An Evening on Cuban-Canadian encounters through music, art, politics and more with Karen Dubinsky and Jorge Nállim
October 29, 2025
Centre for Human Rights Research
On October 24, 2025, the CHRR, in collaboration with McNally Robinson Booksellers and the UM Institute for the Humanities hosted historians Karen Dubinsky and Jorge Nállim for an evening on Cuban-Canadian encounters through music, art, politics and more at the Atrium in McNally Robsinson Booksellers – Grant Park. This evening included a reading from Dubinsky’s latest book, Strangely, Friends: A History of Cuban-Canadian Encounters (Between the Lines Books) and a Q&A with the audience, followed by a book signing. Watch a recording of the book launch below.
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October 30, 2025
telltales
To view Jaimie Isaac’s solo exhibition, telltales, please make an appointment with Isaac (@isaac.jaimie or www.jaimie-isaac.ca). Appointments are available until October 30.
About the exhibition:
An exhibition of work and research that provides visual indications of the state and presence of waterways. Mixed media of installation, film and experimental sound, the artworks present a culmination of work produced from Isaac’s art residency with Just Waters in 2024-25.
Through various lifeways, Isaac is working on reclaiming and restoring a relationship with water, and honouring the continuum of sustained relationships community has maintained for millennia. Many Indigenous peoples globally recognize that water is sacred, and countries have pass groundbreaking laws granting legal personhood status to their water systems, honouring the Indigenous peoples’ perspective of waters as relatives and ancestors.
In relation to waterways, Lake Winnipeg and the Red River are endangered, telltales that phosphorous is the cause of blue-green algal blooms which are maintained by evidence-based research (Lake Winnipeg Foundation and Lake Winnipeg Indigenous Collective Report Card, May 2024). Telltales builds awareness of water injustices and deepens collective connection to water.
About the artist:
Jaimie Isaac (she/her/hers) is a curator and interdisciplinary artist, Anishinaabe member of Sagkeeng First Nation and is of British heritage. She was the Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria from 2021-2023, and advisor 2023-2024.
As the Curator of Contemporary and Indigenous Arts at the Winnipeg Art Gallery 2015-2021, she was awarded the Canadian Museums Association outstanding achievement award in exhibitions category with the Boarder X exhibition. Isaac has a degree in Art History and a Masters of Arts from the University of British Columbia focused on decolonizing gallery/museum practices.
Through academic, curatorial, consulting/advisory, collaborative and artistic projects, Jaimie engages in areas of reconciliation, resistance, decolonization in art and in sport, Indigenous feminism, environmental justice, language and cultural resurgence. Isaac has lectured, curated internationally with research trips and residencies in Norway, Finland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Chicago, and New York. Bodies of art commissioned and exhibited take form in film, public art, installation and mixed media. With published work, Isaac has contributed to scholarly collections of writing within textbooks and journals.
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October 23, 2025
UMIH Guest Lecture Series with Karen Dubinsky
The UM Institute for the Humanities and the Centre for Human Rights Research invite you for a lecture with Karen Dubinsky on her new book, Strangely Friends: A History of Cuban-Canadian Encounters (Between the Lines Books). The book focuses on the often-neglected network of personal and cultural connections between Cubans and Canadians since the early days of the Cuban revolution.
The event will take place on Thursday, October 23rd at 2:30 pm in 409 Tier Building, University of Manitoba. For information on getting to the University of Manitoba, see: https://umanitoba.ca/about-um/our-campuses/getting-here
Karen Dubinsky is a historian at Queen’s University. Between 2008 and 2023, she co-taught and coordinated a university exchange program on Cuban culture which brought Canadian students to the University of Havana and Cuban artists and academics to Canada. She is co-host of Cuban Serenade, a podcast about Cuban musicians in Canada and hosts the CFRC radio program Cuban Sounds in Canada. Her previous books include studies of transnational adoption, Canadian cultural history, and Canadian-Global South relations. She lives in Kingston, Ontario.
