Can we talk about poverty in a way that doesn’t exoticise it? Is this possible anymore? When we talk about elitism and about golf courses and convertibles, can we admit that conversations about privilege are also about government housing, about skipped school fieldtrips, and the way roaches will scatter in swarms across tile floors when you flip the kitchen switch at midnight?

For the characters inhabiting Amir Nizar Zuabi’s ‘I am Yusuf and This Is My Brother’, survival is paramount; but there is no redemption to be found in this haunting play.

A Worldtown one to watch: Of Rwandan origin and now living in Vancouver, B.C., Shad’s a hip-hop artist whose style inadvertently draws comparisons to rap from the early 90’s - you know, when it wasn’t a byproduct of autotune and bloghouse effects. With a second album and a Juno nomination under his wing, Shad’s in line as repping the under-the spotlight Canadian Hip-Hop scene thanks to artists like K’Naan and Drake. We ask Shad questions about his influences and future plans and see where the Old Prince stands as sought out hip hop royalty.

We interview Steven Salaita, the author of The Uncultured Wars, Arabs, Muslims and the Poverty of Liberal Thought. Through witty humour and incisive essays, his book critiques the American liberal-left’s complicity in perpetuating anti-Arab, Islamophobic, and imperial modes of thought. In doing so, he raises important questions about the nature of race relations and the manifest Orientalism in American political discourse today. His target is not the neoconservative right who are blatant and easily identified in in their dogmatic doctrine of the war on terror and in their racist caricatures of Arabs and Muslims. Rather, he sounds the alarm on the misrepresentative ideas of the liberal left, passively justifying the sensationalized excesses of the right.

This is Worldtown contributor Seemi Choudry reviews Lukas Moodysson’s film “Mammoth” starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams.

“The story is about families and how they can communicate without communicating. Telecommunication replaces actual human communication.”

This Is Worldtown contributor Abdullah Malik takes on the must-see films of 2009, with a mix of mainstream releases and some quieter gems, to check out in to the new year.

Compared to the juggernaut films that ruled the cinema in 2008, one couldn’t expect 2009 to top the cinema experience that last year did. But somehow, the last three hundred and sixty odd days brought with it a gamut of unmissable films. Here are the five most essential films of ‘09…

On December 27th, 2008 Israel commenced a brutal attack on the people of Gaza. One year on, the power of the people to live and their struggle for freedom continues. These videos portray a sense of that vitality.

Avatar :: Though visually breathtaking the movie has many issues in basic plot and storytelling, without even the problematic narratives about the noble savage, “primitive” native cultures and the way in which colonization, white privilege and white guilt is played out.

When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like “Avatar”?
Critics have called alien epic Avatar a version of Dances With Wolves because it’s about a white guy going native and becoming a great leader. But Avatar is just the latest scifi rehash of an old white guilt fantasy.

Diaspora Youth Speak (DYS) is a project based in Toronto for youth who identify as part of a Diasporic community. DYS uses multi-media arts to explore themes of displacement and mobility to reflect on personal stories and the roles that we play in local and global contexts as Diasporic peoples– fostering leadership & participation; strengthening the voice of Diasporic youth.
Find out more…watch the video…

On October 10th 2009, the Canadian Arab Federation hosted an evening entitled ‘Disowning Canadians Abroad’ where a number of guest speakers discussed the trend of Canadian citizens from racialized backgrounds being abandoned by the Canadian government when facing challenges while abroad. Many spoke from first-hand experience. Faraz Siddiqui was one of the speakers.