The Centre for Human Rights will present the Inclusion Day Conference, Past Histories & Present Stories, Jan. 28. The all-day event will feature performances from hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier, and a lunchtime keynote speech by author and journalist Lynn Keane.
Opening ceremonies will begin at 9:30am in 91亚色 Lanes, followed by seminars throughout the day until 6:30pm. All students, staff, faculty and the wider community are welcome to attend this free conference.
Emmanuel Jal
Jal has won worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its messages of peace and reconciliation born out of his experiences as a child soldier聽in Sudan. He will perform in the Underground during the reception at 5:30pm. Unsure of when exactly he was born, Jal estimates that at age six or seven, he was taken and trained to fight with the rebel army in Sudan鈥檚 civil war. For nearly five years, he was a child warrior with an AK-47 that was taller than he was. He was eventually rescued by a British aid worker who raised him as her own after smuggling him into Nairobi.
In 2005, Jal released his first album, Gua (meaning 鈥減eace鈥 in Nuer). The title track was broadcast across Africa over the BBC; becoming the number one hit in Kenya. He has since performed with top entertainers from all over the world and in front of world leaders, including Nelson Mandela. Jal鈥檚 life and story has been featured in the documentary film WAR CHILD and his latest album, The Key, was released in September 2014. His music can be heard on the soundtrack to feature film聽Blood Diamond聽and in the documentary God Grew Tired of Us about the plight of child soldiers.
Lynn Keane
The lunchtime keynote speaker, Lynn Keane, is an author and former broadcast journalist. She will present 鈥淢ental Illness and Stigma: Continuing Conversations鈥 at 11:30am in the Underground Restaurant. Since the sudden death of her son Daniel in 2009, she has dedicated her life to sharing her family鈥檚 story and educating others about the underlying causes of depression along with the importance of treating mental illness. Keane鈥檚 work has been featured in the National Post, the Globe and Mail and Moods Magazine, as well as on CBC, CTV and TVO鈥檚 鈥淭he Agenda鈥 with Steve Paikin. She has also published a memoir, Give Sorrow Words, where she explores how society treats mental illness while sharing her own story of the last months of her son鈥檚 life.
Conference sessions will cover a diverse array of topics, including presentations on women鈥檚 human rights in Bangladesh, problematizing notions of beauty among South Sudanese, the othering of Aboriginal peoples on CBC.ca, as well as a presentation by Queer of Gender, 鈥淏lackness: Our Stories.鈥
For a full listing of Inclusion Day Conference sessions or to register, visit the website.
For more information, contact Josephine Tcheng at jtcheng@yorku.ca.