Vol. 40 Issue 16 - February 23rd, 2023

Concordia students impacted by TurkeySyria earthquake

On Feb. 6, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck northwestern Syria and southern Turkey. On Monday, rescue and recovery efforts were still bubbling when a separate 6.3-6.4 magnitude earthquake occurred.

BY TRISTAN MCKENNA // CONTRIBUTOR

news

“Their building collapsed in the first earthquake… help didn’t get there for three days. When [it did], they were already gone,” said Ari Inceer, a Turkish student studying at Concordia who lost one of her childhood friends. Inceer is from Kahramanmaraş, a city hard-hit by the disaster.

Over the past two weeks, the death toll has climbed to over 46,000. Around the border between Turkey and Syria, there is a convergence of tectonic plates that makes the area seismologically vulnerable. Millions are displaced.

“I don’t know if they were alive [or died instantly]. I don’t know if they called for help,” said

Inceer, referring to her friend.

“I haven’t seen my brother, sister, mother [in years]... almost losing them, even just one of them, is so scary,” said Inceer. At a cousin’s home in Istanbul (further from the earthquake’s epicenter) her family waits for answers. Their home in Kahramanmaraş has not collapsed, but it may be unstable.

Sarah Dadouche, a Syrian student, described parents that are unable to reach dead or trapped children. “People are going crazy…They know they’re dead, but…they want to take them and bury them with their own hands.” Dadouche’s family is physically okay.

“They were very shaken. They [fled onto] the streets…I was thinking, ‘this is down in the south in [Damascus].’ If you go up to the north, it’s crazy.”

International sanctions have made getting aid to Syria difficult. “Because of the sanctions… no one [cares] about us,” said Dadouche, adding:

“My mind is with my parents, my mind is with my people… I don’t feel like I deserve to be here.”

“Sometimes you need to be like an actor [when] coming to class and deliver the content to the best of your ability; irrespective of what you feel,” said a

BY LILY COWPER

Turkish professor at Concordia who wished to remain anonymous. “You need to go on and start the show.”

Furkan Göçmez is another Turkish student. From Malatya, his home has been destroyed. “I don’t know how long they’re going to be on the streets. My family just became homeless, in like two minutes,” he said.

“I’m kind of pinching myself like, ‘oh, is this really happening?’” said Göçmez. While fleeing their building, his mother fell and broke her nose. “I don’t know

pg.2 pg.5

pg.3 pg.4

Cover Story Cont. Justice for Nicous D’André Spring

Concordia Scholar Helps Ukrainians Heal through Dance Vigil Organized for MMIWG2ST+ Concordia Inches Forward on Addressing Anti-Black Racism

pg.6 pg.8

pg.7

Division 2 Men’s Hockey Explanding in RSEQ Black Ice: Testimonies of Discrimination

Two Stingers Headed to the CFL Combine The “B.C. Boys”

community

pg.9

Dumpling Hut Review Concordia Book Club pg.10 pg.11

Montreal En Lumière

14 Things to do This March

sports features

pg.12 pg.15

Local Farm Leading the way in the Slow Flowers Movement

Holocaust Survivor Speaks on Intergenerational Trauma

opinions

pg.16 pg.17

Hogwarts Legacy: It’s Okay to Let the Fantasy Go

Are Yerba Maté Drinks Racist? Why Are Love Languages so Important all of a Sudden?

It’s Jev.’s World and we’re all Living in it

pg.19

QUICKSPINS Review

The Grammy Book of World Records 2023

pg.18 pg.20

The Rodeo Wants People to Stay Curious

music arts

pg.21

Art Therapy: Traditional Art in the Digital Era Créatique: Merging Practice and Research

pg.22 pg.23

Delve Into the Parallel World of Barbershops

Digital Culture, Social Media and the Meme-Sphere

GRAPHIC

CONCORDIA STUDENTS IMPACTED BY TURKEY-SYRIA EARTHQUAKE

CONCORDIA SCHOLAR HELPS UKRAINIANS HEAL THROUGH DANCE

As Ukraine enters the second year of war, Tetiana Lazuk uses dance-movement therapy to help refugees

BY MARIEKE GLORIEUX-STRYCKMAN // NEWS EDITOR

One year after the beginning of the war, Ukrainian refugees in Montreal are working to heal from their difficult experiences and get settled in their new life.

In the heart of the Mile End, the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada (UNF) offers wellness activities to help refugees find community through dance-movement therapy.

Tetiana Lazuk is a Ukrainian dance therapist and a scholar-in-residence at Concordia, and she leads dance-movement sessions at the UNF.

During these classes (which are taught in Ukrainian), she helps refugees heal from their difficult experiences in the war through dance.

“It’s not only this psychological support, wellness,” she said, “but it’s also helping to connect people who have a lot in common, and helping them to find their place and to establish here in Canada.”

While the war has faded from public attention in the past few months, it is still very real for Ukrainians in Montreal and throughout the world.

“On Feb. 24, 2022, many people thought that Ukraine would cave within a few days, if not a few weeks,” said Michael Shwec, president of the Quebec Provincial Council of Ukrainian Canadian Congress. “We’re coming up to a year, right now, where the Ukrainian people are very resolute in their defense of their territory, their culture, their language.”

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress represents 1.4 million Ukrainians around Canada, according to their website. While they have supported the Ukrainian community from their beginnings, work has increased considerably in the last year.

“We need to help [displaced Ukrainians] land and be successful in Canada, for those who wish to stay,” said Shwec. “That means everything from housing to education, to employment, to have some sense of normalcy in their lives, and help them bridge that gap from Ukraine to here, as best as possible.”

This is exactly what Lazuck

strives to do. She lived in Ukraine until 2009, when she moved to Canada to continue her studies in dance-movement therapy. She started working with Ukrainian refugees at the UNF in September.

Lazuk pointed out that her experience moving to Canada was very different from many refugees. She was prepared for her new life, for the changes it would bring, and for the challenges she would need to overcome. The refugees she works with did not get that preparation.

“These people were forced to leave their country, and many of them had excellent, great professions, perfect life conditions, and now they are forced to move to another country,” said Lazuk.

“Many of them don’t speak English or French, so they need to learn, they need to adapt.”

The UNF’s aim is to provide

refugees with the resources to do just that. The organization helps Ukrainians find a community and adjust to their new life in Canada.

According to Lazuk, specialized psychotherapy is important to help them process their experiences in the war. On the flip side, her dance-movement sessions help Ukrainians connect with their community and handle the hardships of leaving their homeland.

“They meet all together, they discuss what problems they’re facing, and how to get through this,” she said.

nians coming into the country. In March 2022, the government created a new emergency travel visa for Ukrainians. However, the war is not over, said Shwec. “As long as genocide continues in Ukraine, which it does, there’s never enough done. Enough will be when Russian forces are out of Ukraine and the genocide stops,” he said.

“Before our lives, livestreamed, is a genocide happening in what has been a very peaceful European country. The onus is on every single student to reflect on what is actually happening, and to make sure that you take a stand, and you defend the values that you believe in.”

The last time Lazuk visited her home land was in November 2021, to see her and her husband’s families — a few months before the beginning of the war. She looks forward to the next time she can visit her country, hopefully soon.

“We all hope that finally, peace comes to Ukraine, and we will be able to visit our family and help in rebuilding our country,” she said.

“Here in Canada, life continues. We have plans, we continue working. Dancing.”

where to call home. If I decide to go now, where would I go?”

While some students report professors being insensitive to their experiences, others feel supported. Inceer said, “All of [my teachers] separately asked if I needed anything from them personally.”

Karam Helou is the internal vice-president of the Syrian Student Association at Concordia (SSA). “[One professor from JMSB] reached out to me on the day of the earthquake. She made sure that my family was okay. I thought that was really sweet of her,” he said. On Feb. 7, the International Students Office (ISO) at Concordia sent an email to members of the Syrian and Turkish community offering support. “We are devastated to hear of the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey this week. I would like to personally let you know that we are thinking of you and your families,” wrote Kelly Collins, manager of the ISO. The email contained links to various University resources. From international students to Quebec residents, a number of University members received the email, including Inceer. Göçmez, Helou, and Dadouche are among students who reported not receiving the ISO’s message.

Dadouche feels that the University was very outspoken

when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. “[It] was like, ‘the news that is happening in Ukraine is a lot on all of us, so take all the time you need and these are the mental resources that you may need.’”

Dadouche does not feel the same message was put out by Concordia after the earthquake.

“I just keep thinking, are we not human? Do we not matter?”

When the war in Ukraine officially began on Feb. 24, 2022, the University published a notice online with resources for those who may be impacted four days later. On March 3, 2022, Concordia President Graham Carr came out with a statement on the war.

After the Feb. 6 TurkeySyria earthquake, Concordia published a notice online with links to resources seven days later.

“The notice for students was posted on the Student Hub [on Feb. 13] when we realized this was not done [on Feb. 10] which was an oversight on our part,” said Concordia spokesperson Vannina Mestracci.

“I don’t think we’re waiting for any sort of statements from [President Carr]... we’ve [gotten] used to it,” said a Syrian student studying at JMSB. “We got used to being left out,” they added.

“Hearing the voice of the administration a little bit louder would be helpful. Helpful to whom? Helpful to us, to the people here [in Montreal]. But hearing that, [will it] do anything to the people who simply perished under concrete over there?” said the anonymous professor mentioned earlier.

“From a PR point of view, this is important. I wish there was a louder and more compassionate voice from the administration.”

Tuana Bıçakcı is a Turkish student who has been a part of fundraising efforts on campus.

“The lack of acknowledgement and support from the University is a little sad…It is really heartbreaking and scary to be so far away from your loved ones when a tragedy like this happens… we could have been so grateful if the University supported us a little more.”

Hindered by international sanctions, getting aid to Syria has been tough. “[Syrians are] human just as much as the Turkish people, just as much as the Ukrainian people,” said Dadouche. “I think the bare minimum [that] the dean or the president or any professor can do is just raise awareness for a couple of minutes. For example, at the beginning of the class.”

Inceer has felt differently “I actually didn’t pay attention to [the University’s acknowledge-

ment]… I had other worries.”

She has been preoccupied with her family feeling secure again.

