right near Loyola campus, this restaurant is very close-by and convenient for students to get a quick bite to eat in between classes and study sessions. I decided to go there again recently, since I had a little bit of time in between my online lectures and I live nearby. This restaurant’s layout has changed completely since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and has adjusted very well to this new reality people around the world are finding themselves in. The ambience of Comptoir Koyajo is really well done given our current situation. Unfortunately, there is not enough room to have indoor seating. They converted the front door of the restaurant into a serving window, and there are a few picnic tables on the curb outside for patrons to enjoy their meals. One issue, however, is that the picnic tables outside are a bit too close to each other. Unfortunately, when I went, there seemed to be a beehive nearby, and they kept trying to pick at my food, so I ended up bringing my meal home. Ambience: 3.5/5 The food tasted great! I ordered a spicy chicken plate, which consisted of some pulled chicken, steamed rice, and kimchi. There were many other options offered as well, such as sandwiches and ramen soups. The chicken was spiced perfectly; it wasn’t so spicy as to impact the flavour, but it wasn’t too bland at the same time. My only complaint was that the portion sizes were a bit small for a dinner, but they were perfectly sized for a small, healthy lunch option. Food: 4.5/5 The price was around the average price of a meal in the area, $11 for the plate, but it came with the option of getting two dumplings for one extra dollar. On a warm day, their outdoor seating is perfect for getting a little bit of studying done and grabbing a quick bite to eat. Food delivery services such as UberEats, Skip the Dishes, and DoorDash are available too, but they are a little bit more expensive. It is not the cheapest meal in the world, but it is nice to get as an occasional treat for working hard during the week. Price: 4/5 The service was excellent. The staff were extremely polite, and they tried their best to be positive, even during the pandemic. Their policy is to have customers line up at the door and wait for their food outside at the picnic tables they had installed in front of their store. However, the food took a little while to get prepared, and it was a cold day, so I had to stand outside trying to keep warm. Service: 4/5 Comptoir Koyajo followed COVID-19 safety guidelines well. The employees inside were all wearing masks, and washed their hands after serving each customer. Even though no customers were allowed inside the building, the store still prominently displayed a bottle of hand sanitizer and recommended people to use it before eating. In these trying times, following COVID-19 directions is extremely important, and I’m glad that this restaurant is looking out for people. COVID-19 Safety: 5/5 Comptoir Koyajo is a great option for students and people who work in the area around the Loyola Campus. Their food is delicious, healthy, and very much worth the short walk from campus. All in all, going to this restaurant was a great experience, even though it was a bit tough to eat outdoors due to the bees and to the cold weather. UberEats, Doordash, and Skip The Dishes deliver their food too, which is the safest option in the pandemic!
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Arts.
ARTS EDITOR Lorenza Mezzapelle / @lorenzamezzapelle arts@theconcordian.com
FILM
Nuestras Madres: an untold tale of resilient Guatemalan women
The film depicts the unheard voices that were victims of the civil war Ana Lucia Londono Flores Assistant Arts Editor
Nuestras Madres, directed by César Díaz, a BelgianGuatemalan film director who’s worked on multiple documentary films, takes place in Guatemala in 2018 during the trial of soldiers who started the civil war. Nuestras Madres won the Caméra d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. The Guatemalan Civil War, which spanned from 1960 to 1996, was a war between the Guatemalan government and leftist groups due to unfair land distribution. The war led to the killing and disappearances of many civilians, but also the genocide of Mayan communities. Ernesto (Armando Espitia) is a young anthropologist from the Medical-Legal Foundation in Guatemala City working on the massacre of civilians and guerrilleros from the country’s civil
war. One day, he is acquainted with a Q’eqchi’ woman named Nicolasa (Aurelia Caal) seeking his help to exhume the body of her husband, Mateo, who was tortured and shot by soldiers. In one scene, Nicolasa shows Ernesto a picture of guerrilleros. Ernesto is shocked as he recognizes the face of his father, who disappeared during the war. He goes to his desk and comes back to her with a picture of his father as he tries to compare both faces from the photographs. This leads Ernesto to embark on the search for his father and strikes a need to understand his disappearance. In the end, Ernesto will be surprised to know the untold story of his mother Cristina (Emma Dib) who kept her experience during the war secret from him. Díaz did a remarkable job in illustrating stories that depict realities that many Guatemalans
