Thirty years after the 1985 Air India bombing, an Irish-Canadian musical, Air India [redacted], will bring music, poetry, and art to Vancouver’s SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts as part of an Irish-Canadian collaboration.
The production, presented by Turning Point Ensemble, SFU 50th Anniversary and SFU Woodward’s, will be staged at the Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre November 6-11.
It is based on Renée Sarojini Saklikar’s award-winning poetry, children of air india, un/authorized exhibits and interjections (Nightwood Editions, 2013).
Saklikar was 23 at the time of the bombing of Air India Flight 182 and lost her aunt and uncle in an incident described as Canada’s worst mass murder.
The award-winning poet shares that she didn’t start out wanting to write about this controversial and painful story, not only because of the deep personal wounds—the bombing devastated her family and hundreds of families throughout Canada—but, also, as an Indo-Canadian she states, “I knew I’d have to find the courage to engage with difficult subjects.”
“However, the more I avoided the Air India story, the more I could not write at all. It’s as if I had to find the strength to delve into this painful chapter of our history, that the voices of the dead needed to be honoured through art.”
In addition to the Nov. 6-11 8pm evening performances and Sunday Nov.8 matinee, there will be a panel discussion hosted by Naveen Girn on October 28, at SFU Woodward’s, at 7PM.
Tickets are available at www.sfuwoodwards.ca or www.turningpointensemble.ca.