“I’m just trying to find work and help my family...They left everything they own…it keeps me up [at night] and I just want to be able to help them and send money to them. That’s my main focus right now.”

Göçmez also has finances on his mind. “Concordia could open up bursaries for people who are impacted by these events…My family lost their house. My father’s business has stopped there. I will be having financial hardships,” expressed Göçmez.

Combating feelings of helplessness, Göçmez and Inceer volunteered at the Turkish Student Association’s (TSA) donation site. The site was on the seventh floor of the Hall Building from Feb. 7-10. While the TSA is no longer taking material donations, they are still taking monetary donations.

“I focus on what I can control and I feel like this is something I have to do,” said Mert Kaan Kaseler, co-president of the TSA. From sanitary pads to flashlights, the collected materials were swiftly flown to Turkey.

Tolga Osmancik is a Turkish student heavily involved with the fundraising efforts.

“This can happen to anyone in any country. When something like this happens, we should remember that we are human beings,” he said.

On Feb. 13, the SSA had an

event in the Hall Building as well. In order to support the SSA, you can follow them online.

Jana Noufal Al-Atassi is the SSA’s vice-president of finance. “It would be great if more people talked about what’s happening and what’s been happening even before the earthquake.” She discussed how the world let politics block humanitarian hurdles. “You have to keep in mind [that Syrians are] not numbers. These are humans that are dying.”

“There’s one difference between what’s happening in Turkey and Syria… the sanctions placed on Syria,” said Helou. “If certain powers wanted to send aid to Syria, they could have,” said Talal Akkad, a Syrian student. Inceer discussed how Turkey could have been better prepared. “It’s a big earthquake. Three of them happened on the same day… another one happened two weeks after… [but] this shouldn’t have been the result,” she said. When growing up, Inceer would hear discussions about her area (atop the East Anatolian Fault) being overdue for an earthquake. She is perplexed at how Turkey was unprepared. “You think [the overdue earthquake] is a myth because you trust that the system knows better… when it actually happens, you feel so helpless because it’s the system… you by yourself can’t change the system.”

Since last year, the Canadian government has implemented many measures to help Ukrai-

“The dance-movement therapy sessions provide something through the body that allows them to not only be in their head, but moving, connecting, and sometimes forgetting what they have in their head.”

IMAGE CREDITS CATHERINE REYNOLDS // THE CONCORDIAN

IMAGE CREDITS BOGDAN LYTVYNENKO // THE CONCORDIAN

GRAPHIC BY JAMES FAY // THE CONCORDIAN

IT TAKES A VILLAGE: JUSTICE FOR NICOUS D’ANDRÉ SPRING

Protesters take to the streets demanding release of video footage after the death of poet and boxer in police custody

BY SAKIB HOSSAIN // CONTRIBUTOR

NATIVE WOMEN’S SHELTER OF MONTREAL ORGANIZES VIGIL FOR MMIWG2ST+

her, one of the ways Concordia could help Indigenous women is by creating more opportunities for Indigenous students with policies specifically designed for their needs.

pointed out that Indigenous communities, too, are finding their own solutions for educating youth.

“We don’t look to the University to do everything but we could certainly do more to help,” she said.

Montreal community members gathered on Feb. 10 to march for justice for 21-year-old rapper, poet, and boxer Nicous D’André Spring, who died on Dec. 24, 2022 while being illegally detained in Bordeaux Prison. Officials at the prison have stated that there was an altercation which led to the guards fitting him with a spit hood and pepper-spraying him twice. Spring was then taken to a hospital, where he later died. The circumstances surrounding Spring’s death have led to an investigation into the actions of the prison officials and the treatment of inmates at Bordeaux Prison.

The case has gained widespread attention,

sparking public outcry over the treatment of prisoners and the need for reform in the criminal justice system.

As of Feb. 14, only one correctional officer involved in the altercation has been suspended, and the footage of the incident has not yet been released to the family. The, Justice for Nicous Action Committee, continues to call for the release of the footage of Spring’s death to advance justice for his family. The event organizers wore green bandanas on the upper arm to maintain visibility. At the start of the protest, Karim Coppry, one of the organizers, referenced the African proverb, “Il faut un village pour élever un enfant et le village est ici” (It takes a village to raise a child and the village is here), highlighting the importance of the community’s solidarity.

The march began at 1 p.m. and proceeded down Sherbrooke St. W. towards the Palais de justice de Montréal.

Protesters chanted slogans like “No justice, no peace” and “When Black lives are under attack, what do

we do? Stand up, fight back.”

Marlene Hale, a Wet’suwet’en

Elder, led the protest with the beat of her rallying drum.

Throughout the protest, Spring’s family members spoke, demanding justice for their loved one. Spring’s sister, Sarafina Dennie, and mother, Niquette Spring were in attendance.

“I’m just looking for justice,” said Spring’s mother.

Spring’s sister also expressed her grief and anxiety: “Every day, I wake up and hear a siren, and I have anxiety — we came here to have a different life, and you took that away,” referring to the guards at Bordeaux.

Protesters marched through Montreal, passing the Government of Canada building while shouting “release the video.” Volunteers wearing construction vests guided the crowd.

A child watched in awe at the number of protesters and waved at

a police officer on a bicycle, unaware of the fight for justice happening all around her. The protest ended at the Palais de justice at 2:45 pm. Spring’s mother closed the protest. “I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t work. I need justice for my son!” she exclaimed.

BY SIMON FOURNET // ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

On Monday Feb. 14, Montrealers gathered at Cabot Square for a march in solidarity with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2ST+) held by the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal (NWSM). The vigil began at 6 p.m. with Indigenous activists, artists and community organizers speaking out against the violence inflicted on Indigenous people.

MMIWG2ST+ is a phenomenon across Canada (and more broadly across the Americas) of Indigenous women and persons of gender minorities going missing and being murdered. This feminicide crisis is understood by researchers as a consequence of colonialism and police inaction when it comes to Indigenous victims. It is estimated that Indigenous women in Canada are murdered at nearly seven times the rate of non-Indigenous women.

Nicole Janis QavavauqBibeau, the research coordi -

nator for the Iskweu project at NWSM, believes that these figures are much higher.

Qavavauq-Bibeau’s research has found that the actual numbers of MMIWG2ST+ are four times higher than the RCMP estimate.

“When an Indigenous woman passes away, it is often ruled super quickly as a suicide or overdose,” said Qavavauq-Bibeau.

For Mohawk artist and activist Ellen Gabriel, this colonial vision of Indigenous women of all age groups comes from all layers of Canadian society. In a speech at the vigil, she mentioned how the Canadian government’s inaction regarding Indigenous people’s requests and the 231 Calls for Justice stemming from the National Inquiry’s Final Report into MMIWG2ST+ are the reasons why the current system is so reluctant to protect Indigenous women.

“When will you teach your children about the genocidal

history in Canada, in Quebec, in all its provinces?” said Gabriel. “When is this going to happen? Because until this happens we are going to have vigils like this forever.”

Concordia’s Director of First Peoples Studies Catherine Kineweskwêw Richardson said this issue is on the minds of Indigenous scholars and professors at Concordia.

“In the scope of our program we educate students about the issue of MMIWG and I think we try to bring some issues in how the media talks about it,” said Richardson. “They never talk about who is kill ing these women.”

Richardson pointed out that the crisis is often framed as Indigenous women being vulnerable more so than focusing on the people perpetrating these crimes.

According to

Richardson’s research echoes the words of activists who argue that colonial violence stems from all institutions that were built on a colonial system, like the police, social services, as well as schools and universities.

“It’s a long term issue and if we don’t act to increase support for Indigenous students and Indigenous education, they’ll continue to fall off the edge,” said Richardson. “Like most universities, we at Concordia could be doing more to assist and uplift Indigenous students.”

For Richardson, some policies that could be implemented to help Indigenous students include encouraging them to go into graduate studies, building student housing, facilitating people moving from Indigenous communities to the city to study, and overall educating people around Indigenous issues. However, these solutions are slow to implement and the current administration is ill-suited to support Indigenous students.

“I’ve stopped holding my breath,” said Richardson. “For every aspect of life at Concordia, they have to understand

CONCORDIA INCHES FORWARD ON ADDRESSING ANTI-BLACK RACISM

ing a Black Student Centre.

BY LUCAS MARSH // NEWS EDITOR

On Feb. 6, Concordia’s President and Vice Chancellor Graham Carr unveiled a temporary plaque to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the 1969 Black student protests. The plaque, which will be replaced with a permanent plaque in the coming months, stands as a reminder of the events that lead to the protests and the presence of anti-Black racism at the University.

Angélique Willkie, former head of the anti-Black racism task force, said it was important for the university to commemorate the significance of the 1969 Black student protests ahead of the upcoming anniversary. Willkie elaborated on the added importance of marking the site of the Sir George Williams protests with a physical representation of the event.

“And subsequently, it remains the location of the largest student protest for anti-Black racism in Canada,” said Willkie.

The event was the first of many initiatives that the

University intends to implement in hopes to combat antiBlack systemic racism within the institution. In late October, President Carr pledged his support for the 88 recommendations included in the final report of the anti-Black racism task force. Concordia’s official apology is primarily in relation to the mismanagement of Sir George Williams University’s former admin -

GRAPHIC BY CARLEEN LONEY

istration throughout the 1969 Black student protests.

In addition to the commemorative plaque, the University also launched a website detailing the experiences of those who lived through the events of 1969. Willkie also stated that the University is pursuing its plans to create a new program for Black and African diaspora studies in the Canadian context, as well as found-

Willkie says that since the anti-Black task force disbanded in the fall of 2022, she is no longer overseeing the implementation of the task force’s recommendations. However, Willkie insisted that the university intends to actively pursue all of the recommendations outlined in their final report.

“So there are many things ongoing, but of course, not everything has the same timeline, either,” said Willkie. “So certain things

can be completed relatively quickly, others less quickly.”

Willkie said that she has experienced no pushback from individuals, but rather from institutions as a whole.

“Institutions have square wheels, and they’re made to reproduce themselves” said Willkie. “So somehow or another in order for the system to work differently it takes a while for the actual procedures to change. In the meantime I kind of go around them,” she added.

