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Tourism, Culture and Recreation January 12, 2009 The following is being distributed at the request of The Rooms Corporation: Travelling Exhibition Opening at The
Rooms Captures Personal Stories Compelling photos, video footage and first-hand accounts of Canada's participation in the war in Afghanistan are the focus of the exhibition, Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War, travelling for the first time from the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. From the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to the deployment of Canadian troops to the region, to their continuing operations, Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War moves beyond the headlines to show Canada�s response to global terrorism, its involvement in the rebuilding of a country shattered by years of conflict, as well as the human cost of one of Canada�s most dangerous and significant military actions since the Korean War. "This powerful exhibition reminds visitors of the immediacy of history and its importance to their lives," said Mark O�Neill, Director General of the Canadian War Museum and Vice President of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. "It encourages visitors to see the war in Afghanistan through the experiences of Canadians who have lived it and allows them to respond creatively and critically to the subject by adding their voices, memories or thoughts to the exhibition in several interactive stations." "The war in Afghanistan continues to raise fundamental sociopolitical questions for which there are no easy answers. It is our hope that Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War will provide our visitors with new insights on the war as Canadians continue to weigh the mission's progress against its mounting human cost," commented Dean Brinton, CEO of The Rooms Corporation. "The exhibition allows us a glimpse of the profound contribution, and sacrifices, that Canadian soldiers continue to make towards the well-being of the Afghan people. The Rooms is pleased to be the first institution to host this important and timely exhibition outside of Ottawa." Based principally on photographic and video records captured by Canadian journalists Stephen Thorne of The Canadian Press and Garth Pritchard, a freelance documentary filmmaker, during several of their visits to Afghanistan, this exhibition provides a glimpse of an unfinished history. Poignant artifacts are also featured, including a piece of aircraft wreckage from the World Trade Centre terrorist bombing, material from the first Afghan national election, and burnt schoolbooks recovered by Stephen Thorne. In telling both Canadian and Afghan stories, Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War emphasizes the human experience of war. It reminds visitors of the far-reaching effects of war on those on the battlefield and on those at home, and contextualizes for visitors Canada�s evolving role in Afghanistan. A special feature of the exhibition will include a unique provincial component that will examine the experiences of soldiers from Newfoundland and Labrador. Over the past seven years, they have participated in every aspect of Canada�s military mission to Afghanistan, as part of the more than 20,000 Canadians who have served in Afghanistan or in support of the mission.The Canadian War Museum (CWM) is Canada�s national museum of military history. The CWM is one of the country�s most visited museums, attracting close to two million visitors since opening at its new location on LeBreton Flats in May 2005. The Rooms is honoured to be the very first cultural institution in Canada to receive a travelling exhibition from the new Canadian War Museum since its reopening in 2005. Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War will be on view at The Rooms from January 16 until April 26, 2009. This exhibition is organized by the travelling exhibition program of the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of Civilization, featuring images by journalists Stephen Thorne and Garth Pritchard. High-resolution images are available at: //media.civilization.ca/2003/CWM_2e.htm.- 30 - Media contacts
BACKGROUNDER Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War The ongoing war in Afghanistan is the largest and among the most significant and dangerous combat operations undertaken by Canada since the Korean War. In October 2001, the Canadian government decided to join a United States-led multinational coalition to overthrow the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which had sheltered and supported Osama Bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist organization that planned and carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks. After the fall of the Taliban, the Canadian mission in Afghanistan shifted to providing security and support for Afghanistan�s new government through the United Nations-mandated, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Canada has assisted the Afghan government to rebuild Afghanistan�s system of government, education, and security forces. Canada�s commitment to send soldiers to Kandahar in 2005, paired with a renewed Taliban insurgency, has led to heavy fighting and Canadian casualties. This exhibition provides a glimpse at the unfinished history of this conflict as interpreted by those who have lived it. The exhibition centres on the photographs and film of Canadian journalists Stephen Thorne and Garth Pritchard, who accompanied Canadian soldiers in the field on several visits to Afghanistan from 2002 to 2008. They recorded deeply moving personal stories, from combat operations to the struggle to rebuild Afghanistan, and the difficult, dangerous conditions facing Canadian soldiers and Afghans in Kabul and Kandahar.These compelling stories speak to the human experience of war, and are accompanied by a selection of powerful and personal artifacts, including a fragment from one of the aircraft used to attack the World Trade Center in New York City, textbooks recovered from a school burned by the Taliban, as well as a ballot from Afghanistan�s 2004 presidential election. The material displayed in this exhibition is at once Canadian and international, foreign and local, civilian and military. While the complete history of Canada�s mission in Afghanistan cannot yet be told, the glimpses of war selected for this exhibition reveal visual accounts of how Canada�s decision to go to Afghanistan in 2001 have affected both countries, Canadians and Afghans, over the past seven years. Journalists Biographies Stephen Thorne Garth Pritchard This exhibition is organized by the travelling exhibition program of the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of Civilization, featuring images by journalists Stephen Thorne and Garth Pritchard 2009 01 12
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