Growing up in India, Aro Narendran was always taught that the British rule over his country was unquestionably bad. History classes were clear that colonization was a dark and terrible period in India. “You’d have been called crazy if you thought otherwise,” he says. When he moved to St. John’s, NL for university, Narendran, who […]
Colonialism
Posted inNews + Opinion
On witnessing the atrocities of war and colonialism in the digital age
This is the age of the smartphone and internet, the age of the civilian-journalist. Seven years ago I watched on YouTube as a barrel bomb was dropped on a Syrian neighbourhood, killing several civilians, one of them my ex-boyfriend. He and the others were at the site of a previous bombing, civilian rescuers attempting to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Unendorsed Nocturne exhibit vandalizes Halifax waterfront
An anonymous photo-booth cutout of John A. MacDonald was drilled down into the Halifax waterfront during Nocturne last Saturday night, standing for a brief period in opposition to the art festival’s anti-colonialism theme. The cutout was a defence of John A. MacDonald and his relations with Indigenous peoples. It featured an “I’m OK with John […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
DNA does not define us
I’m ambiguously brown. By that I mean I have brown skin and almond-shaped eyes. I get those from my dad who is Mi’kmaq. I also have curly hair, freckles and thin lips from my mom, whose grandparents came from Scotland. “Where are you from?” is a very common question in my day-to-day as people try […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Cornwallis statue is history
Edward Cornwallis is coming down off his pedestal, at least for a while. Halifax Regional Council voted Tuesday to remove the controversial bronze statue of the city’s founder and place it into temporary storage. There it will remain until a more permanent solution can be agreed upon in the spirit of truth and reconciliation. “We […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Over 150 years of absolute bullshit
Happy birthday, Canada, you tired old fart! Tomorrow television anchors, bored mayors and jingoistic revellers from coast-to-coast will enrobe themselves in scarlet and bathe in maple syrup like a deleted scene from Riverdale. The country’s 150th celebration will be a party unlike any other—a national celebration befitting of Canadian heroes like Bono and the cast […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dalhousie takes another swing at replacing ceremonial mace
After its first effort fell short, Dalhousie University is once again asking the public to design a replacement for its ceremonial mace. The school is hoping to swap out its oak-carved graduation horcrux for a symbol that better reflects Dal’s diversity and values. A request for proposals issued this week is seeking submissions from the […]