Despite this, Willkies said that the cooperation of the University and actors within it should be a point of celebration.

“When those 88 recommendations were published, none of them came as a surprise to any of the people who were responsible for their implementation,” said Willkie. “They had all been consulted beforehand, every single one without exception. And that’s huge.”

IMAGES BY SAKIB HOSSAIN

The promises of the president’s task force on anti-black racism start to reach fruition, four months after their announcement.

Indigenous researchers blame the ongoing crisis on a lack of support for Indigenous communities

Sports

Sports Editor: Maria Bouabdo sports@theconcordian.com

Two Stingers football players are heading to the CFL Combine

Quarterback

BY ALICE MARTIN

ASSISTANT

Over five days in March, Concordia Stingers’ quarterback Olivier Roy and wide receiver Jeremy Murphy will be evaluated by CFL general managers and scouts during the 2023 National CFL Combine.

The National Combine gathers 50 top-rated prospects from Canadian universities in preparation for the CFL draft. Out of all the prospects, Roy is the only quarterback invited.

“I wasn’t thinking about it too much, but I knew it was my draft year and I had some chances to go to the Combine,” said Roy. The combine typically invites

only a few prospect quarterbacks and instead features guest quarterbacks. This was the case for Roy last year who was a guest player, but wasn’t evaluated as a prospect.

Stingers’ football head coach Brad Collinson said that they value quarterbacks at the Combine to throw to the receivers, so having been a guest in 2022 helped him get invited in 2023.

“He deserves it and it gives him the opportunity to experience something on a bigger stage,” said Collinson.

Roy also participated in a training camp with the Ottawa Redblacks and another quarterback camp in British Columbia last year.

Collinson said that he expected that both Roy and Murphy would be invited to this year’s Combine. He also noted the accolades Murphy has racked up in the three seasons he’s played with the Stingers.

“He’s had a great career here at Concordia, being U Sports Rookie of the Year [in 2019],” said Collinson.

“He was invited to the [U Sports East-West Bowl] last year so it didn’t surprise me.”

Murphy was a two-time

Division 2 men’s hockey is expanding in the RSEQ

Teams in the D2 league will get to play 13 extra games against CEGEPs starting in 2023-24

BY MARIA BOUABDO // SPORTS EDITOR

Starting next season, teams in the division 2 men’s university hockey league in the RSEQ will get an extra 13 games added to their season, played against division 1 CEGEP teams. The league currently consists of three teams: Concordia University, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), and Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC).

Instead of playing 12 games per season, which sometimes can go a couple of weeks without a game, each team will now get to play 25 games per season.

ing to business marketing.

“We’re happy to have more games,” Séguin said. “It’s going to give us a better pace between school and hockey, while now it felt more like school, with sometimes one game every two weeks… It can get long.”

He also hopes to see the league get bigger, with more universities joining.

“It would be more fun and I think it deserves to become a strong league,” Séguin said.

sity level. Elément also assists with the D2 team and is the athletics department liaison.

players to play hockey and practice almost every day.”

RSEQ all-star in 2019 and 2022. He was also named to the first All-Canadian U Sports football team last year, so he was anticipating an invitation to the CFL Combine.

“If I didn’t make it to the combine, I would have been very disappointed in myself,” he said. Murphy had participated in the Texas College Gridiron Showcase in January, where he was evaluated by both NFL and CFL scouts.

He expects the experience he gained during that event to help him during the upcoming combine in March.

“It’s kind of the same thing,” said Murphy. “I know what to expect.

It’s just the people I’m going to go against are different, the talent level is different.”

He also mentioned the possibility that scouts want to see his ability to compete against American players, as would be the case in the CFL.

“I think they wanted to see my ability to go against American players, because there are a lot of Americans that play in the CFL,” he added.

According to Collinson, the most important thing for Murphy and Roy to do is to be themselves.

“There are going to be a lot of eyes on them,” he said. “They’re going to be in front of a big crowd with a lot of scouts and general managers from all over the CFL. So they have to be able to deal with that stress and then be able to perform at a high level.”

Collinson added that players do their best when they’re calm and

relaxed. Roy emulated that thought, saying he will be himself if he gets the opportunity to have interviews there.

“I think that the general managers and the coaches are going to appreciate my personality,” Roy said. He also added that it’s hard to stand out in the Combine because of the high level of talent and the fact that the prospects don’t know each other very well. So, Roy will use his unique position as quarterback to “speak up and show [his] leadership skills.”

Both Roy and Murphy are glad to have each other there.

“It’s great to have someone out there that you know and Jeremy is an awesome player,” said Roy. “Hopefully we can get some reps together, and I can help him show off his skills at the same time.”

“We already have this connection, this timing,” added Murphy, who said he’s glad to have his quarterback there. The pair will leave on March 21 for Edmonton. They both look forward to the Combine and aren’t nervous yet.

“I’m excited to compete with the best in the country,” said Roy.

Stingers D2 forward Christopher Séguin is looking forward to seeing a busier schedule. He previously played for the Patriotes of CEGEP Saint-Laurent, and is now in his first year at Concordia studying in economics but will be switch-

“There are a lot of good players, if they don’t make it to major junior, and they play college hockey or AAA, and they don’t know what to do, this would allow them to continue their education and keep playing hockey in university.”

The Stingers’ D1 men’s hockey team coach Marc-André Elément started the D2 program in 2021-22 to give more athletes the chance to play hockey at the univer -

“Our league has become so good that we only recruit from major junior [CHL],” Elément said about the OUA, the league the Stingers’ D1 team is a part of. “So most [players from] CEGEP don’t really play D1. Some can, but not a lot. There are a lot of teams at that level in CEGEP but not in university. So that’s why we started this program, it gives the opportunity to 25 more

Elément looks forward to seeing more universities join the D2 league and to see it grow over the next

couple of years, with the possibility of some D2 teams moving up to the D1 league.

Black Ice: testimonies of discrimination in yet another sport

The Montreal premiere of Hubert Davis’ Black History documentary took place in Concordia’s Hall building on the evening of Feb. 13

BY JEREMY COX // ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR

“Talk to anybody of colour that tried to make it playing hockey up there, listen to the stories they had. It would be like, ‘Dude, were you in Alabama? No, I was in Manitoba,’ said comedian Bill Burr during an interview with Conan O’Brien on TBS. The clip kicked off what seemed like an endless series of videos and news reports of soul-crushing acts of racial atrocities: social media posts, videos of fans, and players spewing slurs and pantomiming acts of hate, all without any repercussions. In his new documentary, Hubert Davis under-

scores that BIPOC have seldom been accepted in the sport dominated by white people. Black Ice covers the Black history of hockey, and how Black players’ relationships and experiences with the sport have forever been bitter.

From the immigrants escaping slavery through the underground railroad to young children presently learning how to take their first strides on the ice, Davis covered the wide-spanning history of racial intolerance from the perspective of the harmed. For decades, ignorance and intolerance have been commonplace in locker rooms, from youth house leagues all the way to the NHL.

More importantly, the

documentary focuses on current trailblazers who aim to make hockey a more inclusive sport, once and for all. These important members of the community have made waves by spreading awareness and encouraging BIPOC children to pursue their love of the game, all while educating and supporting them through the challenges they face. Many beloved names from the hockey community spoke on their experiences with hate, such as producer P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, Sarah Nurse, and Matt Dumba. The latter was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2020, which recognizes exemplary leadership qualities and

contribution to the community. Dumba is also a member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance. Black Ice speaks about many historical figures and events such as the Coloured Hockey League, which was founded in Nova Scotia in 1895, and where the slap shot was pioneered. The greatest Black player to never play in the NHL, Herb Carnegie, was also featured in the documentary. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame a whole 68 years after his retirement, and 10 years posthumously. He turned down the New York Rangers’ low-ball salary offer, only after Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn

Smythe announced that he’ll give $10,000 to anyone who can turn him white.

After the screening, a Q&A panel was held including former Montreal Canadiens Georges Laraque, Frantzi Joseph (father of NHL players Mathieu and Pierre-Oliver Joseph), and thirteen-year-old aspiring hockey player Keisha. The three discussed their own experiences, setting an even more intimate tone to the evening. Black Ice is available to stream on Crave, and aired on TSN.

PHOTOS BY KYRAN THICKE // CONCORDIA ATHLETICS

Black Ice premiere at Concordia’s downtown campus.

Wide receiver Jeremy Murphy in a game vs. Laval Rouge et Or (above) and in a game vs. Mcgill Redbirds (below)

PHOTO BY CATHERINE REYNOLDS // THE CONCORDIAN

Quarterback Olivier Roy during the 2022 season

PHOTOS BY AMRU SALAHUDDIEN

PHOTOS BY MARIA BOUABDO // THE CONCORDIAN

Olivier Roy and wide receiver Jeremy Murphy will represent Concordia at the National CFL Combine

The “B.C. Boys”: Jack Vandenberg and

Bibbings

The rookies brought their positive vibes from Vancouver to Montreal

BY MARIA BOUABDO // SPORTS EDITOR

On July 27, 2022, Jack Vandenberg flew out from Vancouver to Montreal. The following day, Griffyn Bibbings followed, and the two were probably the only students at Concordia’s campus residence for the next few weeks.

The two British Columbians — Vandenberg, point guard from Central Vancouver, and Bibbings, forward from West Vancouver — bonded and started a friendship that earned them the nickname “B.C. Boys” from their teammates.

“When we got here, he was probably the first person I met,” Bibbings said about Vandenberg. “It was the morning after I landed, and because we’re both from B.C., we’re both on res [residence] as well. So we kind of do everything together. Our teammates just call us ‘B.C. Boys,’ and they just mean me and Jack.”

“Coaches have mentioned a few times, they don’t really see us without each other,” Vandenberg added. “Because we have a similar schedule apart from classes. It’s just practice, and then we go eat, and then we go back to the res [residence].”

Although the two rookies were both only 18 years old at the time, they didn’t feel that moving to a new city on their own was intimidating or particularly difficult to navigate.

“At no point was I just in my room not knowing a single person or not knowing what to do,” said Bibbings. “The morning after I got here, I met him [Vandenberg]. I probably met

like 20 people on the first day. So it wasn’t really that hard.”

