On April 13th, Honourable BC Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sports Lana Popham hosted a gathering of 120 community leaders and stakeholders to engage with them about the future of a South Asian Canadian Museum in BC.
The first of its kind in Canada, the Museum will aim to reflect the diversity of the South Asian Canadian diaspora in BC – its history, heritage, arts, culture and languages. The engagement process was interesting in that people had very diverse and meaningful comments and suggestions about the role of community in the engagement process. The SASI provided the context for the legacy work leading up to the development of the Museum. For more information on the work undertaken so far to record the history and to reflect on the South Asian Canadian contributions to BC, please visit www.threadingourstories.ca
The engagement process event on April 13th will lead up to a province wide consultation phase that will assist in providing the vision for such a museum in BC. The Ministry will guide the process with support from SASI, individuals, and organizations across BC. Minister Popham stated: “I am committed to providing a follow-up communication to share the key themes and responses we heard, to ensure we are getting it right from the beginning. Your initial input will help advance a more robust, community-led, and informed engagement that connects with you, your families, and your communities. I wish to thank you in advance for your future participation in those next stages of engagement.”
Please contact us at sasi@ufv.ca for more information if you would like to be updated.
The concept of South Asian Canadian Museum is very historic and it will cover all areas well. Needs more consultations from other parts of the British Columbia.