Victor Van Der Merwe
Articles by Victor Van Der Merwe

Knives and Sugar - A discussion between Asian writers Avni Doshi and Souvankham Thammavongsa
July 5 2021 CultureThis year’s Indian Summer Festival began June 17, 2021 and is still going strong with plenty of virtual events that can be enjoyed by festival goers until July 17, 2021. Knives and Sugar: Avni …

Ripple effect: Mental wellness during COVID-19 lockdown
June 21 2021 CultureBreakwater, written by playwright Valerie Methot and a youth group from Some Assembly Theatre Company, follows six youth who face the effects of isolation and mental health struggles from a symbolic…

Stories of agricultural workers in songs and podcasts
June 7 2021 CulturePedro Chamale’s new album, Made in Canada: an agricultural song cycle, is now available to download, stream on Spotify or purchase on vinyl. The album is composed of 10 songs written by Chamale …

1 Hour Photo: As relevant as ever
May 24 2021 CultureTetsuro Shigematsu | Photo by Raymond Shum. Photo design Terry Wong
The Cultch and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct) are offering a pre-recorded performance of Tetsuro Shigematsu’s …

Wheel Voice: Tune in !
May 10 2021 CultureWheel Voices: Tune In! is an eclectic mix of rap music,spoken word, choral pieces and original scenes. | Photo courtesy of Caitriona Murphy
Looking beyond a disability and experiencing the joy of…

The Taste of Desire: Pearls of wisdom
April 26 2021 Cover StoryThe humble oyster is the centre of attention in Director Willemiek Kluijfhout’s film The Taste of Desire, which will be streamed as part of this year’s Hot Docs Film Festival running from …

Growing Pains: regular rules of childhood simply do not exist
April 12 2021 CulturePhoto by Laurent Guérin
A child going the opposite direction of their parents is not a new theme in storytelling, and Quebec filmmaker Miryam Bouchard draws from her own life experience with…

Violation: Seamless blend of genres
March 22 2021 Culture Photo by courtesy of Pacific Northwest Pictures
Violation is a suspenseful revenge film that never strays too far from its …

Will Power starts with a cliff-hanger
February 8 2021 Cover Story Photo by Pete Hoang
Vancouver filmmaker Calixte Leblanc’s 40-minute film Will Power is showing at this year’s Vancouver…

Inaction yearns for a critical mass of solidarity
January 25 2021 ArtThe Richmond Art Gallery’s upcoming exhibition, Inaction by Brendan Fernandes, features the Canadian premiere of the two-channel video Free Fall: for Camera that was created in response to tragic …