lived throughout the civil war. The movie is a testimonial to the many Indigenous women who suffered during the civil war as they were the main target during the early 80s. The movie is filled with sincerity. Through the characters, one can feel the pain and the suffering that has lived inside the victims for so long. A poignant scene from the film occurs when several Mayan women from Nicolasa’s village decide to give their testimony about the war to Ernesto, while he visits to dig up Mateo’s body. A series of women’s faces are then shown on the screen, each of them having a different portrait but sharing the same pain for several years. They were once living in silence; now, they are heard. Their faces represent the many people who endured the atrocities
of the war. They allow people from around the world, who’ve experienced similar events, to have the possibility of connecting with this community. Díaz’s work is a recognition of the people who lived through the war and who are still healing from it. The movie serves as an opportunity for the audience to understand the way in which these events can be traumatizing. Many viewers may be unaware of the Guatemalan Civil War. Nuestras Madres gives people the opportunity to find out how a war that is little spoken about can leave a country with disturbing memories and many suffering in silence. Nuestras Madres is playing at Cinéma Moderne on 5150 StLaurent Blvd. The next viewing will be on Oct. 3. Tickets are available online.
THINKPIECE
Dear art industry, it’s not me ... it’s you Lorenza Mezzapelle Arts Editor
In the past six months, I have not visited a single art show, gallery opening, exhibition, or museum. Perhaps this is the longest amount of time I’ve gone without reading press releases, interviewing artists, or trying to find some sort of sociopolitical angle to approach an exhibition from. Yet, I have to admit… I kind of like it. After spending the majority of lockdown being out of a job like many others, I have had tons of time to think about the art industry, which I have honestly always been quite hesitant to be a part of. After racking my brain about the place art holds in society, both amidst chaos and mundanity — and participating in both an internship and residency, alongside many other writers and artists, for the better part of the summer months — it is safe to say, I am not the only one who feels this way. I do not believe this is solely a reflection on my evolving relationship with the art industry as a result of personal values. Rather, it’s a reflection on the
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circumstances that have caused the relationship itself to change. It has become clear that many others, and myself, are hesitant to make a career out of this. Not because we do not love art, but, well, because the industry doesn’t appear to love us. The past few months have been eye-opening, to say the least. Among the things that have been on my mind is pay. When artists and writers are going unpaid for work that continues to get published, how can we be expected to stay? The fact that I get paid more (and on time) by student media is a poor reflection on the many institutions that hire writers and artists. And don’t get me wrong, I’m aware that these were all issues before lockdown began. However, lockdown seems to have brought these issues to the forefront for most non-essential workers, many of whom have been struggling to get by (and many of whom struggle to get by, even pre-lockdown, without the help of a second, more stable job). How can we not struggle when getting a decent job within the industry requires years of
experience and multiple internships under our belts? If it weren’t for the fact that I’m fortunate enough to still live at home, I wouldn’t have been able to participate in any of my internship experiences, all of which were unpaid. Even still, I had to work other jobs and pull seven-day work weeks to afford transport, cell phone bills, and other necessities. Upon returning to work in July as a copywriter for an international online luxury retail platform, I was told by a coworker ten years my senior that I had made a great decision in opting to drop my second major in Art History. They added that even after ten years in the industry, they still hadn’t been awarded a raise or promotion and noted that I’d still be able to work in the arts because “it’s all about networking anyway,” and I’d “already made [my] contacts.” It is a sad reality, but a reality nonetheless. Years of studying and dedication won’t guarantee you a position unless you meet the right people. I guess that’s business, baby, as they say. But even when you do land
a position, where does this place you amidst today’s uncertainty a n d ever-evolving technological landscape? With museums and galleries being closed for the greater portion of the summer, and exhibitions moving online, the role of museums was inevitably brought into question. What purpose do they serve when one can now access the entirety of most major collections from anywhere in the world for free? The value of these “prestigious” institutions seem... almost, dare I say ... questionable. Despite it all, art remains one of my favorite sociocultural forms of expression, and art writing one of my favorite types of journalism. I guess you could say it’s a love-hate relationship. While switching majors has proven to be a more viable option for me, based on my personal career goals, art journalism is still a long-term goal of mine. Until then, leaders of the art industry, you have some work to do. Graphic by @the.beta.lab
MURAL Festival became an
“Estival” during COVID-19 Even in the midst of a pandemic, art prevails
By Lola Cardona, Video Editor Photos by Christine Beaudoin Click here to watch the video.
