Toronto

Welcome back to the city after an exceptionally fine summer. Even today it is warm enough to wear summer clothing but don’t let the weatherman fool you: before you know it we will have snow and ice on the ground again. To keep your minds off the inevitable Canadian winter ahead, here follow details of an exciting CAANS program for October and December.

FALL PROGRAM

15 October: Heritage language use and maintenance:  The case of second-generation Flemish Canadians in Southwestern Ontario.

Speaker: Tanja Collet, University of Windor

The Belgians constitute one of the smaller communities in Canada’s multicultural mosaic. Indeed, according to the latest census data collected by Statistics Canada in 2006, about 180,000 Canadians claim to be Belgian or to have Belgian ancestry. The paper focuses on the Canadian-born children of Flemish migrants who settled in southwestern Ontario, either in the decades leading up to or following WWII.  It attempts to chart the patterns of heritage-language use and maintenance of these Flemish Canadians, using data that were obtained by means of a sociolinguistic questionnaire distributed with the assistance of the Windsor Belgian Club to its members and their Flemish acquaintances in the spring of 2008. The paper will examine in particular the respondents’ use of the heritage language with their siblings and Belgian-born parents; the respondents’ attitudes towards the heritage-language; and the respondents’ involvement in activities, such as enrolment in heritage-language classes, travel to Flanders, reading habits, etc. which facilitate heritage-language use and maintenance.

10 December: A one-woman show entitled “Margaret’s Awakening”, presented by the Belgian actress Jessa Wildemeersch.  Author: Kamiel Vanhole                                     

The play is set in the early 1500s and presents Margaret of Austria, the daughter of Maximilian I, Emperor of Austria, who serves as a pawn for her father’s political strategies. “Margaret’s Awakening” reveals the struggle of a woman caught between her family’s interest and her quest for individual freedom. But how much choice does Margaret really have?

[Many thanks to our Belgian contact Kathy van Laethem, and to the Belgian Consul, Paul De Vos, who invited Ms Wildemeersch and made this special performance possible.]

BOOK REPORT

Since January 2010 the following books have been discussed by members of the CAANS book club and are described by Willemina Seywerd. Please feel free to borrow any of these titles by phoning Willemina at 416 266 6420.

Ander Licht – Rosita Steenbeek
A novel set in the 17th century about painter Matthias Withoos and his children and students. They paint the great “View of Amersfoort” now still on view in that 750-year-old town. The focus is on daughter Alida and her love for Jasper van Wittel. She becomes a renowned painter and befriends famous women such as Agnes Block and Maria Sybilla Merian.

Caesarion – Tommy Wieringa
Caesarion (little Caesar), born in Alexandria, is the name given to Ludwig Unger by his domineering mother. All his life he tries to find a suitable way to relate to his mother and absentee father, the sculptor and architect who left them. Mother and son move to a small coastal village in England where they live in a house perched on a cliff. Later they leave for California. Ludwig’s life is filled with both aggression and affection but eventually there is a final confrontation with his father which leads to a certain apotheosis and reconciles him with his lot.

De literaire kring – Marjolijn Februari
A literary club is created by some elitist citizens living in large
houses in a small village. Tension arises when a former villager
returns to give a reading from her newly published book which may reveal secrets in the pasts of several well-connected members of the club.

Over de liefde – Doeschka Meijsing
Philippa, an editor with a publishing company, is left by her 14-year younger friend and lover Julia. A serious accident occurs where Philippa saves the lives of two other women. One of these turns out to have been an important influence in her school years. After recovering, Philippa visits the family’s old vacation house in Italy with her three brothers. The different relationships are described with insight and humour by this well-known author.

Zoete mond – Thomas Rosenboom
A ficticious village on the Rhine, love for animals, two men
disappointed by life, and a white whale are the most important
ingredients of this long-awaited novel by Thomas Rosenboom. 
Veterinarian Rebert develops an obsessive antipathy for the older man, modeled after the historical “Jan de Loper”. The event with the white whale has a definitive influence on the happier outcome.

De dochter – Jessica Durlacher
Max Lipschitz meets the young Sabine Edelstein in the Anne Frank House. They fall in love but Sabine is obsessed by past events and she disappears without a trace. Fifteen years later Max sees her in Frankfurt in the company of a famous Jewish studio magnate from Hollywood. The identity of Sabine’s father is the cause of much speculation. Was he really a hero during the war years? This engrossing story deals with relationships of the many who were involved with the threats and tragedies of war.

The dates to keep free for future meetings in 2011 are: 21 January, 4 March, 8 April and 13 May. Details of the 2011 events will be given in the next newsletter early in the new year. You will be pleasantly surprised.

We look forward to seeing you!

For further information about CAANS Toronto Chapter in general please contact Mariette van der Meer (416 923 3208), or Marja Bernelot Moens (416 690 2831).