The 7th annual Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival is this week, from Tuesday, May 8 through Saturday, May 12, 2012. It’s the only festival of its kind in the world: an annual free cultural event dedicated to storytelling for the advocacy and support of peace.

“Everyone has a story,” says Jessica Senehi, festival director and associate director of the Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice. “Listening to each other’s stories and sharing stories of wit and wisdom nurture human development, build and share culture, cross boundaries and create a shared identity. This helps to build bonds of friendship and community; and a global citizen knows her or his own story with a larger context of a globe-spanning web of stories and life experience.”

At the Festival this year, the first Dr. Philip Weiss Award for Storytelling for Peace and Human Rights will be given out. The recipient will be Dr. Monique Saigal, a Holocaust survivor who had been a “hidden child” in France during World War II.

More than 6,000 seats have been booked already for the festival’s school program, bringing K through 12 students to Winnipeg from as far as Swan River.

Featured tellers this year include: renowned playwright and performer Ian Ross; young spoken word artist and refugee advocate Faiza Hargaaya; hip hop artist nereO Eugenio; deaf storyteller Noah Buccholz from New Jersey; francophone teller Eveline Ménard from Quebec; Indian education activist Sr. Cyril Mooney; Winnipeg clown Sue Proctor; and children’s theatre director Tetiana Bielousova from Ukraine.

On May 9, more than 400 students will participate in small group circles in the Investors Group Athletic Centre, led by 18 University of Manitoba graduate students from 14 different countries.

Other highlights:
- Deaf Storytelling Night, Thursday, May 10, 7 pm, Deaf Centre of Manitoba
- Spoken Word Concert, Friday, May 11, 7 pm, Aqua Books
- ASL Interpreter Workshop, Saturday, May 12, 10 am, Millennium Library
- Chiga Biga Performance, Saturday, May 12, 11 am, Millennium Library
- Chiga Biga Children’s Theatre Workshop, Saturday, May 12, 1 to 4 pm, Millennium Library
- All featured tellers plus Noma Sibanda at Saturday Night Storytelling Concert, Saturday, May 12, at St. Paul’s College.

The Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice is based in St. Paul’s College at the University of Manitoba.

For more information, please see http://umanitoba.ca/storytelling

Or contact Jessica Senehi at: 204-474-7978 or email: Jessica_Senehi@umanitoba.ca

Cherishing water and claiming health is the theme of a research planning meeting to be held in The Pas May 9-10, 2012.

The event co-ordinated by the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Human Rights Research, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak brings members of about 10 Manitoba First Nations together with researchers from the universities of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan  and University College of the North. They will share information about drinking water and sanitation challenges in First Nations communities and brainstorm ways that researchers might be able to help solve those problems.

“I see water as a holistic health right,” said Dr. Brenda Elias, who received a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to fund the symposium. In 2010, the United Nations recognized safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right.

Media are welcome to interview participants at the close of the meeting at 2 p.m. Thur. May 10.

Participants will address issues such as:
- What are the health problems related to drinking water and sewage in your community?
- How can youth get involved in assessing drinking water and sanitation?
- What does your community want to know about laws on drinking water and sanitation?
- What’s the best way to measure the effects of good/poor water services and the costs and benefits of fixing the problems?

“We are pleased the Centre for Human Rights Research has chosen First Nations water and sanitation as one of their main research areas. Water is significant to the health of our people and environment. We must work collaboratively to address the inequities First Nations face in ensuring the health and safety of First Nations and our future generations,” said Manitoba Grand Chief Derek Nepinak. “In addition to the centre, we invite governments to work with us to invest adequate and comparable resources for solutions.”

The symposium is also supported by Dr. Annemieke Farenhorst, the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering in the Prairie region and Dr. Warren Cariou, the Canada Research Chair in Narrative, Community and Indigenous Cultures. Filmmaker Cariou will videotape the proceedings.

For media interviews, please contact:

Helen Fallding, Centre for Human Rights Research, University of Manitoba, fallding@cc.umanitoba.ca
or
Michael Anderson, research director, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak natural resources secretariat, at 204- 794-4312
or
Sheila North Wilson, chief communications officer, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, at 204-957-8450, or email: snorthwilson@manitobachiefs.com

On Tuesday, May 8, 2012, at 7:00 pm, McNally Robinson Booksellers will host the launch of a book with literary, scientific and historical significance―a book that tells the story of a group of University of Manitoba scientists trying to solve a medical mystery.

Piecing the Puzzle: The Genesis of AIDS Research in Africa is the latest work by noted Canadian historical documentarian and filmmaker Larry Krotz. In the book, Krotz weaves a tale worthy of the detective mystery genre as he relates how medical researchers on two continents have tried to unravel the puzzle that is HIV/AIDS.

