From Darkness into Light
Canadian Museum of Human Rights Winnipeg
‘All roads lead to Winnipeg’, said nobody, ever, I bet. Which is probably why the Oldies were so flabbergasted when they spotted a Graz-registered camper van in the city centre. Graz is about 25km from our home town, but in this context, these travellers were practically our next-door neighbours! But I wasn’t surprised about where in Winnipeg they saw the van – in the car park of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. There’s no doubt that if you do go to Winnipeg, a visit to this museum is a must.
You certainly cannot miss it. With its bulbous body, known as the ‘Glass Cloud’ and its slender ‘Tower of Hope’, it is the most outstanding modern building in Winnipeg. I reckon it is worth a visit for the architecture alone. The idea behind the layout, apparently, is that the visitor moves from darkness into light, both literally and from an educational point of view.
I found the interior a tad complicated and confusing. I almost got the impression that the architect wanted to showcase all his techniques and styles in the one building. But I particularly liked the backlit alabaster ramps and that amazing 100m high glass tower.
The views from the top were great. I was thrilled to be able to peek into Shaw Park – my first glimpse of a baseball stadium! There are wonderful views of the nearby French quarter, Saint Boniface, on the far side of the Red River. And I had a marvellous bird’s eye view of the landmark Provencher and Esplanade Riel Bridges.
The museum itself is ambitious in that it covers so many themes. There are exhibits on general issues such as the History of Human Rights, Climate Justice and the like. It also tackles topics such as the Holocaust, the Holomodor genocide in the Ukraine, the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia, the genocides in Rwanda and in Myanmar… the harrowing list goes on and on.
I had already learnt quite a bit about the plight of the indigenous peoples at the Museum of Canadian History in Gatineau. But here, I learned so much more, including the horrific treatment of indigenous children, who were often removed from their families and placed in Indian Residential Schools or in non-indigenous homes. In spite of the often upsetting content of the exhibits, nothing was sugar-coated. It was certainly a frank and brutally honest presentation.
My little bird brain has a hard time retaining historical dates and statistics. Here, I found that the personal items on display, as well as eye-witness accounts and personal stories helped me to get my head around the reality of those past events.
It was encouraging to see that personal stories can sometimes even help to rally people to making change. The story of Phyllis Webstad, for example. Northern Secwpemc, from British Columbia, she was taken away from her family and placed in a residential school at the age of six. She related how particularly upset she was when the brand-new orange shirt she had been given by her grandmother was taken away from her on her first day at the school.
Her orange shirt has since become a symbol of all that was stolen from these children – their families, their languages, their culture, their identity, their innocence, even their lives – and now, on National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Canadians wear orange shirts in support of the movement. Winnipeg was certainly a sea of orange on 30th September. What a sight! Now I understand why those flags planted by the ‘Every Child Matters’ protesters outside the Manitoba Legislative Building were orange.
A visit to the Museum of Human Rights is undeniably educational. In fact, I probably learned more than I really wanted to learn about humankind.
As we left the building, I was happy to see a couple of my old pals, Canadian geese, nonchalantly nibbling the grass at the entrance.