Montreal’s MURAL Festival was founded in 2012, beginning as “a love letter from Montreal to the world” with a goal to democratize street art. It is known for its celebration of the arts, with renowned artists from all around the world contributing and showcasing their live art, music, and exhibitions. “We are the meeting place of creative minds and we represent the festive and innovating soul of a booming artistic scene,” its website states. Whether you’re a tourist or a Montreal native, this annual 11-day event is an excellent way for people to discover great art and artists. During a normal summer, these festivities would consist of huge crowds attending music shows, talks, performance art and more. However, this isn’t a normal summer, and the MURAL Festival adapted accordingly. Although the usual festival was cancelled, the Estival, derived from the French word for summertime, was created in its place. The MURAL Festival believed that even with this past summer’s conditions, it was important that people still had the freedom to express themselves and for others to take time to relax and appreciate the art. Only this time, safe distances were mandatory. So, instead of an 11-day festival, the Estival would take place during
the three months of summer, without gatherings of any kind. There would still be physical street work going on, but many of the music performances and conferences were streamed online so that citizens could watch their shows safely. Guided tours of the artworks were available as well. Towards the end of August, I picked up my camera and explored the streets of downtown Montreal in search of large, beautiful murals. As a Video Editor for The Concordian, I decided to check out murals from MURAL Festivals of years’ past to make a video, but I also went to satisfy my own curiosity. I started on St-Laurent Boulevard. Most of the art I encountered was in great shape; they were huge, bright, and beautiful. Some artworks, like Daniel Joseph Bombardier’s Denial, just off of Prince Arthur Street, had powerful messages
embedded in them. Other artworks, likely because of their age, were damaged or covered up with graffiti in some way. Zilon, which was named after the artist, created in 2014 and located at the corner of St-Dominique Street and Marie-Anne Street, was covered in white and black spray paint, leaving only small parts of the image visible. One thing I realized while documenting all of these pieces of art was the importance of street art. The MURAL Festival itself is a celebration of art in all its forms, but the murals that remained served as a subtle reminder to appreciate the art that we’re surrounded by. Street art is a way for people to enjoy cities and neighbourhoods, whether foreign or local to them, and, especially now, admire artwork safely outside. Murals fill city streets with colour and life, and as someone who hasn’t lived in Montreal for long, murals help me see the beauty in the ordinary; a normal walk to work can turn into a walk through culture and art. Even amid a pandemic, the MURAL Festival was able to maintain its yearly tradition and add more art to the city. So, even though the Estival is over, and past Festivals are long gone, their stamps on the city remain, and it makes the world a slightly brighter place.
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Music.