The University of Manitoba is a world leader in many aspects of global population health, including the search for a vaccine against the spread of HIV/AIDS. The University of Manitoba has been recognized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Research Foundation for its work in Asia and Africa on preventing the spread of communicable disease.

In 1979, Dr. Allan Ronald, a specialist in infectious diseases from Canada, and Dr. Herbert Nsanze, head of medical microbiology at University of Nairobi, met through the World Health Organization. Ronald had just completed a successful project that cured a chancroid (genital ulcer) epidemic in Winnipeg and Nsanze asked him to come to Kenya to help with what was described as a “sexual diseases problem.” That initial invitation led to a groundbreaking international scientific collaboration that would uncover critical pieces in the complex puzzle that became today’s HIV/AIDS pandemic.

In Piecing the Puzzle, Krotz chronicles the fascinating history of the pioneering international team of Kenyan, Canadian, Belgian and American researchers that uncovered HIV/AIDS in Kenya. He describes their scientific breakthroughs and setbacks and their exceptional thirty-year relationship that began a new era of global health collaboration.

The book will be launched on Tuesday, May 8 at 7:00 pm, McNally Robinson Booksellers, in Grant Park. Krotz will be introduced by David Carr of University of Manitoba Press, as will Dr. Allan Ronald, a central figure in the book. Following short presentations, the will be a question and answer period. Wine will be served.

Krotz is an award-winning writer, filmmaker and author of six previous books, including The Uncertain Business of Doing Good: Outsiders in Africa. Over the past 25 years he has travelled to a number of African countries where he produced the documentary film, Searching for Hawa’s Secret, and wrote extensively for magazines and newspapers on scientific research and foreign aid projects.

Krotz has been part of Winnipeg’s rich literary community, with colleagues Carol Shields, Jake MacDonald, Dave Williamson, Don Bailey, Patrick Friesen and Charles Wilkins.  His first book was a collaboration with photographer John Paskievich, Waiting for the Ice Cream Man in 1976. In the 1980’s, Krotz was Manitoba correspondent for The Globe & Mail and has also written for Weekend magazine, Western Living, Quest, the United Church Observer, Canadian Geographic, Saturday Night, Equinox and Border Crossings.  His first solo documentary book, Urban Indians, was published in 1981, followed by a novel, Shutter Speed in 1987.

In the mid 1980’s Krotz turned to film and video and by 1987 his production company Karante developed Rising to Dance, a film about students at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and South Indian Lake. It was aired on PBS, CBC and Bravo.

Distinguished U of M graduate and professor emeritus Allan Ronald is one of this country’s foremost physicians and microbiologists, who helped establish in Canada a clinical specialty in infectious diseases. In 2002, he retired from a distinguished 35-year career as a professor and medical researcher and then has helped develop a comprehensive HIV/AIDS Care and Prevention Program in Uganda. The successful launch of a drug distribution program has received worldwide media coverage.

In 2003, the Canadian Medical Association presented him with its highest honour, the F.N.G. Starr Award. In 2006 he received the Gairdner Foundation Wightman Award and was appointed as Scientific Director of the National Collaborating Centre on Infectious Diseases. Ronald is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an Officer of the Order of Canada.

For more information, contact David Carr, director, University of Manitoba Press, at: 204-474-9242.

The University of Manitoba is pleased to present an evening of poetry with Jan Zwicky on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at 7:00 pm in the Pembina Hall Student Lounge (formerly University Club) at the Fort Garry Campus. The event will be hosted by University of Manitoba president David Barnard and will feature poetry readings and dialogue.

President Barnard is an avid lover of poetry who regularly concludes his speeches and presentations with relevant lines of verse from the poems he holds most dear.

Barnard notes: “I first encountered Zwicky’s poetry and later looked at her philosophical work, which is―by her own word―also lyrical. I was attracted by two aspects of the poetry. First, it is beautifully expressed so that the poems compellingly carry the reader into the scenes Zwicky creates. Second, many of those scenes deal with human relationships with such wisdom and gentleness that I find myself moved by her words, and come away from the encounter feeling more deeply committed to demonstrating that wisdom and gentleness myself.”

Zwicky has published six poetry collections including her latest, Forge, which has just been shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. She has also published widely as an essayist on issues in music, poetry, philosophy, and the environment. Zwicky has also taught creative writing and philosophy at a number of North American universities.

