November 15, 2007

by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean

Celebrating art as a means of action!

The urban arts forums that we have organized across the country and on State visits have all been real and intense events. And it was the same in Ottawa, where over 150 people—mostly young, committed artists—gathered: it was an event marked by personal testimonies, ideas, exchanges, mobilization, and a desire to follow through. It was very clear the other night at Club SAW and SAW gallery that arts and culture are excellent tools for thinking, finding one’s voice and speaking out, asserting one’s citizenship, finding one’s place in society, joining forces, creating partnerships, challenging and overcoming prejudices, and acting. The ideas were just flying back and forth! The work being done by a number of groups like the Canadians Floor Masters is remarkable. Not only is there talent and an enormous spirit of solidarity there, there are also solutions that deserve to be considered and put into action, ideas about how to fight exclusion, violence and distress, as well as ideas about how to rebuild bridges and create a society that is firmly anchored in the values that unite us.

People from different generations were really listening to one another and shared a desire to work together. Municipal councillors, representatives of various police services, members of the Order of Canada, and others had the opportunity to discuss and sound out realities, which will certainly help them to better establish their initiatives on the ground.

I liked the idea put forth by Mike Young in the November 13, 2007 edition of the Ottawa Citizen. He suggested that we create a sort of independent committee for the urban arts in the Ottawa region be created to keep the momentum going, the constructive energy, and maintain the meetings and networks that came out of the forum. Some people have already picked up on the idea and are working to make it a reality. Mike suggested using Citizen Voices as a rallying point for those who are inspired by the project and that we take stock in one year. It always thrills me when people are mobilized into action through these forums. Good work everyone!