MUSIC EDITOR Louis Pavlakos / @louispavlakos music@theconcordian.com
Bridging the gap Piecing together Damso’s secretive road to QALF
After the cryptic surprise drop of QALF, Damso might have more to show us Diona Macalinga Staff Writer
are speculating that the tracks released on Sept. 18 are only the first part of a possible double With 12 tracks dominating record due to the last track being Spotify’s France Top 50 playlist, titled “INTRO.” Damso’s latest album QALF Some fans, including became Spotify France’s best Belgian rapper Kobo, are also drop of the year. The album questioning why there are two reached over 11 million streams album covers surfacing the web a day after its release on Friday, showing two different durations. Sept. 18. The original album being 45:05 Since Damso’s last and another almost identical studio album Lithopédion cover with three minutes added dropped in 2018, the 28-year- to the original 45. old artist kept a low profile on A fifteenth track is social media, removing all of his another possible reason for photos on Instagram, until the the added three minutes in the drop of QALF. second cover. A Twitter fan News about the Belgian- posted a screenshot of Damso’s Congolese rapper working on QALF playlist that reveals an this latest project has been going unlisted song titled “Jade.” around since October of last Although highly-anticipated, year. But a tweet he posted in QALF’s sudden release was 2015 in which he uses the term announced in an Instagram post, “QALF” shows that the project leaving his 1.8 million followers might have been in the making pleasantly surprised. The post for over five years. simply captioned, “Bonne According to an interview Écoute” (Good Listening) with the Belgian hip hop YouTube with the Vulcan Salute emoji. channel Tarmac, the title stands Listeners who stuck around for “Qui Aime Like Follow” since Batterie faible would (Who Loves Like Follow). Fans recognize the emoji as the
rapper’s signature #Vie hand sign. Damso fans will also recognize some of Belgium’s biggest artists featured in the new album such as rapper Hamza and singer Lous and the Yakuza, who is also originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His collaboration with Fally Ipupa, one of the most popular rumba singers in his home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is arguably the most exciting collaboration on the whole album. “FAIS ÇA BIEN” combines both Fally Ipupa’s Lingala singing with Damso’s rap over rumba music that shifts to a more trap beat early in the song. Fans get to also hear the rapper’s son Lior speak for the first time in “DEUX TOILES DE MER.” The title is a reference to a voicemail Lior left his father, where he stumbles saying “des étoiles de mer” (starfishes) while talking about the different sea animals he saw.
KAMAIYAH & CAPOLOW OAKLAND NIGHTS Kamaiyah and Capolow keep each other on their toes on Oakland Nights, a tribute to their hometown Louis Pavlakos Music Editor
Kamaiyah knew we were deprived. Before the start of 2020, she’d been fairly quiet since her 2017 mixtape Before I Wake, a short but cutthroat display of the Oakland sound she grew up with. This year alone, she returned with another small mixtape back in February titled Got It Made. On that project, “Digits” was a standout track featuring Capolow, another Bay Area native. The chemistry between the two rappers was so immaculate that they agreed to team up on Oakland Nights, a 10-track EP that sees both artists trading bars and creating sticky hooks across its brief 25-minute runtime. Capolow sounds right at home rapping alongside Kamaiyah. On “Gimme Dat,” he tries his hand at making a pop-crossover, with a singsongy hook that has a bounce that would sound as great in the car speakers as it would at 1 a.m.
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at the club. Their addictive writing is also apparent on “Undercover,” a sensual latenight jam that has Kamaiyah singing an R&B-like hook that must have existed on some early 2000s MTV compilation. Despite having several tracks that feel like an attempt at crossover success, Kamaiyah and Capolow also indulge in harder-hitting, aggressive rap songs. On “How I Move,” Capolow raps like he’s on a mission. Backed only by an isolated guitarchord progression and without the help of Kamaiyah, the track is a showcase for Capolow. His flow sounds angry and his lyrics are punchy.
After Lior’s heartwarming voicemail, the song transitions into a delicate piano piece where Damso sings about how much he misses his son and how he is no longer with the mother. The close bond between Damso and his son is well-known among fans, as the rapper occasionally featured the toddler in his Instagram stories. Between QALF and his 2018 album Lithopédion, Damso continued to regularly feature on French rapper Kalash’s hits and held a concert in Laval on May 10, 2019. The scale of his fanbase in Quebec was underestimated when fans urged him to move the concert from MTELUS to Place Bell due to high demand. But the success QALF received within the first week of its release showed that despite the couple of years he spent staying out of the public eye, fans who love him are ready to like and follow.
Quickspins
The lyricism, while fine, isn’t what makes the mixtape so addictive. Kamaiyah’s charm and wit are an indication that she can be both a serious rapper and a jokester at once. Some bars might not land the way she might’ve wanted them to, but it’s not even that much of a deterrent because of how confident she sounds while rapping them. Although this a collaborative tape between two Oakland rappers, it feels both have their own unique conclusions. For Kamaiyah, this is more a victory lap following Got It Made. For Capolow, this is his opportunity to direct more ears to his solo work as a joint-album with an established Oakland rapper will likely turn some heads.