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Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
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October 22, 2025
telltales
Just Waters is thrilled to invite you to celebrate Jaimie Isaac’s solo exhibition, “telltales.” Join us on Wednesday, October 22 at 6 pm for an opening talk and welcome to the exhibition.
To view the exhibition at another time, please make an appointment with Jaimie Isaac (@isaac.jaimie or www.jaimie-isaac.ca). Appointments are available until October 30.
About the exhibition:
An exhibition of work and research that provides visual indications of the state and presence of waterways. Mixed media of installation, film and experimental sound, the artworks present a culmination of work produced from Isaac’s art residency with Just Waters in 2024-25.
Through various lifeways, Isaac is working on reclaiming and restoring a relationship with water, and honouring the continuum of sustained relationships community has maintained for millennia. Many Indigenous peoples globally recognize that water is sacred, and countries have pass groundbreaking laws granting legal personhood status to their water systems, honouring the Indigenous peoples’ perspective of waters as relatives and ancestors.
In relation to waterways, Lake Winnipeg and the Red River are endangered, telltales that phosphorous is the cause of blue-green algal blooms which are maintained by evidence-based research (Lake Winnipeg Foundation and Lake Winnipeg Indigenous Collective Report Card, May 2024). Telltales builds awareness of water injustices and deepens collective connection to water.
About the artist:
Jaimie Isaac (she/her/hers) is a curator and interdisciplinary artist, Anishinaabe member of Sagkeeng First Nation and is of British heritage. She was the Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria from 2021-2023, and advisor 2023-2024.
As the Curator of Contemporary and Indigenous Arts at the Winnipeg Art Gallery 2015-2021, she was awarded the Canadian Museums Association outstanding achievement award in exhibitions category with the Boarder X exhibition. Isaac has a degree in Art History and a Masters of Arts from the University of British Columbia focused on decolonizing gallery/museum practices.
Through academic, curatorial, consulting/advisory, collaborative and artistic projects, Jaimie engages in areas of reconciliation, resistance, decolonization in art and in sport, Indigenous feminism, environmental justice, language and cultural resurgence. Isaac has lectured, curated internationally with research trips and residencies in Norway, Finland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Chicago, and New York. Bodies of art commissioned and exhibited take form in film, public art, installation and mixed media. With published work, Isaac has contributed to scholarly collections of writing within textbooks and journals.
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Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
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October 08, 2025
Water Challenges in the Anthropocene: Lessons from India
Recording available here: University of Manitoba Sustainability YouTube Channel
Join us for the next webinar in The Last Drop Water Researchers Speaker Series. Dr. Mihir Shah, Distinguished Professor at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR, will speak to “Water Challenges in the Anthropocene: Lessons from India.”
The Anthropocene makes the need for a paradigm shift in water management and governance more urgent than ever before. Large swathes of humanity still remain stuck in the mid-20th century paradigm of command-and-control over river systems and endless extraction and exploitation of groundwater. Dominated by the disciplines of engineering and hydrogeology, such a perspective persistently ignores the need for a trans-disciplinary and holistic approach to a common pool resource like water, acutely aware of the interconnectedness across different elements of the water cycle.
India’s experience of water policy can be deeply instructive for us to draw the most pertinent lessons from both its mistakes, and from the multiple innovations that have been proposed in recent decades. This talk will be an attempt to share some important learnings that emerge from this experience, based on first-hand attempts at shaping this policy both at the grass-roots, as well as at the highest echelons of government.
Registration required. To register, please visit: https://umanitoba.zoom.us/meeting/register/vQ5TwAaPSqSLBdFBweM0rQ
About the Speaker
From 2009 to 2014, Dr Mihir Shah was a Member of the Planning Commission, Government of India, holding the portfolios of Water Resources, Rural Development, and Panchayati Raj. He is the youngest ever Member of the Planning Commission.