Zwicky’s other poetry collections include: Wittgenstein Elegies (Brick Books, 1986); The New Room (Coach House Press, 1989); Songs for Relinquishing the Earth (Brick, 1998), which won the Governor General’s Award in 1999; Robinson’s Crossing (Brick, 2004) which won the Dorothy Livesay Prize; and Thirty-Seven Small Songs & Thirteen Silences (Gaspereau Press, 2005). Her books of philosophy include: Lyric Philosophy (UTP, 1992; 2nd ed, Gaspereau, 2012); Wisdom & Metaphor (Gaspereau, 2003, 2nd ed, 2008); and Plato as Artist (Gaspereau, 2009). Her poetry has been translated into French, Spanish, Czech, and Serbo-Croatian.

Zwicky has published widely as an essayist on issues in music, poetry, philosophy and the environment. She is also a violinist, with a strong interest in baroque performance practice. Since 1986, she has edited poetry for Brick Books. A native of Alberta, she now lives on Quadra Island, off the west coast of British Columbia.

This is the second “President and the Poet” event. In 2010, Barnard hosted award-winning Irish poet Micheal O’Siadhail at a gala evening that packed Marshall McLuhan Hall.

RSVP to: Jocelyn_Striemer@umanitoba.ca

Parking is available in any student lot or the parkade.

Please call 204-474-9345 for more information.

How does music therapy help people with dementia? How can food reduce our risk of vascular disease? And will an aging population really burden our healthcare system?

Hear the answers from U of M researchers and invited speakers at the Centre on Aging’s annual spring research symposium Monday, May 7, 2012.

Researchers belonging to the university-wide Centre on Aging explore issues seniors face and find ways to improve their quality of life. The symposium coincides with the centre’s 30^th anniversary, making it among the oldest of the aging research centres in Canada.

For a complete list of presenters and descriptions, go to umanitoba.ca/centres/aging/events/384.html

What: Centre on Aging 29^th Annual Spring Research Symposium
Where: Brodie Centre, 727 McDermot Ave., Bannatyne Campus, University of Manitoba
When: Monday, May 7, 2012, 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For more information contact Rachel Ines, communications coordinator, Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba (204) 474-9854

The University of Manitoba will celebrate Nursing Week, which runs from May 7-13, to increase awareness of the many contributions of nursing to the well-being of Canadians.

This year, Dr. Nancy Edwards is the 2012 Dr. Helen Glass Researcher in Residence and she will host a series of workshops and public lectures as part of Nursing Week celebrations. On May 8 at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg she will give a public presentation titled, “What Makes Community Health Interventions Work?” A reception will begin at 5 p.m. and the hour-long lecture begins at 6 p.m.

On May 9 from 10:30 a.m. till 11:30 a.m. in Room 370 of the Helen Glass Centre for Nursing, Edwards will deliver a lecture titled, “A Health Equity Agenda for Multiple Intervention Research: Challenges and Opportunities.”

Nursing Week began in 1971 when the International Council of Nurses designated May 12, the birthday of the pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale, as International Nurses Day.

Nursing has come a long way since Florence Nightingale cared for soldiers wounded during the Crimean War. Today, University of Manitoba nurses conduct trailblazing research that has direct impact on Manitobans and Canadians.

For instance, Maureen Heaman is developing new interventions to change the way we deliver prenatal care and improve access to prenatal care in the inner city. Christine Ateah researches child and family health promotion and the prevention of child abuse. Roberta Woodgate is learning how adolescents view cancer; she wants to develop effective cancer prevention strategies for youth. Diana McMillan studies sleep deprivation and patient and staff health and safety. Annette Schultz studies risk factors associated with youth smoking. And the list goes on.

For more information contact Sean Moore, Marketing Communications Office, University of Manitoba, 204-474-7963 (sean_moore@umanitoba.ca)

http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/nursing/

The 23^rd annual Traditional Graduation Powwow for Indigenous students will be held on Saturday, May 5. The ceremony will take place in the Investors Group Athletic Centre on the Fort Garry Campus.

The Powwow honours and commemorates the academic achievement of Aboriginal post-secondary students from the University of Manitoba. This year, approximately 180 First Nations, Metis and Inuit students are expected to graduate.

The Grand Entry will start at 1 p.m.

At about 2:30 p.m. a presentation of certificate and other gifts will take place; an Honour song will be presented, during which time all the graduands will enter the circle, then the entire audience will be invited to greet and congratulate the honourees.

A feast will be held in the Multi-purpose room of University Centre at 5 p.m. and a Second Grand Entry will occur at about 7 p.m.

What: 23rd annual Traditional Graduation Powwow
When: Saturday, May 5, 2012; starts at 10:30 a.m. with Grand Entry at 1 p.m.
Where: Investors Groups Athletic Facility, 75 Sidney Smith Street, Fort Garry Campus

For more information contact Sean Moore, Marketing Communications Office, University of Manitoba, 204-474-7963 (sean_moore@umanitoba.ca),

Or the Aboriginal Student Centre at 204-474-8850; (asc@umanitoba.ca) umanitoba.ca/student/asc