Mum and I visit South Africa in 2007 and 2012 to learn about the life and times of my great grandfather, Vincent Lawrence (1872-1965). Lawrence worked with Gandhi when the Mahatma was in South Africa, got involved in the struggle against apartheid, and helped found St. Anthony's Church in Durban.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Lawrence Project Trailer
I'm up in the Haida Gwaii these days, aka, the Queen Charlotte Islands. I'm here with Sharmeen, and I'll be working on the Haidawood project over the new two weeks, which involves making stop-motion animated movies with Haida youth in the Haida language. You can see the proof-of-concept movie here.
Just by chance, the Whistling Bones Aboriginal Arts Festival was in town, and I got a chance to participate in a filmmaking workshop with Mi'kmaq filmmaker Catharine Martin. She encouraged me to work on a teaser for the Lawrence Project movie as part of the workshop.
It was a lot of work, and I didn't have much time, with only 2 1/2 days to shoot and edit the movie. I am reasonably happy with the results, and the film was shown at the closing ceremonies of the Whistling Bones festival here in Old Masset. I didn't have access to the footage I shot in South Africa - that's all down in Pemberton. My plan is to spend two weeks in Pemberton in September to make a start on the project.
As I think about the Lawrence Project, it's clear to me that I'll want to balance the tone between the seriousness of some of the content, including discussions of apartheid, satyagraha, etc., and my own sense of humor. I think balancing the tone will be important in making a watchable short movie.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Lawrence Avenue?
It's been a while since I've blogged on these pages. I've been traveling in British Columbia, visiting my sister Michele and my Dad up in Pemberton, and then making a trip up to Quesnel to reconnect with Sharmeen. Now I'm back in Kitchener-Waterloo visiting with Mum and Dad for a bit before visiting the States for a week, and then back to BC.
While Mum and I were in Durban, the eThekwini Municipal Government was in the process of renaming various street names. For example, Point Road has been renamed Mahatma Gandhi Road, Grey Street has been renamed Dr Yusuf Dadoo, and Victoria Embankment has been changed to Margaret Mncadi Avenue. The Point Road rename has been especially controversial among the Indian community, because the street is frequented by prostitutes and drug users. I don't think the Mahatma would mind - he was always compassionate towards people of all backgrounds and life circumstances, and who knows, perhaps the name change will help inspire people to adopt the principles of non-violence to help solve issues of poverty in the area.
Mum is not one to let an opportunity pass by. When Leslie Peters mentioned that he thought it might be a good idea to rename Gale Street, where Vincent Lawrence and his family lived for years (and where Mum was born), Mum jumped into action. With Dad's help, they have submitted an application to have Gale Street renamed Lawrence Avenue. They have just submitted all the relevant documentation, and it remains to be seen if their bid for the rename will be successful.
While Mum and I were in Durban, the eThekwini Municipal Government was in the process of renaming various street names. For example, Point Road has been renamed Mahatma Gandhi Road, Grey Street has been renamed Dr Yusuf Dadoo, and Victoria Embankment has been changed to Margaret Mncadi Avenue. The Point Road rename has been especially controversial among the Indian community, because the street is frequented by prostitutes and drug users. I don't think the Mahatma would mind - he was always compassionate towards people of all backgrounds and life circumstances, and who knows, perhaps the name change will help inspire people to adopt the principles of non-violence to help solve issues of poverty in the area.
Mum is not one to let an opportunity pass by. When Leslie Peters mentioned that he thought it might be a good idea to rename Gale Street, where Vincent Lawrence and his family lived for years (and where Mum was born), Mum jumped into action. With Dad's help, they have submitted an application to have Gale Street renamed Lawrence Avenue. They have just submitted all the relevant documentation, and it remains to be seen if their bid for the rename will be successful.
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