Dr Shah was chiefly responsible for drafting the paradigm shift in the management of water resources enunciated in the 12th Five Year Plan. He also initiated a makeover of MGNREGA, the largest employment program in human history, with a renewed emphasis on rural livelihoods based on construction of productive assets. From 2019 to 2021, he chaired the Government of India’s Committee to draft the new National Water Policy. This is the first time ever that a person from outside government was asked to chair this committee.
Dr Shah graduated in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, (where he won the prestigious KC Nag Economics Prize) and did his postgraduation from the Delhi School of Economics (where he was Merit Scholar) in the 1970s, before going on to complete a much-acclaimed doctoral dissertation at the Centre for Development Studies, Kerala. After teaching for some years at the Centre, he resigned to explore fresh terrains beyond the ivory towers of conventional academia, which culminated in 1990 in the formation of Samaj Pragati Sahayog (SPS). Inspired by the life and work of Baba Amte, SPS is today one of the largest grass-roots initiatives for water and livelihood security, working with its partners on a million acres of land across 72 of India’s most backward districts. Dr Shah spent nearly three decades living and working in central tribal India, forging a new paradigm of inclusive and sustainable development.
Dr Shah was the first President of the Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (2013-19), which supports innovative civil society action in close partnership with state governments. He was the first Chair of the Revitalising Rainfed Areas (RRA) Network (2014-18) and the National Coalition for Natural Farming (NCNF) (2021-25). He is a Founding Signatory of the Geneva Actions on Human Water Security, 2017. He was a Member of the International Steering Committee of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) from 2012 to 2018.
His research has been published extensively in pre-eminent journals such as Economic and Political Weekly, Current Science, Ambio, Hydrogeology Journal, Journal of Hydrology, Contributions to Indian Sociology, Review of Development and Change, International Journal of Rural Management, Seminar and Indian Journal of Labour Economics.
Dr. Shah has addressed audiences on his life’s work all over the world from Stanford University to the World Bank in Washington, the OECD in Paris, the Arctic Circle in Iceland, Chatham House and University College, London and University of Cambridge, England, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria, the EAT Forum, Stockholm, Rachel Carson Centre, Munich, Himalayan University Consortium, Chengdu, China, International Water Management Institute, Colombo, the Asian Development Bank, Manila, the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok and the Singapore Water Week. He was the Keynote Speaker at the Global Water Summit at Rome in 2012 and the International EcoSummit Congress at Montpellier in 2016.
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October 30, 2025
Refusing to Harness a River: A Study of Dryland Farmers Resisting Irrigation in mid-20th Century Saskatchewan
Join Just Waters, the Institute for the Humanities and the Faculty of Arts on October 30, 2025 at 1:00 pm as we host Dr. Shannon Stunden Bower for a talk titled, “Refusing to Harness a River: A Study of Dryland Farmers Resisting Irrigation in mid-20th Century Saskatchewan.” This talk will focus on dryland farmers from Saskatchewan’s Outlook-Broderick area in their efforts to resist the Saskatchewan government’s attempts to compel them to irrigate. Drylander resistance illuminates key features of this agricultural community in the mid-20th century: the importance of the ideals of rights and democracy; the significance of women’s roles, and the persistence and creativity of those who sought to protect their own ideas of how best to make good lives and good livings.
No registration is required. This event will take place in Room 108 in St. John’s College. For information on getting to the University of Manitoba, see: https://umanitoba.ca/about-um/our-campuses/getting-here
About the Speaker
I am an environmental historian of northern North America, with particular attention to what is now commonly known as Canada. My research focuses on the Prairies/northern Great Plains, and addresses questions related to water management (with particular concern for the extremes of flood or drought) and government institutions (whether at national, provincial, or local scales).
I am a member of the executive and the editorial collective for the Network in Canadian History and Environment (NiCHE). I’m also an associate editor with the scholarly journal Prairie History.
