“We are beckoned to see the world through a one-way mirror, as if we are threatened and innocent and the rest of humanity is threatening, or wretched, or expendable. Our memory is struggling to rescue the truth that human rights were not handed down as privileges from a parliament, or a boardroom, or an institution, but that peace is only possible with justice and with information that gives us the power to act justly.”
John Pilger

Saturday, September 20, 2014

The real problem with the Canadian Human Rights Museum

Why have we built a $300-million tribute to human rights just a few kilometres away from one of Canada’s most destitute neighbourhoods?

Umut Özsu  

THE STAR.COM - Wed Sep 17 2014

On Sept. 20, more than a decade after it was first conceived, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights will open its doors. A product of government funding and philanthropic donations, the museum dominates The Forks, a historically important section of downtown Winnipeg. Its very edifice — encased in glass and spiralling to a height of no less than 100 metres — has been designed as a “tower of hope.”
Much has been written over the years about the museum. Its supporters have claimed that Canada is an apt location for a human rights museum, and that the building will revitalize a city that has long been identified with its crippling winter, attracting large numbers of tourists and students in an effort to underscore Winnipeg’s diversity.
Its detractors have raised concerns about curatorial content and argued that it is a significant waste of resources, particularly as there is little evidence that the museum — which has cost more than $300 million — will contribute meaningfully to the local and provincial economy.

READ MORE....

No comments:

Post a Comment