Memory and Reflection

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Laundry day 1943 at the Langham during the Japanese Canadian Internment. Kootenay Lake Archives, Kaslo, B.C.

In 1942, eighty women, children and the elderly were confined: six to eight people to one small room in the then, Langham Hotel, in Kaslo, which had been built in 1896. A thousand more Japanese Canadians were detained in abandoned homes that had become vacant after the mining boom. Kaslo and other ghost towns in the BC interior, particularly in the West Kootenay region, became sites of incarceration to 22,000 Japanese Canadians until 1945.

In commemoration The Langham is presenting a special gala celebration called MEMORY and REFLECTION to take place during Thanksgiving weekend October 5th-8^th, with special activities for the whole family, that will include performances, cultural demonstrations and workshops, films, the Vancouver play Japanese Problem, the TAIKO Drummers from Kelowna, the Minyo Dancers from Lethbridge, plus two evening concerts, a panel discussion, a gala performance and a concert with the West Kootenay group, Certified Mango. The society is inviting performing artists, writers and academics, from BC and from other parts of Canada, whose families were affected by the internment to perform and speak during the weekend.

In 2012, during the 70^th Anniversary of Interment in Slocan City, Rory Lindsay of the Slocan Valley Heritage Trail Society stated, “this event is not just a story that belongs to Japanese Canadians but to all Canadians”. It is a statement that reflects even more for today’s troubling times. The Langham’s commemorations of the 75th Anniversary of WWII Internment is an opportunity to recall this tragic event, and acknowledge the strength and resilience of Japanese Canadians and their descendants over the past seventy-five years and to reflect as well as celebrate the achievements of the Japanese Canadian community.

For detailed information visit www.thelangham.ca EVERYONE is Welcome!