I’m a settler of mixed European and British ancestry. I’ve lived most of my life in Treaty 6 territory or Treaty 1 territory. My research focuses on areas within treaties 1 through 7. These areas are also Métis homelands. For more information on the concept of treaty in the context of northern North America, please consult the Treaty Map created by the Yellowhead Institute.
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October 03, 2025
Advocacy in Action: Create a Red Dress Pin with Gerri-Lee Pangman
On Friday, October 3rd 2025 at 10:00am, please join us for “Advocacy in Action: Create a Red Dress Pin with Gerri-Lee Pangman.” This event takes place in honour of National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Gender Diverse People (MMIWG2S+). To learn more, we encourage you to read the Calls for Justice or check out our Resource Guide on MMIWG2S+.
The event will begin at 10:00am in Room 543-544 University Centre, at the Fort Garry Campus, University of Manitoba. For information on getting to the UM, please see: https://umanitoba.ca/about-um/our-campuses/getting-here
In order to ensure we have enough pins, registration is required. Register now!
If you can no longer attend, please email chrr@umanitoba.ca. In lieu of a registration fee, please consider making a donation to Indigenous organizations working with MMIWG2S+.
About the Presenter
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Gerri-Lee is not only a devoted wife and mother of four but also a loving Kohkum to two wonderful grandsons. Her advocacy began in the wake of tragic losses; her sister, Jennifer Dawn McPherson, was taken by violence in 2013, and her aunt, Jennifer Johnston, in 1980. In their memory, Gerri-Lee co-founded J.D.M Indigenous Designs, a platform through which she uses art to raise awareness and honor their lives.
A Sundancer, pipe carrier, and respected community leader, Gerri-Lee uses her art as a powerful tool to keep the conversation about MMIWG alive and urgent. Her work is a testament to her resilience and unwavering commitment to her community and the cause.
Her contributions to the community are extensive and heartfelt. Gerri-Lee has led beading circles and has generously shared her story in various settings, including schools, universities, colleges, libraries, community centers, and organizations. Her commitment has taken her across Canada, where she has taught MMIWG families and staff with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls the art of creating beaded red dress pins.
Her dedication and impact have been recognized through numerous accolades, including the Oscar Lathlin Memorial Award and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. Currently, she serves on Manitoba’s Matriarch Circle, continuing her mission to promote awareness and drive change.
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Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
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October 24, 2025
An Evening on Cuban-Canadian encounters through music, art, politics and more with Karen Dubinsky and Jorge Nállim
Join historians Karen Dubinsky and Jorge Nállim for an evening on Cuban-Canadian encounters through music, art, politics and more. This event will include a reading from Dubinsky’s latest book, Strangely, Friends: A History of Cuban-Canadian Encounters (Between the Lines Books) and a Q&A with the audience, followed by a book signing. Co-presented by the Institute for the Humanities and the Centre for Human Rights Research at the University of Manitoba.
This event will be hosted live in the Atrium of McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park and also available as a YouTube stream.
Strangely, Friends delves into the rich, often overlooked history of personal and cultural connections between Cubans and Canadians. From the early days of the Cuban Revolution to the present, this book uncovers the stories of Canadians who were drawn to Cuba—teachers, artists, development aid workers, filmmakers, and activists—who left an indelible mark on the island, and Cubans, especially the musicians, who found a home in Canada.
Through intimate portraits and serendipitous encounters, Karen Dubinsky explores how these relationships transcended political ideologies and state policies, revealing a shared humanity that defies borders. From the classrooms of Havana to the jazz clubs of Toronto, this book captures the enduring bonds forged through music, education, and mutual curiosity, offering a fresh perspective on the power of people-to-people connections.
