Tornado Project

Items

• Community of Song: Latin Music in Sharing Identity and Promoting Cultural Humility
  In this video, Colombian-Canadian singer-songwriter Gerry Rozo, through a retelling of his personal experiences, explores the role of music in cultural identity and community-building. He discusses his journey to Canada, the progression of his music career, his thoughts on cultural humility in Canadian society, and the ways in which he believes music can be a conduit for both the preservation of cultural identity and promotion of intercultural communication.
• The German Democratic Republic: Before and Beyond
  This project is an interview with Dr. Nina Rosenbusch, a woman born in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Rosenbusch was only a teenager when the Berlin Wall fell down in 1989 and so she is part of the generation of Germans who came into adulthood in the newly reunified Germany. This interview seeks to understand the legacy of the GDR’s culture for the citizens of modern Germany. In particular, the discussion focuses on the generation of Rosenbusch’s parents who only knew Germany as two separated states, unlike the generation of Rosenbusch’s grandparents who were able to remember a previously unified Germany. The involvement of the state in daily life is also discussed, with a focus on the German secret police service, called the Stasi. As Rosenbusch’s family did not protest against the state, they were not as affected as some individuals but were nonetheless limited in what they could do and say. Ultimately, the German Reunification was and is very popular in the former GDR, although there are still slight cultural differences and difficulties for those who lived most of their lives before 1989.
• Journey of an Arabic Migration with Loay
  Loay’s immigration story is a unique one in that he came from another multicultural region in Dubai, U.A.E. Once an 8-year-old boy when he immigrated, he is now a 20 year old student in the field of computer engineering. He explains that integration in Canada was also made easier by his parents as he was enrolled in Islamic elementary and secondary schools. However, he emphasizes how his life and experiences have changed since leaving the Islamic school system and attending Western University and Fanshawe College now.