Vandenberg and Bibbings had the chance to meet the rest of the team at practice before the exhibition games against NCAA teams in August.

They acknowledged that being part of a team can definitely make moving across the country a lot easier.

“I feel like in our situation, it might be a little different than most,” Vandenberg explained.

“Because when we came here we had the support of the coaches, teammates, like we already kind of had a friend group going into it with our teammates.”

Although the pair only

Dumpling Hut

Review

met here last summer, they had played against each other in B.C. at some point, so they knew of each other. Bibbings played highschool basketball at Rockridge Secondary and club basketball with 3D Basketball Academy during the spring and summer time, while Vandenberg played at St. George’s School and DRIVE Basketball.

Like all student-athletes, the two basketball players missed some time due to COVID-19 shutdowns. But according to them, this time off really helped separate the players who had been practicing during the shutdowns from those who hadn’t. They both stayed active with their respective clubs, which held outdoor sessions.

“Before COVID… I wasn’t that recognized [or] that good,” Vandenberg said. “Then I started getting more recognition because I put in more work whenever, I guess, a lot of people were chilling out.”

Stingers’ head coach Rastko Popovic also appreciates how hard his rookie point

guard has been working.

“At the point guard position it’s tougher,” Popovic said. “Because we do have two really good point guards on our team, but what I like about Jack a lot is he’s a competitor, he competes, he’s not afraid, and he works really hard.”

Popovic has also been impressed by his two players’ maturity and ability to adapt from a high school setting to university, while juggling basketball and school.

Bibbings is currently enrolled in sociology, while Vandenberg is studying psychology, but they’re both keeping their options open, as they’re not sure if they want to stick to those programs yet. Another thing that has impressed Popovic is the duo’s work ethic.

“They want to get better everyday, they’re very coachable, they listen, they’re both going to keep improving and hopefully by next year they’ll be able to make bigger contributions to our team,” Popovic said. But that’s not the only thing that matters. Popovic also looks at the kind of people he’s recruiting, and what they’re like off the court, and it was all positive when it came to

and

“They’re very very good kids in general, they’re good people, and that’s important to us when we recruit players.”

ARTICLE AND IMAGE BY DALIA NARDOLILLO // COMMUNITY EDITOR

Located on Clarke Street, the Dumpling Hut is almost not visible to the naked eye. If you drive past it you will probably miss it if you do not look up and see the sign.

Walking through the front door of the Dumpling Hut, you are greeted by an entrance full of postit notes from guests who have tried the restaurant.

AMBIANCE:

I decided to try out the Dumpling Hut on a Friday afternoon. The restaurant itself is pretty small, but you instantly get warm and homey vibes when you walk in. Something that I found pretty interesting was a huge traffic light in the corner of the restaurant.

I was expecting the place to be packed but to my surprise, it was only my boyfriend and I in the restaurant and

we got to pick our seats. In terms of service we got waited on pretty quick by a very friendly server.

FOOD:

The menu itself was pretty compact. The restaurant offered portions of dumplings in either 10 or 16 pieces. You can also choose to get them steamed or fried for an extra charge.

I’ve had experience in the past with fried dumplings and whenever I ordered them, they would always sit pretty heavy in my stomach; so out of caution, I went with the steamed ones. Out of all the filling options on the menu, the combination of lamb and coriander was speaking to me. My boyfriend and I ended up ordering the same thing. I ordered 10 dumplings and he ordered 16. While we were waiting, we could see the chef preparing our dumplings. We could view her laying the outside

dough of dumplings and carefully filling each one. When we got the food, we dug in. The dumplings were a delightful explosion of flavour, as the coriander in the filling brought a level of freshness to the dumplings. I absolutely loved it. I dipped my dumplings in the spicy sauce that they had on the table and it elevated the flavour for me. I rate the dumplings 9/10.

WAS IT WORTH IT?

I feel that for the location and the price of the dumplings, it was excellent. The other dumplings on the menu vary in price, depending on the quantity, filling and whether you get them fried or not. For $15, I got a great plate of food, great service and a very cool atmosphere. I definitely recommend trying out the Dumpling Hut if you are in the area or even if you have a break from classes.

BY DALIA NARDOLILLO // COMMUNITY EDITOR

Are you a bookworm and don’t know what book on your TBR list to attack first? I have a perfect solution for you: Concordia’s very own book club. Journalism student Alexandra Blackie started the Concordia Book Club this winter semester and is looking forward to welcoming many new students to the club. Blackie wanted to join a book club when she started university in September, but the only book-related club was Concordia’s comic book

club. She jokingly said, “No hate to the comic book club but that’s not really my niche,”

The lack of an actual book club was Blackie’s motivation to kickstart the initiative and form Concordia’s official book club.

“It did take a little bit of a long time for it to get started. There were a lot of back and forth emails with the CSU,” Blackie explained.

Blackie wanted to create a social space that did not feel like school. She wanted a space where book-lovers could come together to read novels that are either popular

right now or ones that not a lot of people know about.

In this club, Blackie doesn’t dictate the books that the club members have to read.

“I don’t actually choose the books, I gave them a stack for the first meeting that they chose from. We just go through a TBR jar. Everyone sent me titles that they want to read and we go from there,” Blackie said.

In terms of how the club functions, Blackie came to a mutual agreement with the other club members that they would read one book for the entire month. At the end of the month, the club regroups in a meeting.

“We picked our first book at our first meeting

GRAPHIC BY CARLEEN LONEY // GRAPHICS EDITOR

over Zoom out of a pile that they chose from. For the next book that we read, we are going to pick from a TBR jar,” Blackie explained. This month’s read is The Guest List by Lucy Foley. The club currently has 22 members. As the weather warms up, Blackie hopes to host in-person events like picnics where the club can discuss their current reads.

For interested participants, you can go through the CSU active club portal and email a_blackie@icloud.com.

Bibbings

Vandenberg.

Vandenberg playing vs. McGill.

Griffyn

Griffyn Bibbings (left) and Jack Vandenberg (right) at the Concordia Gymnasium.

Griffyn Bibbings (left) and Jack Vandenberg (right) at the Concordia Gymnasium.

community

Community Editor: Dalia Nardolillo community@theconcordian.com

The community section is written for and about students at Concordia University. If you are or know someone with a story to tell, or of something cool happening around campus, let us know.

Montreal en Lumiere’s 2023 festival plans

Will you brave the cold to visit?

14 THINGS TO DO THIS MARCH

Didn’t get to do all the winter activities you wanted? Find yourself craving summer? Well you will sure find something for the cold or warm loving folks to do this March.

BY KAITLYNN RODNEY // ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHER

ARTICLE AND PHOTOSBY DALIA NARDOLILLO // COMMUNITY EDITOR

This year’s edition of the Montreal en Lumière festival is back bigger than ever. The festival is on from Feb. 16 until March 5.

The Concordian had the chance to sit down with Julie Martel, the director of the gastronomic program -

ming of the festival. Martel has been organizing the festival’s food for the last five years.

“It’s an important edition of the festival, because it marks the full return of the program outside of the pandemic context,” Martel said. Due to previous restrictions that were in effect at last year’s festival, the organizers were limited in programming. Most had to get a little creative with how they put it together.

“This means we are welcoming back international chefs. We have 40 international guests — not only chefs but winemakers from all over the world.”

Martel emphasized that one of the highlights of the gastronomy part of the festival was Indigenous cooking, which was introduced for the first time in last year’s edition of the festival.

“We have planned for

a full day of for the Indigenous cooking on Feb. 25 at Quartier Gourmand. This year also marks the return of the Quartier Gourmand, which is a free space that people can visit in Place des Arts,” Martel said.

The free space is very important to the festival because it is a way to democratize local food. Another interesting aspect of the Quartier Gourmand is that on specific days, there will be different themes. For example, one of the themes that will be covered is sustainable food. Martel wants to make that information available to all the guests of the festival.

“At Quartier Gourmand, it’s always free tastings and visitors can meet with the local chefs and producers,” Martel said.

Martel is very proud of the fact that the Quartier Gourmand is free for visitors. She recognizes that even though the festival has 40 participating restaurants, it might not be affordable for everyone.

If the food part of the festival doesn’t pique your interest, Maurin Auxéméry, the director of the musical programming of the festival, promises some surprises for this year.

“Music is back this year, and last year due to COVID we didn’t have any special shows,” Auxéméry explained. He emphasized that in this year’s edition of the festival there will be two types of programming, the outdoor sites and the indoor shows. The outdoor sites around Place des Festivals and Quartier des Spectacles will have DJs every night that play a different kind of music. The first nights will debut Latin music while towards the end of the festival there will be more French music.

The highlight of the musical programming is the indoor shows which includes all the live performances.

“I can’t remember the amount of indoor shows that we have right off of the top of my head but I do know that we have three nights at the Wilfrid-Pelletier concert hall with a symphony show,” Auxéméry said. There is absolutely no excuse for boredom for this upcoming March break. Montreal en Lumière packs a punch in terms of programming this year. For more information please visit their website.

THE DJ BOOTH AT MONTREAL EN LUMIERE.

Features

Features Editor: Evan Lindsay features@theconcordian.com

A local Quebec flower farm is leading the way in the Slow Flowers Movement

Learn about the secret to growing healthy cut-flowers.

During the month of August, Au Beau Pré is a sight to see.

Over 300 varieties of Dahlias are in full bloom. They come in every shape, size, colour and texture that one could only dream about. This flower field gives visitors the option to come and cut their own flowers to take home. Walking through the rows of the field, it could be hard deciding which Dahlias to add to your bouquet.

The methods of production for flowers have always involved the use of pesticides, which in turn harm the people that produce them.

2,000 Canadian farms are trying to find better solutions to produce them organically, without pesticides. The Slow Flower Movement (SFM) is one of those remedies in terms of how farms treat their soil.

According to Flowers Canada Growers, there are over 1,600 flower producers in Canada. Flower farms cover over 75 million square feet of land combined. Among these flower producers is Sarah Beaupré Quenneville, a young entrepreneur heading her family’s beloved flower farm.