8 / 10 ♫ TRIAL TRACK: GIMME DAT
MUSIC
What BTS’s “Dynamite” says about the American music industry Will the success of these global superstars help bring change to a fundamentally xenophobic industry? Nadia Trudel Contributor Graphic by @the.beta.lab
After seven years in the music industry, Bangtan Sonyeondan (better known as BTS) has undoubtedly become one of the biggest boy bands in the world, national treasures in South Korea, and a real threat to the historic dominance of English language music in the world’s biggest music market: the United States. Before the group released their single “Dynamite” in August, the highest a BTS song had ever charted on Billboard was at number four with the lead single from Map of the Soul 7, “ON.” What made the difference this time is that American radio played “Dynamite.” The Hot 100 factors in not only physical and digital sales and streams, but also radio play.
Quickspins
ALICIA KEYS ALICIA On her seventh LP, Keys shows an adventurousness that results in one of her best releases yet. Wesley McLean Assistant Music Editor At this point in her career, Alicia Keys needs no introduction. The singer-songwriter has been a prominent figure in music for almost 20 years, with chart-topping hit singles and classic albums to her name. On her seventh LP, Keys brings forth her most collaborative and genre-blending release to date. With ALICIA, Keys explores various genres of music throughout the album’s runtime. From the old school funk influence on “Time Machine” to the dub-inspired “Wasted Energy” we see Keys shifting from one sound to the next in a near-seamless fashion. The most impressive thing about this record is that the sound remains cohesive no matter how varied the tracks are. A major factor in the album being able to strike this balance between its eclectic nature and sense of cohesion is its feature list. Up until this point, Keys’ projects have had minimal to no features, but with ALICIA, we see a pretty hefty guest list. Of the 15 tracks, seven have credited guest vocalists, and there are several uncredited acts hidden within the tracklist as well. While this is new territory for Keys, these
Up until “Dynamite,” American radio had largely refused to play the group’s music. When it was announced that BTS would be releasing an English single, fans were interested to see what radio stations would do. If they didn’t play a successful English-language song it would be clear the reason was simply that a Korean group sang it. On the other hand, if they did play the track, it would be clear that the reason prior hits like “Boy with Luv” and “DNA” were ignored was that they were in Korean. As it turns out, radio did the latter. “Dynamite” seems to be changing the tides for BTS in the American music industry: they’re getting radio play, proper media coverage, and being asked about their music rather than their favourite colour in interviews. The success of “Dynamite” is bittersweet for
artists fit in exactly how they’re supposed to and help to take these tracks to the next level. The sultry “Show Me Love” sees Keys and Grammywinning R&B singer Miguel smoothly weave their vocals together harmonizing beautifully over mellow guitar chords, delivering a fantastic downtempo R&B duet. The song “3 Hour Drive” sees Keys and UK singer-songwriter Sampha somberly yet soulfully crooning about lost love. As much as it feels like Keys exploring Sampha’s sound, it also feels like he’s adapting to hers as well. The pair’s individual styles complement each other very well, and they share an unexpected amount of chemistry on the track. The most surprising foray into a new genre for Keys comes on the country-tinged “Gramercy Park.” The song sees her exploring all the changes she is making in order to appeal to her partner’s desires, realizing the person her partner is falling for isn’t even her. It’s a very intimate and reflective song, and Keys fits very comfortably over the country-inspired instrumental. While the album shines as it switches smoothly between different genres and moods, it closes with a familiar sound for Keys fans. The final two tracks, “Perfect Way to Die” and “Good Job” both feature nothing more than her and her piano, the signature sound she’s known for. “Perfect Way to Die” is an extremely emotional and powerful protest ballad, touching on police brutality and the pain of loss. “Good Job” is a beautiful ode to the hard work of
