Friday, July 04, 2008

Legacies of War and Refugee Nation: Minnesota '09

Today is a good day to announce Minnesota efforts to bring the acclaimed Legacies of War exhibit and the play Refugee Nation to the Midwest and the Twin Cities in 2009.

Legacies of War was created to raise awareness about the history of the Vietnam War-era bombing in Laos, to provide space for healing the wounds of war and to create greater hope for a future of peace.


During the war, more tons of bombs were dropped on Laos than were used on all of Europe during World War II.

3 out of 10 of those bombs in Laos failed to detonate and continue to wreak havoc on civilians nearly 40 years since the end of the war for Laos.


These bombs have a devestating effect on the ability of Laos to rebuild and recover from the war, and current estimates say it will take centuries to completely remove all of these weapons.

Today, over 400,000 refugees with roots in Laos are rebuilding their lives in North America.


TeAda Production's Refugee Nation theater performance involves Southeast Asian American artists and Laotian community members in an exploration of the impact of war, refugees, global politics and U.S. citizenship.

Through oral histories, Refugee Nation reveals the connections between the history of the U.S. and Southeast Asia excluded as part of the American experience in mainstream versions of history.

This will be a big project for our community in Minnesota and the Midwest, and to make it a success we need volunteers.

The Legacies of War exhibit and Refugee Nation will hopefully take place between August and September of 2009.

If you're interested, drop me a note, and we'll talk about the best way to get you involved!

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