The NFB, Tamil Refugees and National Storytelling

In August 1986, a group of 152 Sri Lankan Tamils were found adrift in lifeboats off the coast of Newfoundland. In response, Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said "Canada was built by immigration and refugees, and those who arrive off the coast of one of our shores will not be turned away."

That's right, I said Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. And this was after a massive public backlash and media storm and after the refugees admitted that they had lied about sailing directly from India and in fact arrived from a stop-over in a German refugee camp.

He went on to say "We are not in the business of turning away refugees. If we err, we err on the side of fairness and compassion." And he topped it off by saying that the refugees were "frightened human beings searching for freedom and opportunity."

Anyway, this isn't really a post about Mulroney (or a subtle dig at Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, who accuses refugees of being terrorists the moment he sees them). In 1989, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) made a (fictional, but based on real-life) movie about Tamil refugees in a lifeboat arriving on the shores of Newfoundland. There is tension and confusion. There are cultural misunderstandings. But everyone eventually learns a bit about each other's lives.

I haven't watched the entire film yet. At first glance it seems super earnest. It also seems odd that all the Tamils speak such great English. (Although, when did English stop being the language of primary and secondary school education in Sri Lanka? In the 60s? So maybe if the refugees were in their 30s it would make sense?)

Mostly I just like the idea that the NFB tackled this issue at all. Trying to humanize refugees!  I wonder why more of our national (and provincial) institutions don't focus on these sorts of issues? This country is overflowing with a million and one personal, family and community stories about integrating into Canada, coping with memories of the old world, and learning about the new one. Where are my series of fully connected, federally mandated oral history projects?

This year is the thirtieth anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which officially recognized and constitutionally entrenched the multicultural heritage of Canada. But what is the value of legally recognizing multiculturalism if we aren't regularly and meaningfully engaging with each other's community histories and stories?  I know that multiculturalism doesn't necessarily only refer to immigration, but given how cruelly Canadians seem to respond to non-white refugees, regular skilled worker immigrants and even super rich business-class immigrants, it seems like a good place to start.

A national oral history project would help immigrant integration through formal recognition of their struggles and stories and increase mutual understanding across cultural divides between old and new Canadians. We've got such a great and unique pile of stories out there hidden away in every corner of the country.

What the hell am I talking about? I don't know. Maybe something like Storycorps? Or the Shoah Foundation? Or Studs Terkel's work? Or Spalding Gray's? Or the shockingly good British Seven Up series? But with a combination of bulk archiving and popular curating? And focussed on immigrants and refugees. And linking up the CBC, TVO, NFB, National Archives, and a whole bunch of other organizations like universities and colleges and theatres and museums? Oh, just start working on it and figure it out as you go along. Do I have to spell it all out for you people? Concordia seems to be doing something like this now.

You can watch the full NFB movie online here.