Freedom of speech is something Canadians tend to take for granted, says John Hannam.
On Monday the city clerk helped launch a display of editorial cartoons from around the globe that show not everyone is afforded the right to say what’s on their mind and not face prison or a firing squad.
Freedom of Expression in Broad Strokes is a traveling display, sponsored by UNESCO and the Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racial Discrimination, that will make its home at city hall between now and May 15.
Hannam said while city government has important roles to play in municipal affairs, there’s also a broader role to play.
“Worldwide, that freedom is not what it is here in Canada and the western world in general,” Hannam said.
“There are many countries where that freedom doesn’t exist, so this is to raise the awareness of the need to protect that and support it.”
People who read the news and stay on top of current affairs have a pretty good feeling for what it’s like in other countries, like North Korea and other despotic dictatorships around the globe, but housing this particular exhibit in a busy traffic area like city hall is a great way to capture the attention of those who might not be in the know.
“As the subject matter in many of these editorial cartoons illustrates, that freedom is often hard to find. A few years ago the editorial cartoons that were originally printed in (Denmark), that challenged some Muslim concerns, brought those cartoonists under the threat of death.
“That’s not the sort of thing that our society tolerates, so we need to give some voice to that, and that’s what this exhibit does,” he said.
It’s a statement on behalf of journalists around the world, says exhibit sponsor Colin Bruce, publisher of the Chronicle-Journal.
In 2010, 87 journalists were killed and a further 51 were kidnapped for their work. More than 1,000 media workers, including several cartoonists, were physically attacked while on the job.
“This is a story worth telling,” Bruce said, noting individual thoughts and ideas should be the right of everyone in the world.
“We shouldn’t feel like we’re going to be killed in the night for having those opinions.”
