The G20 in Toronto

Spending a weekend with the G20 in Toronto was like spending a weekend with a military state. It was oppressive, demeaning, anger-filled and unjust. Rights were taken away from Canadian citizens for the purposes of meeting the needs of a few upper ranking government officials.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was amended to meet the needs of the weekend, and hundreds suffered unjust arrest for peacefully protesting and demonstrating their basic right to free speech. I was of the viewpoint that we had spent over a billion dollars on two days of security (versus the approximate 900 million spent on the WHOLE 2 WEEKS of the Olympics), and that it was simply a blatant waste of taxpayer money. A lot of people were simply of this opinion and wanted to voice it. Why hold such a volatile event in Canada's largest city? Why not Nunavut or St. John's...sure the scenery is much nicer there?

I set to the streets on my bike, witnessing people getting pulled over (sometimes I feel, simply for wearing black!), riot cops and plain clothes officers on every corner, and an air of fear and courage (on the part of the citizens). I was perhaps one of thousands simply curious what this meant for our city, and to see how much fairness could be employed in times of pressure. I fortunately wasn't harassed or searched unnecessarily. But felt a tension in my blood when I saw stores with wooden planks protecting them, gas masks on peoples faces, fences everywhere, and signs quoting Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. This tension was of course momentarily diffused by seeing the occasional clown nose, citizens holding hands, people traveling in large groups cycling whilst ringing their bells, and the occasional laughing baby. Innocence vs. Oppression.

In the end for a few trouble makers that roused the attention of the world by lighting cop cars on fire, there was an incredible uproar and over-reaction on the part of the cops -- strong enough to ignite a series of unjust arrests that upset a relatively peaceful/human view I generally hold for Canada. The Olympic protests were met with much more respect I felt, and handled far more justly.

"It may be long before the law of love will be recognized in international affairs. The machineries of government stand between and hide the hearts of one people from those of another." ~Gandhi


Oh

A Poem...

Time Efficiency

Traffic congestion and runny noses
Two symptoms of urban dwellings
Finding comfort in grey walls and halls
And teletubes that act as pacifiers
Eathing away every passing hour
Through the vortex medium of media
Mediating everyday experiences
Lights, action and what you don’t see
Is the camera
Acting as eyes that don’t blink
“We’re watching you” they say
In a world we taught to think
“Watch your back!”
But what if I can’t keep track
When you’re adding 10 pounds to my 6-pack
I got 4 eyes to see through the lies
They tell on TV
And one on my forehead to have visions
That move me and cease me
Like a movie of the mind
Impregnate my mind with dreams
It seems of helping the wanty and needy.
Homeless shelters could use your homely hand
For a homecooked meal
Could you steal a moment
Of your precious life for such a cause?
Stop. Pause.
Think and question your mind’s natural laws.
I see a few flaws in my understanding
Could I have a “stop/pause” button on this life
So I can digest what you are demanding?
Would it be unreasonable to ask you
To be patient with me
In a world that values time efficiency?
Should I speed up my step
Or speed up my speech.
So I won’t be labeled a time leech?
How about I reach into my pocket
And give you a quarter for your time?
A piece of my mind for a piece of your time,
Would that be fine?

What an incredible weekend! Spent this time:

-Seeing my first ballet! West Side Story at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts'

-The Muhtadi Drum Festival: Celebrating Women in Rhythm (even made it into NOW magazine for dancing beside someone with obviously more energy than the entire crowd)

-Practicing Karate Katas in the Park with Black Belt friend Lana (ten years of karate and a brown belt and yet you can never get sick of the movement)

-Watching the Lunacy Cabaret

-African Dancing to the sounds of Muthadi's Drum Ensemble!

Really one of the most amazing things was eating Plantains and Banku, two fried objects I really can never get sick of...at least at first bite! The sun blazed like fire on a stove, the wind blew soft spurts of oxygen rich coolness, that made me temporarily forget that I was in the middle of downtown Toronto.

Ink Sketches of Local Music Cats

My favourite people to draw are musicians. They stay put for extended periods of time, and you can usually capture them in actions. As with pictures, sometimes the best images are ones where the people don't feel a need to pose.



The Djembe player was one I captured at the Muhtadi Drumming Festival in Queen's Park, Toronto



The tabla player is a friend who goes by the name of Gurpreet Chana aka "The Tabla Guy"