Au Beau Pré flower farm sits in Saint Anicet, also known as “Quebec Florida” for its higher humid temperatures than the

rest of the province. Au Beau Pré implements the SFM. The secret to success for this flower farm is in their soil. “For the soil, we put compost every year or every two years depending on the crop,” Quenneville explained.

According to Architectural Digest, the Slow Flowers Movement refers to the methodical preparation of soil before a seed is even planted. Farms across Quebec are slowly adopting this movement, like The Enfants Sauvages, among others.

Before Quenneville took on her family’s farm, her parents Roger and Lilianne were in charge and adopted the SFM. They started the Au Beau Pré farm back in 2007.

“This is my parent’s project. They were selling Dahlia flower bulbs for years,” Quenneville said. “Before, they specialized in wheat production and made grain based products.”

Growing up, Quenneville had no interest in the agricultural sector and she didn’t want to be as involved in the farm.

“I saw my dad working hours and hours on end, with no days off,”

Quenneville recalled. With a family of her own, Quen -

neville explained that she didn’t want her children to experience the same memories she had as a child.

Quenneville studied communications during her undergrad and worked in media for a couple of years. Though she would sometimes help, Quenneville never envisioned the farm as a potential career opportunity.

“With each year that passed, my parents kept on asking me, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to do anything with the land?’” Quenneville recalled. “I proceeded to telling them, ‘No it’s not my thing, it’s maybe yours but not mine.’”

However, one day her mother told her about the endless possibilities of utilizing cut flowers. A cut flower is a bud or a flower that is cut from its bearing plant. Customers usually opt to buy cut flowers solely for decorative purposes, such as a bouquet.

According to Slow Living LDN, the SFM aims to not only have a better understanding of the soil before a flower is planted but also a more mindful consumption of how they’re cut.

A TURNING POINT

“We discovered I had a certain talent with selling flowers. I always helped my parents during the summer. My parents always said, ‘You’re good with the flowers,’” Quenneville recalled. During the times where she couldn’t be as involved in the field, she would help her parents with the website and the online selling of the products. “My parents are not really good with selling their stuff online, they’re good producers but not very good sellers.”

For newer flower producers like Quenneville, ressources and helpful guides are always available. At Flower Canada Growers in Toronto, Pest Control specialist Cary Gates explains that the SFM may work for some flower farms but not all.

“I don’t know if I see a lot of farms embracing that kind of approach,” Gates explained. “I am supportive of it, I just don’t know logistically if it is super functional, I see it for smaller acreages as being very achievable.”

Smaller farms like Au Beau Pré imple -

working in the field faster in the spring,”

LOOKING AT OTHER PROVINCES

ment the utmost care is put into the soil before the Dahlia flower bulbs are even planted.

“I really like the focus that farmers put into soil health,” Gates said. The care that is put into the soil equates to better quality flowers. Quality control is also very important to the family. Roger and Lilianne make sure that the Dahlia flower bulbs don’t have any illnesses; however, sometimes unpredictable things can happen.

“One year we lost 75 per cent of our bulbs, we didn’t know exactly what happened in the fridge but they all rotted. I tell our customers I am not selling ‘Post-Its,’ we are selling living things and sometimes things like that can happen,”

Quenneville recalled.

With Quenneville taking the reins on her parent’s farm in 2019 came its problems. “The first challenge I really faced was that I didn’t know how to produce flowers,” Quenneville said.

As the years progressed, Quenneville took more of an interest in the cut flowers business and became a project that she eventually took on. Quenneville explained that at Au Beau Pré, they sell flowers when they are cut from the stem itself. When guests come to visit the field in the month of August, they pay per flower stem.

With the help of various workshops through an American cut flower guru called Floret Flowers, Quenneville learnt the ins and outs of how to produce cut flowers.

Learning how to produce cut flowers with Floret Flowers also taught Quenneville another important lesson of the SFM: how to produce flowers at the most optimal time.

Au Beau Pré tries to keep up with business year-round. The winter season preparations start in October, right at the first freeze. Quenneville said:

“We do some chores with an old tractor, but most of the time we work the soil manually. This way we don’t mess with the soil structure too much and we can start

One of the ways floral producers band together is through flower associations to help each other learn about sustainable ways of production. The Flowers Canada Growers Association (FCGA) has members all over Canada, including Bailey Dueker, owner of The Boondock Flower Farm in Saskatoon. Dueker got into the business by accident, she recounted.

THE DAHLIA FLOWERS IN THE SUMMER.

A DAHLIA FLOWER BULB WITH A VISIBLE SICKNESS.

SARAH AND ROGER ORGANISING THE DAHLIA FLOWER BULBS.

THE WASHING OFF OF THE DAHLIA BULBS.

LILIANNE CUTTING OFF THE ROOTS FROM THE BULBS.

Holocaust Survivor Angela Orosz speaks on intergenerational trauma

“I dreamt of the Germans,” says Orosz daughter who was conditioned to learn adulthood before she even knew the meaning of the word

“This will be my fourth season growing in 2023. In the spring of 2019 I was sick of Facebook so I joined Instagram. I wanted to see flowers in my recommended page, so I started to follow all these flower farmers,” Dueker said.

Seeing the flower farmer feeds inspired her to get into the field and she did not return to her regular job following her maternity leave.

During the fall of 2019, Dueker did what she called a “softlaunch.” She acquired all the sunflowers and zinnias from her garden. Over the winter she spent her time buying seeds. “You really don’t know how much you don’t know until you get into it,” Dueker explained.

Across Canada, flower farms are underestimated in terms of the leg work that it takes to produce. According to a Chatelaine article on the subject flowers have brought in an estimated

$158 million in profit in 2021.

FCGA represents floral producers all over Canada. Their members across Canada include greenhouse growers, distributors and importers/ exporters all dealing with cut flowers, potted plants, bedding plants, cut greens and specialty suppliers and services to the industry. Dueker explained that the main goal of being a part of the FCGA is providing more knowledge about the floral industry to others in the country. When you have a question that needs to be answered, there’s always someone there to help. “Connecting and marketing with other growers is the main idea of the association,” Dueker said.

Dueker also explained that there is a Facebook group for the association where members can connect with a community of flower growers.

According to Deuker, the future of cut flowers lies with the grassroots movement, which has a similar idea to the Slow Flowers movement. “I see a lot of people getting out of it in a couple of years because they come to realize that you have to do quite a bit of an investment to make it a living,” Dueker explained. Dueker has seen within the industry that perhaps selling to florists is maybe the way to go.

FUTURE OF THE AU BEAU PRÉ FLOWER FIELD

As the farm plans for the future, Quenneville explained that the future lies within the flowers themselves.

“I really want to try to make products from the flowers themselves. We worked a lot from the

dried flowers and we liked working with them.”

Working with the dried flowers over the past summer was a trial and error process. We weren’t quite there in terms of the final product with the dried flower bouquets,” Quenneville recounted.

Before perfecting any sort of dried flower she wants to master the production of them.

“We try different things, of course our Dahlia bulbs are our most popular product. We try to keep the cut flowers during the summer. This year was the first time that we tried the tulips but I don’t want to get into making my own seeds because that’s its own production.”

Quenneville believes that the future of her business lies with online sales through her website. While visitors travel to Saint Anicet

during the summer to get the cut flowers from the farm, Quenneville wants to have flower-based products that she can sell year-round to customers. The cut flower industry is always changing and florists are always trying to adapt, whether that is in the different dried flower products or brushing up on their knowledge of how to better treat their soil. Gates explained that the future of the cut flowers isn’t going anywhere for now. “I see the cut flower industry as pretty stable, I don’t know if I see it expanding

When she was just three years old, Katy Orosz was sent grocery shopping on her own. Unbeknownst to her, her mother Angela was secretly following along to ensure her safety. Still, the trauma of that early push for independence lingers in Katy today.

In late January, Angela Orosz, one of the youngest Holocaust survivors, spoke at the Montreal Holocaust Museum (MHM) to discuss her daughter’s experiences with intergenerational trauma.

The event, which held an audience of 350 people, took place on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 78th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Former Chief Anchor and Senior Editor of CTV News, Lisa Laflamme, hosted the public interview with Orosz to discuss how the genocide impacted aspects of her life, notably her motherhood.

Laflamme covered Orosz’s story on CTV News in 2020, when the two visited Auschwitz. It had been the survivor’s first time back at the concentration camp since her birth.

Orosz was born on Dec. 21, 1944, in German-occupied Poland at the Auschwitz concentration camp. She was one of few to survive the liberation that following year.

The public discussion unraveled the painful psychological impacts of the Holocaust, and Orosz explained its influence on her early parental experiences.

During the mid to late 1960s, Orosz gave birth to her daughter Katy in Budapest, Hungary. Orosz passed down many of the “survivor skills” that she learned from her mother Vera Otvos-Beins. This consisted of sending her young daughter off to go grocery shopping and take public transportation “alone.”

“She was three years old. She can’t forgive me. I taught her how to go shopping by herself. She didn’t know I was following her, but I wanted her to have that feeling that whatever is happening, she is not lost,” confessed Orosz. This motherly instinct to push for early independence and adulthood in her toddler reflected the trauma she endured when anticipating a recurrence of the Holocaust.

“I think it’s understandable, given what you’ve been through, what your mother probably taught you as a little girl,” said Laflamme. The journalist sympathized with Orosz on the challenges of teaching one’s own child as a survivor.

In August of 2016, Orosz was asked to speak about the transmission of psychological trauma from mothers to children at a psychiatric conference in Dresden. However, Orosz’ reaction to the invite involved instant denial to her repressed feelings of trauma.

“I’m not going to do it, I don’t have trauma,” she said.

Orosz went directly to her two children to ask about their thoughts on her attending the event. When she questioned her having trauma, her son had little to say. “But my daughter gave me a list to China and back, on what I did,” she jokingly stated.

“She said, ‘Mom, are you telling me you don’t have trauma? Your whole life is the Holocaust, everything was the Holocaust. You wanted me to be strong and you made me scared. I couldn’t go to sleep because I dreamt of the Germans,’”

explained Orosz.

Sarah Fogg is a staff

member at the MHM and a third-generation survivor to her two grandparents, Marek and Mara Lewkowicz, who survived the Holocaust in Balkhash, Kazakhstan and Kassel, Germany. After World War II, the young couple began a family and fled as refugees to Canada, where they started a new chapter in their lives.

