A BOOK OF GHAZALS IN ENGLISH by CANADIAN POET SHENIZ JANMOHAMED
Multiculturalism is, of course, very important, for all things in Canada.
Among other things, it calls attention to a Canadian South Asian literary identity, and affords Canadian authors of a South Asian heritage a specific place in the sun, said participants at the recent Festival of South Asian Literature and the Arts.
But in recent times, despite considerable advancement in what is called "diasporic literature", multiculturalism itself has receded into old stereotypes - and these negatives are on the ascendancy, several writers felt.
"It's like the beggar sitting outside the temple," Winnipeg-based novelist Uma Parameswaran told Focus. "The beggar's given alms, even as he's told: 'But you can't enter!'"
So is there an equity issue here? For instance, if all the writers insist they're all mainstream Canadian writers, why have a South Asian literary festival?
Observed Toronto-based poet Priscila Uppal: "As Aristotle said, it's good to have some categories - but to limit to that category is also dangerous.
"Further, we should also be aware that 'multiculturalism' itself is a social construct," the York U academician added.
The event, backed by Scotiabank and Toronto-based non-profit Tsar Publications, headed by celebrated author M.G. Vassanji, attracted an A-list of writers from all across Canada, as well as several reputed authors and theatre personalities from India, including respected playwright and film actor Girish Karnad and rising theatre personality Mahesh Dattani.
Calgary-based writer Ashok Mathur felt events like FSALA offer Canadian writers of a South Asian heritage an opportunity to have a critical engagement of their works.
But on the wider topic of multiculturalism he wondered: "Whither multiculturalismâ?¦ or should that be wither multiculturalism, minus the 'h'?"
Seminal 'South Asian' character elusive
Montreal-based playwright and session moderator Rana Bose noted: "I'm not nostalgic about the India I left behind, but I am nostalgic about the Canada of 30 years ago that I left behind. I'm concerned at the way multiculturalism is moving in Canada - a reversal is happening."
Quebec City based writer Nalini Warriar noted she's been difficult to docket for those in her neighbourhood since she's a Canadian of South Asian origin writing in English in a French-speaking world.
But docket us they will, said poet Sheniz Janmohamed: "I was born in Canada, my parents are from East Africa, we're of Indian (Gujarati) ancestry, I'm young, a woman, and a Muslim to boot. But I don't even speak Gujarati. How do you connect to your ancestry if you can't speak in that language? Yet Canada says, 'Choose!' And if I don't choose my identity, they choose it for us!"
So we're all South Asian - which, while it means many things to us, places us all in a convenient docket in multiculturally obsessed Canada.
With Janmohamed, this search of her identity has carried her down her quest of her identity perhaps more than many others.
"Since I knew neither Gujarati nor Urdu, I decided to write in a language in which I am proficient." The result? A book of ghazalsâ?¦ and yes, it's in English.
Visiting star playwright from Bangalore Mahesh Dattani perhaps placed the diaspora's struggle with the concept of multiculturalism best when he responded to a query from Focus - about what Canada's diaspora's relevance was to South Asian literature and the arts - with: "But who are we talking about? Are we talking about the diaspora talking about themselves? Or about the area or country they live in? Or are they South Asians writing about the world? From their cultural perspective, or from that of a global citizenâ?¦?
source: http://www.southasianfocus.com / by Sunil Rao/ Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Multiculturalism is, of course, very important, for all things in Canada.
Among other things, it calls attention to a Canadian South Asian literary identity, and affords Canadian authors of a South Asian heritage a specific place in the sun, said participants at the recent Festival of South Asian Literature and the Arts.
But in recent times, despite considerable advancement in what is called "diasporic literature", multiculturalism itself has receded into old stereotypes - and these negatives are on the ascendancy, several writers felt.
"It's like the beggar sitting outside the temple," Winnipeg-based novelist Uma Parameswaran told Focus. "The beggar's given alms, even as he's told: 'But you can't enter!'"
So is there an equity issue here? For instance, if all the writers insist they're all mainstream Canadian writers, why have a South Asian literary festival?
Observed Toronto-based poet Priscila Uppal: "As Aristotle said, it's good to have some categories - but to limit to that category is also dangerous.
"Further, we should also be aware that 'multiculturalism' itself is a social construct," the York U academician added.
The event, backed by Scotiabank and Toronto-based non-profit Tsar Publications, headed by celebrated author M.G. Vassanji, attracted an A-list of writers from all across Canada, as well as several reputed authors and theatre personalities from India, including respected playwright and film actor Girish Karnad and rising theatre personality Mahesh Dattani.
Calgary-based writer Ashok Mathur felt events like FSALA offer Canadian writers of a South Asian heritage an opportunity to have a critical engagement of their works.
But on the wider topic of multiculturalism he wondered: "Whither multiculturalismâ?¦ or should that be wither multiculturalism, minus the 'h'?"
Seminal 'South Asian' character elusive
Montreal-based playwright and session moderator Rana Bose noted: "I'm not nostalgic about the India I left behind, but I am nostalgic about the Canada of 30 years ago that I left behind. I'm concerned at the way multiculturalism is moving in Canada - a reversal is happening."
Quebec City based writer Nalini Warriar noted she's been difficult to docket for those in her neighbourhood since she's a Canadian of South Asian origin writing in English in a French-speaking world.
But docket us they will, said poet Sheniz Janmohamed: "I was born in Canada, my parents are from East Africa, we're of Indian (Gujarati) ancestry, I'm young, a woman, and a Muslim to boot. But I don't even speak Gujarati. How do you connect to your ancestry if you can't speak in that language? Yet Canada says, 'Choose!' And if I don't choose my identity, they choose it for us!"
So we're all South Asian - which, while it means many things to us, places us all in a convenient docket in multiculturally obsessed Canada.
With Janmohamed, this search of her identity has carried her down her quest of her identity perhaps more than many others.
"Since I knew neither Gujarati nor Urdu, I decided to write in a language in which I am proficient." The result? A book of ghazalsâ?¦ and yes, it's in English.
Visiting star playwright from Bangalore Mahesh Dattani perhaps placed the diaspora's struggle with the concept of multiculturalism best when he responded to a query from Focus - about what Canada's diaspora's relevance was to South Asian literature and the arts - with: "But who are we talking about? Are we talking about the diaspora talking about themselves? Or about the area or country they live in? Or are they South Asians writing about the world? From their cultural perspective, or from that of a global citizenâ?¦?
source: http://www.southasianfocus.com / by Sunil Rao/ Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
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