In 1914, a ship named the “Komagata Maru,” carrying 376 South Asian would-be immigrants to Canada, was turned away from Vancouver and all but a few of its passengers were refused entry. This reflected a larger move against Asian immigration at that time in both popular and official circles. As a part of a major region-wide commemoration program in BC in honour of the centenary of this tragic event, UBC Asian Studies has partnered with the Department of Theatre and Film, Rangmanch Punjabi Theatre (Surrey), Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore, and other local partners to produce a multi-faceted program to commemorate and understand more fully the Komagata Maru incident and its ongoing significance in Canada today.
An evening with Ali Kazimi and the film Continuous Journey
The Harjit Kaur Sidhu Memorial Program for 2014
with the Department of Asian Studies at UBC
Thursday 1 May, 2014, 7-9:30 p.m.
at Centre Stage, New Surrey City Hall
A conversation with the filmmaker Ali Kazimi and screening of his 2004 documentary, “Continuous Journey”, which explores the history of the Komagata Maru ‘incident’ of 1914, when a ship carrying over 350 would-be immigrants from South Asia was turned away from Vancouver.
An Evening with Ali Kazimi – Photos:
An Evening with Ali Kazimi – Question & Answer Period:
Presented in partnership with the Komagata Maru Heritage Foundation, Surrey Art Gallery, and Surrey Civic Theatres, and free with the support of the Sidhu family.
For more information, see: http://blogs.ubc.ca/punjabisikhstudies/annual-event-the-harjit-kaur-sidhu-memorial-program/
“Performing the Komagata Maru: Theatre and the Work of Memory” commenced on May 3 with a symposium on theatre as an expression of post-colonial concerns and interventions.
Performing the Post-colonial: The political work of theatre
A symposium associated with the theatrical and scholarly program “Performing the Komagata Maru: Theatre and the Work of Memory.” Featured a panel discussion by the playwrights of the plays included in the program (Sadhu Binning, Sukhwant Hundal, Sharon Pollock, Ajmer Rode), talks by Rahul Varma (playwright and founder of Teesri Duniya Theatre or “Third World Theatre”), Nandi Bhatia (University of Western Ontario), and filmmaker and York University Professor Ali Kazimi. We commenced with a key-note address by Professor of English at Panjab University, Chandigarh and well-known translator of modern Punjabi literature, Rana Nayar.
May 3, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Location: St. John’s College
Free and open to the public.
Refreshments served during the symposium; light dinner followed.
Performing the Post-colonial – Photos:
Co-sponsored by St. John’s College and supported by a UBC Hampton grant and, for Professor Nayar’s visit, the International Research Scholar program at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Study at UBC.
For more information, see: http://blogs.ubc.ca/punjabisikhstudies/komagata-maru-project-2014/may-3-2014-symposium-performing-the-postcolonial/
Finally, our main event took place:
Performing the Komagata Maru: Theatre and the Work of Memory
This performance event explored three plays written about the Komagata Maru incident by Canadian authors: Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal’s “Sumundari Sher nal Takar” (in Punjabi), Sharon Pollock’s “The Komagata Maru Incident” (in English), and Ajmer Rode’s “Kamagata Maru” (in Punjabi). We developed a single program that integrated sections of the three plays to explore how and why we remember the Komagata Maru, and how the creative arts augment and enhance the traditional historical archive. Students in the Department of Theatre and Film at UBC performed short selections from Pollock’s play; members of the theatre group “Rangmanch Punjabi Theatre” performed selections from the two Punjabi plays. The event was entirely bilingual through the use of Surtitling, and sets for the production were produced by students from Srishti School of Art, Design, and Technology in Bangalore in association with artist and Rangmanch Punjabi Theatre member, Raghavendra Rao K.V.
Performing the Komagata Maru – Photos:
Photos by Ali Kazimi, Oliver Mann, and Raghu Rao
Performing the Komagata Maru – Video:
May 3 at 7:30 p.m. and May 4 at 2 p.m.
At UBC’s Frederic Wood Theatre
And
May 9 at 8 p.m.
at Surrey Arts Centre
Tickets at both venues were $10.
Supported by a UBC Hampton grant, Surrey Arts Grant (for the Surrey portion), and a grant from Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
For more information, see: http://blogs.ubc.ca/punjabisikhstudies/komagata-maru-project-2014/may-3-4-performing-the-komagata-maru-at-ubc-and-in-surrey/
These performances were made possible by a UBC Hampton Grant and, for the performance in Surrey, a Surrey Arts Grant and support from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Funds for this student exhibition were provided by the Office of the Vice President for Research and International (UBC).
