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Celebrate Solidarity with a BTS Evening of Song
Maritime voices launch holiday CD in Halifax, 'Breaking the Silence' about Guatemala
Music, solidarity, treats! Nov 29 in Halifax!
HALIFAX, NOVEMBER 2011--Maritime artists are notorious for their generosity to their communities. At the end of this month, at the newly-renovated Just Us! Cafe on Spring Garden in Halifax, local musicians will prove this once more as they take the stage in support of the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence (BTS) Network.
Last year, BTS released "Singing Solidarity," a CD featuring the voices of Maritime artists, as a holiday fundraiser for the local social justice network. This year, BTS is officially launching the CD in Halifax with an evening of live music, solidarity and awareness building.
"I once had the opportunity to briefly experience first-hand the struggles of some of the poor in Guatemala," says Lennie Gallant, PEI singer-songwriter and contributor to the CD. "I will forever be touched by the courage, strength, and hope that these people showed in circumstances that I suspect would overcome most of us if our places were exchanged."
The musical evening, hosted by Just Us! Cafe, will be Tuesday, November 29, 6:30-9pm. Guests will enjoy the music of several contributors to the CD, including Sackville, New Brunswick's RA Lautenschlager and Tatamagouche's Wilf Bean, as well as Halifax musician Ben Sichel and "Halilatin intense" band Zulkamoon, plus a surprise guest. "Singing Solidarity" will be for sale, along with delicious and handy fair trade treats, perfect for holiday gifts. Admission is by suggested donation of $20 waged, $10 unwaged.
In recognition of November 29 as the International Day for Solidarity with Palestinian People, BTS welcomes Canadians, Arabs and Jews for a Just Peace, and other Palestinian solidarity organizations, to share the evening of awareness. Along with musical entertainment, guests will learn about the importance of fostering a Halifax community in solidarity with Guatemala and Palestine.
“Contributing to this CD is an important way for me to say we are all connected as citizens in the world," says Wilf Bean, who will be performing in Halifax on November 29. "In many ways, Guatemala is not very far away. We all need to be aware of how our actions affect those less powerful. It is also a way of celebrating while we work in solidarity for a more just, caring and sustainable world!”
Lennie Gallant agrees with the importance of recognizing and supporting people who have been struggling for peace and justice.
"They have been on a long journey searching for a little justice and they deserve our help."
"Singing Solidarity" features the voices of Old Man Luedecke, Coco Love Alcorn, Wilf Bean, Four the Moment, Cheryl Gaudet and Shauntay Grant from Nova Scotia; Lennie Gallant, Tara MacLean, Scott Parsons and Nancy White from Prince Edward Island; Border Crossing, Cesar Morales and RA Lautenschlager from New Brunswick; and Carolyn McDade who sings with performers from all over Canada and the US.
All proceeds from sales of this CD will contribute to BTS's solidarity work. For those unable to attend the launch party in Halifax, the CD is available a the Tatamagouche Centre gift shop (902-657-2231) and can be ordered by contacting Corrie Melanson in Halifax (corrie.melanson@bellaliant.net), Margie Loo in PEI (loomargie@gmail.com) and Tracy Glynn in Fredericton (tracy@jatam.org). The BTS network encourages those who want to buy the CD to get their orders in early to avoid holiday mail.
About Breaking the Silence
Breaking the Silence is a network of individuals and groups in Atlantic Canada who have been nurturing relationships of solidarity with Guatemalan organizations struggling for justice and peace in the wake of the genocide of the Mayan people in the 1980s. From its celebrated youth internships to its fair trade relationships, from human rights accompaniment training to advocacy on behalf of progressive mining legislation in Canada, BTS has highlighted the power of solidarity in all its programs and campaigns, and the strength in lasting, healthy relationships over distances and between cultures. Please support this work! Join us in song and solidarity on November 29!
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For more information contact:
Moira Peters
902-455-3184
moira.peters@gmail.com
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