4 Hearts swelled by words Anonymous love letters project bring readers out of gloom By JOCELYN ASPA ith Valentine’s Day just around the corner, The Love Letter Project has taken ini- tiative to remind us that it is not all about romance. The project is launching its first ex- hibit at the Omega Gallery on Dunbar Street, running Feb. 6 through Feb. 14. It will feature a book with 18 letters paired with paintings by local artists. “We had narrowed it down to a larg- er group [of letters] at which point the artists got to say, ‘okay this one reso- nates for me,’ and that’s how they ulti- mately got picked,” said the project’s founder Fiona McGlynn. Founded in January 2014 by McG- ca encourages people to submit letters about difficult times they have faced. The letters are meant to help readers overcome their own challenges, said McGlynn. “We started getting letters on all dif- ferent subjects. A lot of them common things like anxiety, society, depres- sion,” McGlynn said. “As we collected these stories, we started to see some really beautiful things happen in the community.” McGlynn recounted a letter written by a child about a family member who committed suicide. “There was this guy who wrote in and said, ‘thank you so much for posting this letter. I was going to take my own life, but after reading this I don’t want my kids to feel like McGlynn teamed up with local artist Jamie Smith, for the exhibit. Smith, who has worked as a full-time artist for two years, met McGlynn at a group for female entrepreneurs called the Loaded Bow. “She told me about The Love Letter Project with these anonymous letters and it was very similar to the things I was interested in with art,” Smith said, who had asked McGlynn if she thought of accompanying images with the let- ters. “T was in charge of coordinating art- ists and putting the project into visual terms for the artists to work from,” Smith said. “The book has been a year in the making, so we’re really excited (for the exhibit] because it’s our visions lynn, the website theloveletterproject. that,” she said. coming together.” JAMIE SMITH photo “When faith for myself was so strong that I believed I could move mountains,” writes local artist Jamie Smith inside her art piece at the exhibit. CLAUDINE POMMIER photo French director Claudine Pom- mier’s lifelong photography project depicts the challenges and struggles women face in Africa. EVENTS this month BLACK HISTORY MONTH HEART MONTH GROUNDHOG DAY February 2 FAMILY DAY February 9 VALENTINE’S DAY February 14 NATIONAL FLAG OF CANADA DAY February 15 LUNAR NEW YEAR February 19 Source: pch.ge.ca, Wikipedia 2 ow : Pe - .-, Fat SUBMITTED photo The Other Woman explores the relationship of two women sharing a hushand in Dakar, Senegal. Spotlight shines on African film French centre features African women in film for Black History Month By JULIA WICKHAM celebrating Black History Month by offering a cinematic ride through the life and struggles of Afri- can women. The organization has teamed up with Réseau-Femmes Colombie-Britan- nique (network for French-speaking women) and Visions Ouest Produc- tions to hold the event In Women’s Eyes, featuring six short-movies about African women, on Feb. 10 at the Alli- ance Frangaise on Cambie Street. Héléne Creusot, event coordinator Ae Frangaise de Vancouver is for Alliance Francaise said, “Some of them have been directed by [African] women, the others in some way are about [them].” The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Marie Villeneuve from Radio-Canada and Marie Ka. “Marie Ka, a French Senegalese film- maker and screenwriter, came to us with her last short movie L’autre femme (The Other Woman). That is how everything started,” Creusot said. Ka’s film explores the world of mul- tiple spouses in Dakar, Senegal by fol- lowing the relationship between two women who share the same husband. Claudine Pommier, French director and founder of the Arts in Action Soci- ety, directed one of the featured films, L’art des femmes de Tiébélé (The Art of the Women of Tiebele). The film showcases lives of the Kassena women living in Tiebele, a commune of Burki- na Faso in West Africa, and the proce- dures they use to build their homes. Her film and photography of African women has been a lifelong endeavour, Pommier said. Pommier’s African photography will also be exhibited until the end of Febru- ary. Salome Dede, a second-year general studies student from Langara, said that she always celebrates Black History Month. “Tm originally from England so my family usually celebrates black history in October,” Dede said. “But in Febru- ary, a good way to celebrate would be to learn about a different African- American each day who has in some way affected the country.” Langara currently has no events planned for the Black History Month. Highland dancing and romancing Scottish cultural centre offers more than flowers for Valentine’s Day By MICHAEL LYLYK beat this Valentine’s Day, why not try Scottish country dancing? The Vancouver branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, is or- ganizing its annual Love to Dance Workshop and Tea Dance at the Scot- tish Cultural Centre, on the day of ro- mance to celebrate their love for Scot- tish country dancing. “It is multifaceted, and can appeal to all different stages of skill,” said Fran- ces Caruth, workshop coordinator. The classes focus on the footwork and teamwork involved in Scottish country dancing, which is different from the typical line dancing. Louise Steinway, a regular visitor to the cultural centre, said, “They have a lot of dances here at the centre. Christ- mas, Remembrance Day, and other dances go throughout the year.” “T think it’s just to show our passion, that we love dancing. We enjoy the ca- maraderie and friendship of the people that we dance with. The music is a big draw too,” she said. The event, which starts at 9 a.m., be- gins with two classes, in which people of all skill levels can participate. “With English country dancing, there’s a lot more walking. The foot- work isn’t there as much,” said Stein- way. She explained that there’s more bouncing and high impact with Scot- tish highland or country dancing. Classes end at 12:30 p.m. for a bring- your-own-sandwich lunch break with tea, followed by a dance from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a live band to give stu- dents the chance to let loose with the skills they just learned. “Just put your little dance shoes in your bag,” Caruth said, “it’s a fantastic way to make friends.” I: you're looking to do something off- MICHAEL LYLYK photo Scottish country dancers practise footwork at the cultural centre.