fans. It’s deserved of course, but it’s unfortunate that the group had to sing in English to finally get what they deserve in America, and it exposes the industry’s xenophobia. To someone unfamiliar with BTS it might seem like they’ve finally caved after years of being asked to make music in English or like they’re selling out to please the western music industry. However, lyricism has been important to members of BTS since their debut in 2013. From criticizing the rigid school system in Korea, societal expectations placed on young people and generational disparities, to discussing mental health, grief, growing up, self-love, and references to analytical psychology, German literature, Bong Joonho’s Snowpiercer, the legend of the Pied Piper, the novels of Haruki Murakami, The Little Prince, Greek mythology, and the Japanese cartoon superhero Anpanman, BTS sing about it all. Language is an important part of identity and art, something English speakers often forget because our language and culture is everywhere. So despite RM’s fluency in English, part of his artistry, and the artistry of the other members, lies in the Korean language with which they create wordplay and poetry that just wouldn’t translate into English, and that is part of the beauty of it. And yet “Dynamite” was completely in English. The industry can’t keep the doors closed to non-English music much longer; the world is becoming much too globalized, and fans can easily spot its cop outs and performative diversity. The industry might think that BTS has started playing by their rules, but it’ll be in a tough spot when they drop a Korean album in the next few months, which, like anything BTS touches will inevitably be successful. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled to see what the industry does with BTS in the future.
everyday people, but in a world affected by COVID-19, it feels more like an anthem dedicated to the perseverance of the human spirit. ALICIA is a wonderful album that sees Keys adapting her style to an assortment of genres without sacrificing her artistic integrity. It’s a deeply personal and reflective piece of work that excels in the diversity of its soundscape, and the quality of the songwriting. Keys’ boldness in exploring different genres may have been a risk, but it paid off majorly, resulting in one of her best and most interesting albums yet.
8 / 10
♫ TRIAL TRACK: 3 HR DRIVE FEAT. SAMPHA
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Sports.
SPORTS EDITOR Alec Brideau / @alecbrideau sports@theconcordian.com
HOCKEY
An interesting Draft for the Montreal Canadiens The Habs have the 16th overall selection in the year’s NHL Draft
Valérie Bayeur Contributor As COVID-19 delayed the National Hockey League (NHL) 2019–20 playoffs, this year’s NHL Entry Draft will be presented on Oct. 6–7. It will be conducted online, as all selected players will be at home during the event. The Montreal Canadiens have 13 draft picks this year, including the sixteenth overall selection. The team’s last two first-round picks were Cole Caufield and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, fifteenth overall pick in 2019 and third overall pick in 2018, respectively. As the team begins to see the impact of its young talented players, this year’s draft should only add to what the Canadiens are heading towards: youth. The question is: who should the Montreal Canadiens select? Here are some players who might interest the Habs. Hendrix Lapierre: Besides Alexis Lafrenière, projected first overall selection in the draft, Lapierre is the next best French-Canadian player the Canadiens could select. Unfortunately, Lapierre has suffered multiple concussions, which led him to miss over half of the 2019–20 season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). During his short season, Lapierre produced two goals and 15 assists for 17 points in 19 games with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. His playmaking and ability to control the puck is something that could definitely help the Canadiens at the centre position. He isn’t the best offensive player in the draft, but he is definitely one of the best defensive centremen available. His hockey sense is impressive and he can easily find players on the ice. Lapierre could be the first French-Canadian drafted by the Habs in the first round since Louis Leblanc in 2009.
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Dylan Holloway: Ranked at number 16 on Bob McKenzie’s list on TSN, Holloway is another player that could interest the Habs. Although Holloway had an average season with the University of Wisconsin, scoring eight goals and nine assists in 35 games, the forward who can play centre and leftwing has a great potential. His speed and physicality could help a team like the Habs, which mainly consists of small players. Finding players with the speed and size of Holloway is rare. He would help his teammates to free up space on the ice. The fact he played with Caufield in Wisconsin could also convince the Canadiens to draft him.
