July 25, 2019
Our first day back from Nanaimo and we were anxious to explore Winnipeg. We had a bit of a slow start but by 10:00 we were ready to go. Our next-door neighbors had a Boler trailer with an attached screen room. We said hi and because they were busy and so were we, we agreed to talk to them later in the day. Our mission today was to visit the Canadian Human Rights Museum. We had made an earlier trip into Winnipeg so we had a bit of an idea as to where we were going. Besides, we had “Miss Taken “to guide us also.
Our first impressions of Winnipeg are that it is a busy city. We were coming into the city from the west side on the #1 Hwy and traffic was heavy right to the downtown core.
We found a parking lot across from the museum and the first thing you realize is how large and impressive this building is. The building has no square corners, and has five glass curved layers that seem to embrace the building like arms or wings. In the centre of the building a spire which rises high above the building as if it is unfinished. I was later to learn that that is exactly what the architect was attempting to achieve as the issue of human rights is an ongoing process and will never be finished. The weather outside was getting very hot and so the air- conditioned building was a welcome relief.
The first major exhibit was the story of Nelson Mandela and his crusade and influence in South Africa to break the bonds of apartheid. Many of the exhibits and displays were heart breaking and even hard to understand that apartheid was so entrenched for such a long time in the country.
A volunteer in the museum suggested that we take the elevator and go to the sixth floor and work down to the main floor. She also suggested taking the single elevator to the eight floor that brings you up into the middle of the spire. Debbie opted to just go to the sixth floor, but I went to the top. From there you can see all of Winnipeg, and then if you look down you can see straight down inside the building to the main floor. It was bit of a “gut tightener” but very interesting to look down into the administration offices as well as the eight levels. The entire building inside is built in a spiral so you can walk all the way down on a sloping ramp floor. As you descend you enter the various exhibits and you can look down to the various levels as you descend. Each floor features human rights issues that occurred throughout the world. Issues ranging from slavery, the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, and the Serbian, Croatia, and Bosnian wars were also featured. As you descended to the last two floors, human rights issues that were recent and those that took place in Canada were featured. It also featured a opinion poll as to the various decisions that were and are being made by the Supreme Court of Canada.
The entire museum is an interactive display, meaning that at each feature, you can participate in the displays with touch screens and explore each issue deeper simply by touching the screen and following the prompts. I was also impressed with an wall hanging that cascaded down the side wall made up of thousands of clay handprints. The artist that designed this feature took the clay that was dug from the site and got people from Winnepeg to mold a ball of clay with their hands. She then fired these handprint/balls of clay in a kiln and attached them all together to make this enormous wall hanging. The hanging signifies that everyone is involved in developing not only the building but also human rights.
We spent 4½ hours in the museum and had to leave because it was closing time. We left with several realizations. We are fortunate to be living in Canada and that the issue of Human Rights is an important item engrained into our constitution, and secondly that there is still so much more to do when it comes to how we treat each other in this world.
When we left the museum we walked down to the area that is called the Forks Market. This area is built on the banks of the confluence of the Assiniboine and the Red rivers. The plaza has incorporated the remains of the Hudson’s Bay trading fort – Fort Garry, and the now defunct railroad lift bridge into the park. The main building houses many different types of eateries and restaurants. Outside of the building were picnic tables, and Adirondack chairs positioned on three levels that overlooked the river.
In the middle of the plaza a large open sided tent is permanently erected. It appeared that live music was going to be featured. Debbie and I bought our beers and food and found some chairs under the tent and watched three different bands perform. The music ranged from a drum band featuring African music, to another band featuring classic rock and finishing with a hard rock band to end the performance.
It was then time for us to go back to our campsite. As we drove back we reflected on our day. The Human Rights Museum is definitely a centerpiece for the city of Winnipeg. Winnipeg has done a fantastic job of developing the banks of the rivers into first class parks, boulevards and walking and cycling trails. We both were very impressed with what we experienced today.
Quilting in a Kayak 