About the Presenters
Karen Dubinsky is a historian at Queen’s University. Between 2008 and 2023, she co-taught and coordinated a university exchange program on Cuban culture which brought Canadian students to the University of Havana and Cuban artists and academics to Canada. She is co-host of Cuban Serenade, a podcast about Cuban musicians in Canada and hosts the CFRC radio program Cuban Sounds in Canada. Her previous books include studies of transnational adoption, Canadian cultural history, and Canadian-Global South relations. She lives in Kingston, Ontario.
Jorge A. Nállim is Professor of History at the University of Manitoba.
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Whether you are passionate about interdisciplinary human rights research, social justice programming, or student training and mentorship, the University of Manitoba offers opportunities to support the opportunities most important to you.
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September 22, 2025
Winnipeg, Wastewater, and Environmental Racism
How does Winnipeg’s wastewater reflect and perpetuate environmental racism and colonialism? Please join the Just Waters project for an evening of learning about the history and politics of Winnipeg’s sewage system. We will hear researchers and community leaders reflect on how Winnipeg’s wastewater system impacts land, waters, people and Indigenous communities who are on the front line of environmental injustice.
Join us on Monday, September 22 on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers at The Forks Historic Port. Just Waters and the Centre for Human Rights Research are collaborating to host this event, in partnership with The Forks. Funding is provided by the University of Manitoba’s IGNITE program, with in-kind contributions from The Forks.
Speakers:
- Dr. Kathy Bird
- Dr. Jocelyn Thorpe
FREE. No registration required.
If you have accessibility requirements, including translation, please email sarah.deckert@umanitoba.ca at least one week before the event. The event will take place outside in an area accessible by ramp. In the case of heavy rain or lightning, we will announce a rain location on social media.
Link to location map: The Forks Historic Port
About the Speakers
Kathy, originally from Norway House MB, lives in Peguis, MB and has worked as a Community Health Nurse, in the Peguis Traditional Healing Program, Peguis Health Services, and Matootoo Lake Medicine Lodge, for 45 years. She learned Indigenous medicines and healing ceremonies for 40 years. Her ancestry is Cree, Nakota and Anishinabe. She is of the Minweyweywigaan Midewin Lodge. Her teacher, Pinukwium has given her direction to share the knowledge of the medicines with Indigenous people. In 2003, she and knowledge keeper, Dr. Edna Manitowabi, set up a 4-year Indigenous Medicine Camp to teach and share the sacred medicine teachings with Indigenous people.
On June 21, 2002, Aki Maskiki Na Nan Da Wii Way Win (Earth Medicine – Healing), was recognized, receiving a Spirit of the Earth Award, sponsored by Manitoba Hydro. In 1997, she was recognized by her colleagues, the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, with an award of excellence in the Clinical category for the dedication and work done in the Traditional Healing Program. In July, 2021, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Education (HonDEd), Indigenous Knowledge and Development, from the World Indigenous Nations University, Blue Quills, AB.
Dr. Jocelyn Thorpe is a settler professor of women’s and gender studies and history. She studies histories and legacies of colonialism and environmental injustice, as well as the creative ways that people work toward a more just world. She has directed the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture since 2021.
Additional Resources
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Becoming Kin: A Discussion with Patty Krawec
Becoming Kin: A Discussion with Patty Krawec
October 4, 2024
Patty Krawec
On October 4th, 2024, the Centre for Human Rights Research (CHRR) and Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture (CCWOC) welcomed Anishinaabe-Ukrainian writer Patty Krawec to discuss her book Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future (Broadleaf Books).
Patty weaves her story with broader themes of settler colonialism, Indigenous survival, and Indigenous thriving in Canada and the United States. She argues that Indigenous kinship systems can help everyone imagine and move toward a just, livable future for all. She examines the idea that we live in relationships and considers how we might live as good relatives by taking the lead from Indigenous peoples and philosophies.
This event was funded through CHRR’s Outreach and Events Support Initiative, which was made possible by the University of Manitoba’s Strategic Initiative Fund.
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