Noel Gunler: This Swedish offensive player could add offensive power to the Canadiens. Playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and the J20 SuperElit League, Gunler got 29 goals and 22 assists for 51 points in 46 games during the 2018–19 season. Gunler has an ease in finding the space and time to shoot the puck. Being very tall, he doesn’t have any difficulty driving the net and blocking the goalie’s view, which could be a great addition to the Habs’ power play. Although he might need another year to be ready for the NHL, Gunler could potentially be a top-two player playing alongside the team’s great centres like Kotkaniemi.
Amirov is a tall, Russian leftwinger. He has played in Russia in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), the Molodiojnaïa Hokkeïnaïa Liga (MHL) and the Vyschaïa Hokkeïnaïa Liga (VHL). In 2019–20, Amirov counted 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 43 games. Amirov has amazing skills, and can easily score goals on a penalty shot or a breakaway. His shot is also extremely good, as he has a powerful release. However, he might not be the heaviest player, which may deter the Habs. He definitely has the potential to become a great goal scorer in the NHL, and he, just like Gunler, could help the Canadiens on the power play. He still has amazing potential and he is very entertaining to watch.
Dawson Mercer: The Habs desperately need offensive power and if their General Manager Marc Bergevin does not trade for a goal scorer, Mercer could at least be a solution for the future. Last year, Mercer registered 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points in 42 games, playing for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and the Drummondville Voltigeurs. His stickhandling skills help him get great opportunities for his powerful shot. While not the fastest, he is capable of outskating players and taking the puck from his opponents. He has a great mentality and works really hard on both sides of the Rodion Amirov: Ranked as one of the best ice, which is important for the prospects for the Canadiens by With all the great players Habs organization. RDS journalist Stéphane Leroux, available in this year’s draft, it will be interesting to see which one the Canadiens will pick. No matter who it is, it’s almost guaranteed they’ll have something to solve the team’s needs. However, after recently signing defencemen Alexander Romanov and Joel Edmundson, the Habs might look into drafting a forward for the fourth straight year. Graphic by @the.beta.lab Graphic by @sundaeghost
MONTREAL MARATHON
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Montreal Marathon cancelled
The 2020 edition of the event is cancelled due to COVID-19 Liam Sharp Assistant Sports Editor On July 30, the 2020 Rock ‘n’ Roll Montreal Marathon planned for Sept.19–20 was officially cancelled due to COVID-19.
Part of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series that organizes road running events operated by the IRONMAN group, the race was the only Canadian event in the global Rock ‘n’ Roll series. This year’s marathon would have marked its 30th edition. On Aug. 28, organizers of the event announced that the 2021 edition of the race in Montreal would also be cancelled. In the midst of a pandemic, organizers could not find an adequate solution and were subsequently forced to cancel. The Marathon typically includes four events over the course of the weekend. Athletes can choose between a 5km, 10km, half-marathon or a full marathon race.
Blaming a team loss on one individual isn’t fair Toronto Raptors Pascal Siakam faced criticism following his team’s playoff elimination. The dream of back-to-back championships for the Toronto Raptors was shattered when they were eliminated from the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs during the Eastern Conference semifinals. After sweeping their
Over 18,000 people showed up during 2019’s are still ways to stay engaged. The organization recently launched weekend, with 9,500 runners participating in the a virtual running club that enables users to half-marathon and 3,100 in the full marathon. partake in their organized races from the “Last year, there were a lot of complications that safety of their homes. The Rock ‘n’ Roll showed just how Marathon Series app also offers weekly hard the marathon inspirational challenges and virtual races is to organize,” that can be started and finished from said Jay Lopez, a anywhere. They also host a VR Running Montrealer who Club that offers informative resources has participated in training, fitness, and nutrition to help in the annual athletes reach their running goals. Lopez said the virtual social hub marathon for the last seven years. will be a much needed alternative to a “With COVID-19 public marathon; however, he added, the now on top of all energy shared between participants in that, it only makes a live event is impossible to replicate in sense to cancel the individual training. event.” “The anticipation leading