Clay and Paper Theatre
Dufferin Grove Park Toronto, ON, Canada

From Night of Dread 2017, the Fear of the Year: the Fear of Mass Amnesia.

As our neighbours to the south approach their day of reckoning tomorrow, we can't help but be reminded of the 2017 Night of Dread Fear of the Year, the Fear of Mass Amnesia. That year conversations and discussions kept returning to a similar refrain: history is repeating itself politically, economically, socially, environmentally and why don’t we know better? Why does it seem like people have forgotten these lessons of the past that could help us today? In 2020 we ask, as we did then, will the community prevail or will the Emperor of Amnesia and his minions, the Amnesiacs, Make Amnesia Great Again?

This year, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago is going virtual, with a Day of the Dead exhibition that pays tribute to the people in Mexico, the U.S. and around the world who have died of COVID-19. "It was really important that we still put on this exhibition," says Cesáreo Moreno, the museum's chief curator and visual arts director. "Like so many other rituals in our lives, they're more than just a marker of time or season. They give us a sense of the normal. They give us an idea of where we're at."

In Dufferin Grove Park today, anytime between 5pm and 6:30pm, honour the lives of migrants that have passed away in Canada and around the world as a result of COVID-19 and unjust immigration laws. Hosted by Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. This is a COVID-19 safe event. All must practice physical distancing and wear a mask. "We will gather to remember and celebrate migrants, refugees, workers, students, and undocumented people that feed, clean, build, care for kids sick a...nd elderly, that are essential to our communities but excluded from status and rights, particularly those that have passed away. We will be there united in our call for full and permanent immigration status for all! "Day of the Dead is a very important celebration in the latinx community - dating back to Indigenous traditions centuries old. Latinx members of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change will build an altar to commemorate the lives of the departed, where we wait for their annual visit with their favourite food, music, art, flowers and community. "Everyone is invited to join us on November 1st. Please bring any offerings to remember migrants that lost their lives Canada and for your loved ones." https://www.facebook.com/events/346102000173983

Burning our fears since 1999. Night of Dread, 2014 Photo: Tamara Romanchuk