Fogg has worked with Orosz for years, and emphasized her good intent in trying to protect her daughter from potential harms after the Holocaust.

The thought of Orosz instilling fear into her daughter at such a young age had never been her intention. “For Angi, it wasn’t from that perspective at all, she was just trying to build a safer human,” expressed Fogg.

Orosz felt strongly towards being open about her past with her children, in hopes of teaching them resilience and gratefulness.

She referred to memories early on in her parenthood when her children would complain about something. For instance, if they disliked the meal their mother cooked for them, Orosz would reply with “you know how happy [you] would have been in Auschwitz?”.

“We were happy if water came from the faucets in Auschwitz, how could you dare to complain?” she often asked her children.

When her children were young, she juggled the task of being a novice mother while carrying the weight of being a Holocaust survivor. Orosz was also just trying her best, and many other survi vors were too. Sarah Fogg notes

“When I think of the survivors that I know, again I can’t speak for everybody, everyone’s different, everyone has just tried their best. They came to Canada as refugees, they had to build new lives, learn new languages, new jobs, start from nothing. And I think they all just did the best they could, really,”

Despite never enduring trauma from the Holocaust, Fogg sympathizes with other descendants who’ve felt as though they lived within their families’ tragic stories. “Now that I work at the museum, I know that there’s a right way and a wrong way to bring up the history because it could be really traumatizing to talk about it, for the listener and for the survivor,” said Fogg.

THE DAHLIA FIELDS IN THE SUMMER.

ROGER WORKING IN THE GREENHOUSE

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ANDREW FUCHS, FISCHEL GOLDIG, LISA LAFLAMME, ANGELA OROSZ RICHT, BEHIND PATRICK BORDEAUX AND DANIEL AMAR.

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY EMILY PASQUARELLI // CONTRIBUTOR

Opinions

Hogwarts Legacy: it’s okay to let the fantasy go

BY JOELLE JALBERT OPINIONS EDITOR

Although the magical world she created seemed utopic, J.K. Rowling’s world-famous book series has been tainted by her history of transphobic views.

However, the Harry Potter franchise continues to bring in revenue today, from an amusement park in Florida to a studio tour in Watford, U.K., with Rowling ultimately earning royalties on anything branded with the official Harry Potter name. Ever since she first started showing her true colours online, fans around the world started to take differing stances.

From tossing her books to boycotting any new project of hers, or still supporting the author, the public was divided — but it definitely opened up a conversation on separating the art from the artist.

Hogwarts Legacy, “an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books,” launched at the beginning of the month.

And although Warner Bros. stated that Rowling was not involved in the project, the author will still profit off the

new video game because of the Harry Potter brand being attached to it. In a world that feels ever-changing, with Gen Z being more and more involved in politics and social issues, the launch of the game could not go without controversy. Discussions around the ethics of purchasing or playing the game were everywhere online, leading the game creators to include a trans character, Sirona Ryan, in the story. According to TheGamer, different sources who worked on developing the game admitted that the character was only added as a response to critics. They really thought that adding a trans character would eliminate the association of Harry Potter with transphobia and suddenly “excuse” Rowling’s own transphobia.

But if they are so adamant that she is not involved with the project,

then why

Are Yerba Mate energy drinks racist?

BY CHARLIE HASSETT CONTRIBUTOR

Because, in a way, Rowling’s continued success with the Harry Potter franchise makes her believe that many hold the same views as her — and that’s what makes supporting the brand problematic. In a way, it makes sense that Warner Bros. would still go ahead with the launch. At the end of the day, they know that the people ready to boycott the game would not have purchased it regardless. Their target audience is the older millennials, who grew up with the franchise and therefore have more attachment to it. They are the ones still purchasing official branded merchandise and that, whether they like it or not, supports Rowling in the process.

As a zillenial, someone that identifies with both Gen Z and millennials, when it comes to popular culture I sometimes fall in the

of intergenerational conflicts. But this one is more than that.

I understand the sentimental attachment to the franchise as the Harry Potter books are what fuelled my love of reading. However, I just can’t help but pass on the message to the ones who can’t let go: it’s okay, you can let it go.

It is time for our society to tell, read and embrace new stories. More

tantly,-

chise and no longer supporting projects that are connected to it also means taking a stance on what we believe in. It’s protecting our friends, sisters, brothers, parents, partners, and neighbours of the trans community from harm. It is dreadful to have to explain to fans why this is more important than them virtually living out their fantasy of attending Hogwarts.

-

We’ve all seen them around. Whether in the hands of hipsters, on the shelves of your local store or thrown away carelessly on the street, Yerba Mate energy drinks (pronounced yer-ba ma-té) have become a classic drink for those looking for a healthier alternative to traditional energy drinks. Students love to drink them as a quick pick-me-up to meet the busy demands of university life. But where do these drinks come from? It might seem trivial to talk about a canned energy drink, but behind the fancy label listing health benefits and glitzy marketing on Instagram lies a story of racial appropriation, and greed. Made from the leaves of ilex paraguariensis, a tree native to the subtropical forests of South America, Yerba Mate is a drink enjoyed by millions of people across Latin America. In some countries, such as Argentina and Paraguay, it is a common part of daily life and is deeply rooted in the local culture and identity. The drink also holds a central place in the culture of the Guaraní, an Indigenous population located in the previously mentioned countries. Since long before the arrival of Spanish colonization, Yerba

Mate has been central to their worldview, where it plays a core role in religious practices and creation stories.

Unlike the canned versions sold in Canada and the US, in South America, Yerba Mate is always drunk as an infusion, with hot water poured into a cup containing loose mate leaves. The resulting mixture is sipped through a straw with a special strainer called a “bombilla.”

Unfortunately, the arrival of this intrinsically South American product in Canadian stores has not promoted better understanding and knowledge of this continent and its people. Instead, it is yet another example of its exploitation by foreigners.

Long the victim of domination and colonization by outside powers, today Latin America continues to suffer from high rates of inequality, poverty, and corruption, all while huge sections of the economy remain in the hands of Western companies, including many based in Canada. Many of these businesses have enriched themselves by exploiting weak states and cheap labour to extract ever more resources, material, and profit from the continent while giving very little back. While perhaps a less extreme example of this issue, the US and Canadian companies creating Yerba Mate energy drinks

for the North American market are still a part of this trend.

The cultivation of Yerba Mate, which takes place largely in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, is mostly carried out by poorer Indigenous people and is notorious for its abuses. In response, some North American brands are keen to highlight their sustainable practices and fair treatment of workers. Guayakí, a California-based brand of Yerba Mate energy drink, proudly claims on their website to support smallholders and Indigenous producers. They also state that “every purchase of Guayakí makes a positive global impact,” which they even trademarked as “Market Driven Regeneration™.”

However, as pointed out by researcher Ana Fochesatto in her thesis

“Yerba Mate: National Project to Emerging Superfood”, all this does is recreate the Spanish colonial system of encomiendas where in return for protection, Indigenous peoples were forced to culti-

vate the plant as tribute to European masters. Only this time, the tribute is to a North American corporation that, according to their latest filings, raised $75 million from investors. Furthermore, the marketing behind many of the major brands promotes a fetishised view of South America as a land of faraway jungles and primitive natives. Mate libre, a Yerba Mate energy drink from Quebec, describes mate as “the super-natural energy of South American rainforests.”

Mateína, another Québec-based brand, states on its website that the local Indigenous population considered mate a “gift from the gods” that “gave them strength and courage.”

While advertised as the sustainable, healthy and ethical choice for conscious consumers, in reality Yerba Mate energy drinks are the result of Western companies profiting off the appropriation of an intrinsically Latin American product, marketing that reduces the continent to an exoticised object and dubious promises of market-driven solutions to societal inequalities. There is nothing wrong with enjoying these products, but as consumers, we ought to stop buying into their shallow marketing.

BY JOELLE JALBERT // OPINIONS EDITOR

When counselor Gary Chapman wrote a book on his theory of the five love

languages, he probably didn’t think that, years later, people would be saying that avocado toast is their love language.

Initially, Chapman came up with a pretty simple concept: “different people with different personalities give and

receive love in different ways.”

The Love Language Quiz is an online questionnaire to find out how you like to receive love. Ideally, if in a relationship, your partner would also take the test and share results. And ultimately, love language compatibility is not as important as it is to understand how your partner feels loved.

Now don’t get me wrong, it sounds good in theory AND practice. However, people have been talking about love languages in a very self-focused way. Today, the love language test is being used more as a personality test than a tool to help our relationships.

People are listing their love language on their dating profile just as they would their astrological sign and personality traits. But at the end of the day, the love languages were meant as a way to guide your relationship, not base it off of that.

Are people really gonna

BY AMELIA HART @AMELIAHART

start using this as an excuse for incompatibility?

It’s important to note too that Chapman’s book was published in 1995. Not to sound too old and wise, but things have changed since then. The way we talk about relationships has changed. So should we even rely on them at all?

Couples can now use the languages for scorekeeping. After all, aren’t most arguments started with someone feeling like they are the ones doing more in the relationship?

Not only that, love languages can change and evolve over time. Don’t we all need physical touch sometimes and quality time on a different occasion?

As long as we communicate what we need at that specific time, our relationships would be just fine. We shouldn’t need a quiz to do that work for us and then blame our incompatibility on that when our relationships don’t work out.

feel the need to do damage control?

GRAPHIC

GRAPHIC BY CARLEEN LONEY @SHLONEYS

GRAPHICS BY AMELIA HART @AMELIAHART

Music

Music Editor: Guillaume Laberge music@theconcordian.com

Are you a musician who goes to Concordia? Let us know - we’re always looking to promote local artists!

IT’S JEV.’S WORLD, AND WE’RE ALL LIVING IN IT

If jev. was a stock, now would be the time to invest.

Since the beginning of the year, jev. has been a name on the lips of most underground rap fanatics . From having one of his songs at the number one spot of the Top 50 US Viral Songs to now having over 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, it’s safe to say that Jephté Kweto, A.K.A. jev., has been blowing up over the past few weeks.