up to a big The death of event is the best form of motivation,” a participant who Lopez said. “Unfortunately, runners went into cardiac arrest near the end of the half- will have to find that motivation marathon headlined publications for a number from somewhere else now. If 2020 of days following the 2019 edition of the event. has taught me anything, it’s to keep In addition, the organizers received criticism for my head up despite all these hurdles poor management when the marathon’s start along the journey and be patient in times were delayed by 50 minutes, as hundreds hopes for a brighter future.” of runners were left waiting at the start line. Consequently, race producer and director Graphic by Taylor Reddam Dominique Piché resigned. Lassonde, a major sponsor of the marathon for 17 years, opted out of future events, citing poor management and a significant number of shortcomings with regards to the organization of the race. With no plans for the series to return north of the border in the foreseeable future, Montreal running enthusiasts will be happy to know there
first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, the Raptors lost a heartbreaking Game 7 to the Boston Celtics by a score of 92-87, and were eliminated from the playoffs. Following the elimination, Raptors player Pascal Siakam was at the centre of discussion and criticism. United States media and Celtics reporters were hard on him, with Siakam even being asked how it feels to be responsible for his team’s loss. Siakam’s field goal percentage (FG%) this postseason decreased by 7.4 per cent compared to last year’s playoffs where he finished with 47 FG%. He also averaged fewer points per game
despite averaging more playing time. However, he isn’t the only Raptor whose statistics dropped. Team star Kyle Lowry also saw a decrease in his FG%, while Marc Gasol couldn’t match his playing time, points per game or FG% from 2018–19. Basketball requires passing plays, communication, and a good defensive game to support the offence. It’s fair to mention that a player missed important or even easy shots in key moments. Yet, those failed opportunities are part of a whole. Siakam isn’t responsible for the Raptors in its entirety, just like Montreal Canadiens superstar Carey Price isn’t necessarily the only reason for a loss. It would be unfair to blame Siakam’s missed shots, and act like all other Raptors errors didn’t
affect the outcome of the game. The point is simple: it’s unfair to say that one person is responsible for all, no matter which sport. Alec Brideau Sports Editor Graphic by @the.beta.lab
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Editorial:
Feeling disillusioned? These past few weeks have been jam-packed with some hard truths. On Sept. 16, The Concordian reported that the university will not be complying with the Human Rights Commission’s recommendations regarding the handling of sexual assault complaints. This news is the latest in Concordia’s long and checkered history with the subject of sexual violence on campus.
On Sept. 23, a U.S. grand jury decided that Kentucky police officers Brett Hankinson, Jonathan Mattingly, and Myles Cosgrove, who fatally shot 26-year-old Black healthcare worker Breonna Taylor, will not be charged with her death. The decision follows months of protests against police violence in both the U.S. and Canada.
On Sept. 18, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, died at 87. Naturally, her passing reminds us of her decades-long fight for gender equality, abortion rights, and marriage equality. But Ginsburg’s death has also highlighted her more dubious decisions, such as her vote to allow for the quicker removal of asylum seekers, or her support of the Atlantic Coast pipeline.
On Sept. 28, Quebec Premier François Legault announced that Montreal has entered the “red zone,” meaning restrictions due to COVID-19 have been thoroughly tightened once again. New cases in the province have shot up to 896 in a single day, the highest number we’ve seen since May. On that same day, Concordia announced that the winter term will occur remotely.
Right now, many of us feel disillusioned, discouraged, and downright disappointed. Concordia is still failing to treat victims of sexual violence with respect; cracks in the legacy of Justice Ginsburg have surfaced; the pandemic is far from over; and injustice continues to sink its teeth into our collective consciousness. Needless to say, it’s been rough. Although it may feel like the winds of change have devolved into the breeze of bureaucracy, it’s important to remember the value of resilience. It’s okay to be pissed off, it’s okay to be scared, it’s okay to take a moment to breathe. We’ll pick ourselves back up and keep on moving forward.
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VOLUME 38 ISSUE 2 DATE SEPTEMBER 29 2020 OUR COVER THIS WEEK “DISILLUSIONED, DISCOURAGED, AND DOWNRIGHT DISAPPOINTED” GRAPHIC BY: TAYLOR REDDAM FOLLOW US ON:
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