QUICKSPINS

This Is WhyParamore

After five long years, Paramore treats fans with a new album

BY ALEXANDRA BLACKIE

Trial track: Thick Skull

media accounts, to reaching out to brands, to creating his songs, he does it all by himself. jev. is his own team, so much so that he has started his own brand: LONER inc., a project that allows jev. to have full creative control of what he does, in every sphere. He said:

Score: 7/10

The past few years have been a rollercoaster for all of us, including the rock band Paramore. After five long years, Paramore has dropped the explosive album This Is Why in response to the world’s recent pandemic. After dropping their lead single “This Is Why” in early September of last year, lead singer Hayley Williams has been teasing fans for months about the release of their latest album.

The multi-layered hit “This Is Why” has been a rock anthem for fans since its release. In comparison to the softer tempo at the beginning of the song, Williams kicks off with the jarring lyrics: “If you have an opinion, maybe you should shove it, or maybe you could scream it, might be best to keep it to yourself.”

These bold words can be felt by the listener throughout the entirety of the track.

The second song (and most notable, in my opinion) is the track “The News.” The lyrics “Shut your eyes but it won’t go away, turn off the news,” clearly speak to the band’s experience

during the pandemic and their inability to escape reality. This radical piece is yet another example of Paramore’s talent in the rock industry.

Paramore has been an inspiration in the world of punk rock since the early 2000s. Their sound has influenced a lot of today’s pop stars such as Billie EiIlish, Willow, and Olivia Rodrigo’s 2021 hit “Good 4 U.”

Although most of the album is made up of memorable work, the song “C’est Comme Ça” felt like a recycled beat from their 2017 album After Laughter The song simply felt random and was inferior when compared to the other pieces.

This Is Why takes a dramatic turn halfway through with the song “Liar.”

The combination of acoustic guitar, which isn’t often included in Paramore’s music, and Williams’ gentle lyrics truly make for a heartfelt piece outside the band’s usual vibe.

The album concludes with my favourite piece “Thick Skull.” While the beat keeps a slow, melodramatic rhythm at

the beginning, it picks up halfway through with the addition of the drums and electric guitar. Paramore seems to be dipping their toes in the indie world with this one and I’m definitely here for it.

I, by no means, think This Is Why is Paramore’s best

album, but I do think it satisfied fans for the time being. While Paramore’s music has clearly evolved since their first album in 2005, their songs will forever be infused with their punk attitude.

The Grammy book of world records 2023

Hear which records broke records.

The African-born rapper spent the majority of his life in Africa, growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa before moving to Canada with his family in late 2019. jev. has been making music since 2009, but it’s only in 2015 that the moniker jev. took form.

Despite the colder weather, the move to Canada was actually beneficial for the young rapper

“You find yourself a lot in the house so it gives you time to be creative and come up with ideas, so for me it worked out well especially during the pandemic,” he said.

For those who don’t know jev. (yet) the 22-year-old rapper is an up-and-coming figure in the new generation of young rappers influenced by both old school hip hop and the rap scene from the 2010s. In this era where the boom bap drums and chopped-up soul samples are making a comeback, jev. thrives on this type of instrumental with his varied flows, brilliant wordplay and energetic delivery. You can hear the influence of some of the greats

in his music: artists ranging from the likes of Nas to Joey Bada$$ and Kendrick Lamar are only a few inspirations that can be heard on his tracks.

Even before coming to Canada, jev. had already started to work on his last project the color grey. which released in late December 2022. While most of the songs came together over the pandemic, he first started mastering his craft in 2018, recording “aitd - demo,” the final track, on his phone. jev. has been turning a lot of heads recently, which can mostly be attributed to

all the love his song “where’s the confetti?” is receiving. As of now, the song has been streamed nearly 2.8 million times on Spotify since its release in July 2022.

“From 0 to 100,000 was probably the hardest, but from the 100,000 to a million was easy as I think it was two weeks[...] But 0 to 100,000 was like three or four months. It’s exponential growth,” he said.

“where’s the confetti?” is a hookless song that sees jev. celebrate. Once he starts rapping, he never stops, laying clever one-liners after

another over a simple drum beat and looped sample. In the past couple of weeks, this track has been circulating everywhere. Whether on TikTok, Instagram, or in various Spotify playlists, this massive exposure helped the song claim the number one spot of the Viral 50 - USA playlist on Spotify.

“LONER inc. was gonna be this umbrella of me just being as creative as possible. Movies, music videos, TV, film, fashion, clothing, music, and music is the main thing right now, that’s where it was born from,”

“I didn’t know how to react at the time, I was kind of in shock, but I’m super grateful for everybody that has played it and added it to their playlists and everything. It’s crazy,”

With all the success he’s having, you may think that jev. gets help from other people or works with a team, right? Well, you would be wrong. Aside from working with certain producers on his songs, everything else he does, he does it alone. From promoting his songs on his different social

Despite being fully in charge of his music career, jev. is much more busy than that. Not only is he a fulltime student, currently studying marketing at Carleton University in Ottawa, but he works part-time at Staples. With his combination of skill and a tremendous amount of talent, mixed with a balanced work ethic and a burning passion for music, be on the lookout for jev. as he might be the next big name in rap you wish you had discovered earlier.

I wonder what goes through people’s minds when they say, “Oh I really want to watch the Grammys, it sounds like fun.” No it doesn’t. You proceed to sit on your couch for threeand-a-half hours and watch artists get award after award for their accomplishments. Most of the time the voters from NARAS (the academy responsible for the Grammy Awards) get things wrong (objectively speaking), but this time they were able to get some award/artist pairings right.

So let’s start things off

with American singer, rapper and flutist Lizzo. She just became the first Black woman in the 21st century to win Record of the Year. Her predecessor in the 20th century was none other than Whitney Houston for “I Will Always Love You.”

When announced, Adele was the first to give her one of those big “I wrote 4 studio albums that are my age but you go Lizzo sister!” hugs and it was sweet.

Actress Viola Davis, who starred in phenomenal movies such as Hidden Figures and The Help, got the EGOT

status. What that means is, she is one of the few artists to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony award. This is no mean feat, I assure you, as only 17 other people have achieved this status. She won a Grammy for the audiobook of her memoir “Finding Me” (how is that music? Anyways, every day we stray further from the light of God).

Harry Styles beat Beyonce, Kendrick, Adele, and Lizzo, among others, for Album of the Year. This is now the fourth time that an artist

has nabbed the “Album of the Year” award from the Renaissance artist. Clearly, Beyonce’s album did not get in formation last year just like how she was late for the award ceremony.

But fret not, for Beyonce achieved a record for the most Grammy wins in history. This totals her collection to 34 awards!

For those of you who don’t know, Questlove is an accomplished musician and producer, most known for being part of the group the Roots (they actually performed

at JazzFest MTL last year).

This year for the Grammys, he organized a performance that involved all of the legends from RnB and hip-hop. Artists like Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Ice T, and many others graced the stage with their presence and MC skills that would make trap artists’ bones quiver. Also, shoutout to Randy Rainbow the comedian, who mispronounced the word “Valhalla” as “Valaha” in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

GRAPHIC BY CARLEEN LONEY @SCHLONEYS

SARO HARTOUNIAN, ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR

Upon releasing her fourth studio album, The Rodeo wants people to Stay Curious

Parisian artist The Rodeo explores solitude and uncertainty in her fourth studio album Arlequine

Arts

Art Therapy – one of the many roles traditional art plays in the digital era

approach] it from an angle of play. It’s not a performance, or result, but more of a process.”

BY JIAWEI HONG STAFF WRITER

The history of art therapy goes back to around the 1700s, when art was being used in various modes of psychological treatment. According to Lois Woolf, founder of the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute, art therapy was first explored in Europe and North America in the 1940s. The study of this subject and human psychology was explored in increasing depth for years.

Unlike art creation, art therapy focuses on the process of art rather than the result.

participants’ self-esteem and self confidence, as well as build relationships and trust through the process of art creation.

As art is a genre of work that embraces different ideologies, art therapy is useful for all kinds of people. It’s an alternative to traditional therapy for people who find it easier to express themselves through an art form rather than speaking to a therapist.

There are more than 30 art hives in Montreal. Traditional arts are spreading internationally into many other fields, like technology, creating endless possibilities for artists everywhere.

GRAPHIC BY CARLEEN LONEY

Créatique:

BY OLIVER ENG // STAFF WRITER

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the music industry hard. With live shows and concerts being canceled, many small performing artists were struggling to make a living. This was the case for French indie musician Dorothée Hannequin, who goes by The Rodeo onstage. Despite the pandemic’s challenges, she has continued to create and release music, and her dedication and passion have kept her going through these difficult times.

Hannequin began her musical career at the age of 15 while she was still in high school. Growing up in Paris, she was influenced at a young age by her uncle, who

gave her her first-ever guitar. She credits her Vietnamese and French heritage helping her discover a diverse plethora of music, influencing her love for the indie genre.

“I was really shy as a teenager and I met a bunch of people in high school playing music. It really helped me a lot to get out of my shell. I’m a self taught musician so we started a band playing with all these friends. I wrote a lot of songs and I proposed them to the band,” said Hannequin.

After nine years with

her first band Hopper, Hannequin released her debut solo album Tale of Woe under the name The Rodeo in 2014.

When speaking with The Concordian, Hannequin revealed that the indie music scene in France is much smaller than Montreal’s.

In France the main genres of music people listen to are rap and a lot of techno. According to Hannequin, there are around three bars where you can listen to indie music in Paris.

“Everyone knows each other here. So maybe a good thing is that there’s maybe less competition than in bigger cities.”

In June, Hannequin will be on tour in Vietnam, where she will be working on songs with local artists.

Her fourth and latest album, Arlequine, focuses on Hannequin’s struggles throughout the pandemic, isolation and a recent breakup.

When asked if hard times helps artists be more creative, she jokingly replied: “I’d almost recommend that to other artists.”

The pandemic gave her a lot of time to create. Her newest album represents not just Hannequin’s experiences, but also stories,

phrases and ideas from things she’s read, watched or observed.

It’s a mix of loose facts and her own life.

“There’s a song on the album about a jealous woman, which I’m not. But it was interesting to have this character on this album. It’s a fictional character, but it’s interesting to be in that skin.”

Hannequin says that she wanted different portraits of different women. “It’s like a harlequin, with different faces of humans or different humans in one outfit.”

She insists that the main driving force for her new album was the feeling of isolation. During the pandemic, artists had a lot of time to create, but could not play live in front of audiences. That was the main joy in Hannequin’s artistic experience: going to concerts and singing in front of a crowd. It’s also why the first song on her new album “Courir Courir Courir” is her favourite. She said:

“It’s my favourite because of the vocals. I feel the words are really powerful and I love the solo part. And I have to admit, it was one take for the

solo. There’s no trick,”

During the pandemic, she tried to do what other big artists had done: play a small concert remotely in front of her computer. But the feeling wasn’t the same. “It was a nightmare!” Hannequin said.

“I think now, due to the pandemic people just want to get out and feel the music. The sweat, the heat, the energy. Maybe for techno or folk music, you can be at home. But when you want to have a live show, you have to be there in person.”

Hannequin says that her new album is about feeling better. She loves the uncertainty the future represents and says listening to her new songs should feel like “Imagine taking a ride on a horse to who knows where,” she said.

Stream The Rodeo’s new album Arlequine

The Centre for the Arts in Human Development at Concordia University provides creative art therapy for people with disabilities and special needs, as well as for people with anxiety and depression. Senior associate director Lenore Vosberg says that instead of teaching art skills, the centre helps people express themselves through different art forms.

“It’s a very supportive place. People get a lot of good and positive feedback for everything they do here,” Vosberg said. The centre works to build

The Concordia Art Hive is a public practice art therapy space, located on the first floor of the ER building downtown and on the fourth floor of the central building at Loyola in the G-Lounge. The spaces are accessible to anyone who wishes to achieve self-expression through art. Students sit around a table to communicate with each other while creating their crafts.

Rachel Chainey is an art therapist who coordinates the Art Hive HQ located at Concordia’s downtown campus. She says that one of their challenges is getting people to understand what art therapy is.

“Some people would be intimidated by arts because they think they should be good,” Chainey said. “[But you

Art education student Kaida Kobylka stopped by the Art Hive with the goal of observing art studios in a public space. She explained the process of an AI project that she had explored, in which she had to put the artistic idea first to let it create. “AI can learn and create, but it can’t just make something out of nothing yet,” said Kobylka. “I have to put the artistic thoughts into the input, it isn’t just replacing an artistic mind.”

“Everybody has the crisis when they are an artist, like does what I made matter or would painting exist in the future,” Kobylka said, “but the answer is yes, the paintings are still evolving and relevant.”

Indeed, art has been always seen as a form of self-expression and materialized thoughts throughout the existence of humankind, and this is how traditional art participates in society in a psychological and spiritual way.

Merging Practice and Research

On Feb. 16, the English Department of Concordia University launched Créatique , an event featuring a discussion with PhD students about their creative writing and research practices.

I attended this gathering held inside the Richler Library seminar room, located in the LB Building of Concordia University. The evening’s host, professor Jason Camlot, gave me more insight about the origins and the objectives of Créatique .

Initially, he noticed that there were a high number of talented poets who were pursuing PhDs in the English and Humanities departments. In the Creative Writing program, students study literature, so they have to explore the connection between literary creation, literary criticism and reflection.

“We thought it could be useful and interesting to have a forum where they could talk about the relationship between their creative practice and their research practice,” said Camlot.

This is an opportunity for people who are not familiar with poetry to learn more about creative processes.

At each event, two research artists are invited to read from their work, reflect on it critically and explain their process of incorporating themes and concepts into their writing.

Charlotte Wetton, an AHRC-funded (Arts in Health Research Collective) PhD candidate from the University of Manchester, and Professor Alexei Perry Cox of Concordia’s English Department were the two speakers last week.

Wetton’s poetry focuses on labour, more specifically the impact of gender

roles and social class in society. Her creative work addresses concepts from eighteenth-century literature. Wetton’s passion for poetry began when she read novels as a child. The pleasure of reading sparked a curiosity about finding the proper words to express herself.

“When I started writing, it was just so satisfying to find the right words to express something, capture moments and experiences,” revealed Wetton in an interview after the event. When she began her career, Wetton was unable to find many poems about labour. She decided to spark meaningful conversations about work that were lacking in literature in her opinion.

“Actually, I always feel very nervous before readings.

Reading any kind of creative work puts you in a vulnerable place. But when I start, I feel very confident because these are the words that I’ve committed to paper and I enjoy sharing them,” she added.

Professor Cox’s creative work focuses on nationalism, immigration, liberation, and the search for identity, among other subjects. Cox’s curiosity about life and finding ways to escape reality with art fuels her passion. We spoke about her experience that evening and ambitions about poetry.

“I love being in the thrill of it and feeling that exchange of energy with the folks who are present,” said Cox.

“As an academic and creative writer, you’re able to gather and bring ideas together. Those ideas can then become more expansive through activism and have impact daily on larger conversations, especially in terms of policy-making,” she said.

IMAGES COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Bridging Concordia’s creative writers

Concordia Art Hive: where making good art is not a requirement

JAYSEN BRIAN JEAN-BAPTISTE CONTRIBUTOR

Delve into the parallel world of barbershops: a photo essay

Capturing barbers and clients in their daily lives

BY VALENTINE ALIBERT

VIDEO EDITOR

Yea I made it up, Yea it’s real: Examining digital culture, social media, and the meme-sphere

Concordia students and alumni adopt internet aesthetics to explore the human experience in the digital age in new exhibition

BY CATHERINE REYNOLDS PHOTO EDITOR

On Feb. 17, artists Edson Niebla Rogil and Dayana Matasheva hosted the vernissage for their exhibition Yea I made it up, Yea it’s real out of their shared Plateau studio. The show featured 11 artists, including Niebla Rogil and Matasheva, whose works address the effects of the internet on the human experience through mediums ranging from AI-generated audio to live streaming-inspired video compilations.

For Matasheva, who graduated from Film Production in 2020, the internet represents an aesthetic endeavor. “I think aesthetically, no one is using the visual vernacular of the internet. We are interested in

its aesthetics specifically, rather than just its subject matter.”

After noticing a lack of representation of internet subject matter within traditional gallery spaces, Niebla Rogil and Matasheva issued an open call for like-minded artists.

“There’s a really big focus on technology as a medium, but there’s very little about the cultures that are growing online and changing the landscape of how people interact with each other,” said Concordia Intermedia major Liz Waterman, whose sensorial TikTok-inspired video projection “Doom Scroll” was featured in the exhibition. “I think that it’s shaping culture and psychology in a way that’s really interesting, and we don’t see enough work about it.”

Yea I made it up, Yea it’s real is the first exhibition organized,

hosted, and curated by Niebla Rogil and Matasheva, but the pair have ambitions to move future exhibitions out of their studio into larger spaces, and to continue to host their networking event, The Net Worker.

“It’s a recurring event where people shamelessly network and there’s no other purpose to it,” explains Matasheva. “People come together, exchange DIY business cards, they wear business attire and everything. It’s a little bit performative, but it actually is serving a purpose for artists.”

Information about upcoming exhibitions, networking events, and more can be found on Niebla Rogil and Matasheva’s Instagram profiles.

IMAGE BY CATHERINE REYNOLDS THE CONCORDIAN

ALL IMAGES BY VALENTINE ALIBERT / THE CONCORDIAN

The barber Mikey Rose shaves the beard of his customer with his razor. and has a vintage and busy style.

Franck Duval shaves his customer’s beard with a razor.

Mikey Rose massages the bear of the client with his hands.

Barber Franck Duval gets closer to his client. The Emporium barbershop is located at the corner of St-Zotique and Parc Avenue in Mile-Ex.

Franck Duval massages the beard of Biaggio Totarella with his hands to give it a nice look.

Barber Franck Duval shaves his customer’s beard with a razor.

Barber Frank Duval sits in one of the armchairs and watches a customer walking through the door

Co-owner of Savvy barbershop Dave Lechasseur cuts the hair of his client. Feb. 1, 2023. The barbershop Savvy is located on St. Hubert Street and has a vintage and busy old-fashioned style.

Co-owner of Savvy barbershop Mikey Rose shaves his customer’s beard.

Barbershop owner Dave Lechasseur cuts his client’s hair.

Spot the differences:

You might need another coffee to spot all 10.

The Update

Our bi-weekly podcast brings you the most recent stories. Scan the QR code for our full podcast catalogue.

MASTHEAD

Editor-in-Chief: Gabriel Guindi editor@theconcordian.com

Managing Editor: Bogdan Lytvynenko managing@theconcordian.com

Creative Director: James Fay creative@theconcordian.com

Board of Directors: Alex Hutchins, Aviva Majerczyk, Lillian Roy, Chloe Lalonde, Maggie Hope, Hannah Tiongson, Hadassah

Alencar, Lily Cowper, Simon Fournier board@theconcordian.com

Business Manager: Lithun Sarker

Advertising: Xiyu Cheng, Ambar

Srivastava

Distribution: Hebdo Litho

Social Media: Zainah Al Meqbel

Head Copy Editor: Cris Derfel

Copy Editors: Evleen Kaur, Melissa

Migueis

Features Editor: Evan Lindsay

Features Assistant: Emma Megelas

News Editors: Marieke GlorieuxStryckman, Lucas Marsh

News Assistant: Simon Fournet

Sports Editor: Maria Bouabdo

Sports Assistant: Alice Martin

Community Editor: Dalia Nardolillo

Opinions Editor: Joelle Jalbert

Arts Editor: Esther Morand

Arts Assistant: Jeremy Cox

Music Editor: Guillaume Laberge

Music Assistant: Saro Hartounian

Photo Editor: Catherine Reynolds

Photo Assistants: Kaitlynn Rodney, Thomas Vaillancourt

Video Editor: Valentine Alibert

Videographer: Jacqueline Lisbona

Graphics Editor: Carleen Loney

Graphics Artist: Amelia Hart

Production Designer: Léa Tual, Natasha Spinelli

PHOTO BY CATHERINE REYNOLDS. EDITING BY NATASHA SPINELLI // THE CONCORDIAN