^ = T f l£ MCGILL TRIBUNE Volum e 5, N um ber 9
Published by th e S tudents' Society of McGill University
Tuesday 12 N ovem ber, 1985
M y G ift T o T h e N e x t G e n e r a tio n : F o r r e s te r by Laila Abdalla Maureen Forrester came' to read at McGill on Monday, November 4th as the fourth guest of the 1985/86 "Literary Imagination" series. Forrester is one of the world's leading contraltos, and the current chairperson of the Canada Council. Forrester's talk was entitled "M y Gift to the Next Generation". She introduc ed thé talk on a gloomy note of "if there is indeed a next generation". Forrester's views on the nuclear threat were clear, and she made her point strongly without dwelling on it: "I believe that the forces of nature do enough damage to the world without man's participa tion." Forrester's talk was fascinating and positive. A charming person with an at tractive personality, her attitude was relaxed and her manner comfortable. She wanted to interact with the au dience, encouraging questions the whole time. Speaking about her art, Forrester said that the contralto was "not the darling of the voice world". There are not as many leading roles or demand for con traltos as there are for sopranos. "W e are the mothers, the maids, the witches, the bitches and the mediums... we are not sexy!" However, as Forrester assured the audience with a gleam in her eye, contraltos have a longer career as the notes they lose through aging are not as many or as crucial as those of the sopranos. These have a much faster "burn-out". Forrester was born in Montreal, and has been working professionally with her voice since 1951. In 1953 she made her debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and in 1956 she sang with the New York Philharmonic. In addition, she has been a voice teacher, and the chairperson of the department of Voice at Philadelphia State University for two years. She has
received many awards, and in 1982, she received an honorary degree from McGill, to go with twelve other degrees bestowed upon her by-other North American universities.' Although she has thirteen university
degrees, Forrester left school after only six months of high school. However, she is not proud of the fact, and admits that she was uncommonly lucky in meeting the right people at the right times. "I got all the breaks," She said.
Although she is so much in demand internationally, and her manager is from the U.S., Forrester is aware of and loyal to her Canadian origins- She always tries to sing something Canadian at her concerts, often promoting sales of the music. She also takes her position on the Canada Council seriously. It has made her spend "more time in Ottawa than a Montrealer would have thought
possible". Forrester is encouraged by the amount of talent she sees through her job, and only regrets that there are not enough funds to grant to all the deserv ing artists. Currently only one in five ap plicants receives anything at all. She spends a lot of time trying to find more money for the Canada Council. She is proud of her position and claims: "here is a chance to put back into the country what it has given me". As well as supporting "the country" through her work with the Council and by advertising its talent abroad, she en courages other artists in their efforts. She often sings pieces written especially for her by Canadian composers. "We, the performers, are the mouthpieces of our composers," Forrester said. Fo rre ste r's c o n c lu d in g rem ark perhaps best summarizes the serious responsibility she feels for her art, her country, and her fellow artists: "I was the starving young artist looking for fun ding, and I am an aging international contralto granting funds to young ar tists. I can stand for the artist who must work for his art, and for the patron who must always support the artist. If I can bring together those two, I feel I've made a lasting contribution to the coun try." Maureen Forrester will be singing in December with the McGill Symphony Orchestra. The music has been written especially for her by Donald Stevens, and the text is a poem bv F.R. Scott.
More Greeks On Campus U .N . A m b a s s a d o r a n d f o r m e r id e a lis t S t e p h e n L e w is g r e e t s c r o w d a f t e r h i s a d d r e s s t o t h e " H o p e in t h e N u c l e a r A g e " C o n f e r e n c e F r id a y n ig h t . S t o r y o n p a g e 4 P h o t o - L io n e l C h o w
P r o f C a lls F o r S a n c tio n s , V io le n c e by Melanie Clulow "In the name of Christianity and civilization," Changia Ragavan made an impassioned plea for international sanctions against South Africa and a violent overthrow of the racist and op pressive regime. Ragavan, South African ex-patriate and professor of Sociology at Concor dia, spoke last week at McGill as part fo the B'nai Brith Hillel Foundation's Con ference on Racism. A long time activist who has been de tained many times by South African Security police, Ragavan presented a history of the racial terrorism in his native country, and an account of the tragedy of the Black experience in South Africa. "South Africa is the only country with a constitution written in terms of black and white—legalized racism," said Ragavan. "Freedom and liberty, the hallmarks of any civilized society, are denied the majority of the population." Ragavan is adamant that violence is the only remaining method to get rid of the "m onstro sity of A p arth eid ." However, he is quick to point out that he does not justify violence in itself, but sees it as the only means to destroy an inherently violent constitution. "W e who want to change the system believe in the moral use of violence to free the oppressed. In this case violence is neutral. Violence in its overall form is repugnant to us, but we will use it to end an immoral state." According to Ragavan, policies of non-violence do not work. In 1949, G handi's attempts at non-violent
Now she is a firm believer in higher education for everybody. When she was twenty-seven Forrester got her biggest break. Through the tenacity of one of her career guides, "the great darling Bruno Walter" asked her to sing for him, recognizing a "co l our" in her voice which was perfect for him. She recorded Mahler's Second Symphony with him, and sang at his final concert. She was an overnight suc cess. Forrester leads a hectic life. She sings on at least 120 occasions each year all over the world; besides that, she is a master teacher, and the chairperson of the Canada Council. However, she is not willing to rest on her laurels. Her singing changes, and she has to work with her voice. "I know now how to put myself in my music." The most important element in her music is the content. She concen trates on conveying straight to the au dience the text she is singing. She strives to sing as1 if she were revealing something new each time.
resistance failed miserably. "Techni ques of non-violence can only be ap plied against those who can appreciate it, c iv ilis e d people; South Africa's government is not civilise d ." he acknowledged that it will have to be a long, protracted, and bitter war, but sees in its outcome a new committement to a lasting peace. "I think we're finally heading in the right direction," he said. When asked about the reaction of South Africa's white minority to a violent revolution, Ragavan responded, "After three hundred years of oppres sion we are asked to think about our op pressors? I've been so busy thinking about the 26 million blacks that I haven't been thinking of the four million whites." As a Black South African, Ragavan has experienced firsthand the subjugation of South Africa's native people. "I was born in that country, my dignity was raped the day I was born," he said. Forced to leave school at fourteen to help support his family, Ragavan ex pressed the bitterness of the subjugated Black African. "White South Africans enjoy a standard of living that would be the envy of most Canadians. Imagine knowing that there are riches, beautiful beaches, and education, and realising that these things are unavailable to you because you are Black." "The Black South African experiences the feel of the military every day of his life. It is not uncommon to find police cars and armoured vans arriving at your door entirely unexpectedly. "There is a large budget for military expenditure in
South Africa in order to maintain the Apartheid system. "Legislation like the Terrorism Act and the Rioters Assembly Act is broad and aimed at curtailing Black aspirations." "When most people begin to think with their minds, the Black South African begins to think with his skin." According to Ragavan, Blacks are con sidered unworthy of higher education and are steered toward technical and service training, if any. There is only one black doctor for every 91 thousand Blacks. Said Ragavan, "This denial of lan d , fre e d o m , and e d u ca tio n culminates in a denial of our culture." Ragavan calls for the systematic inter national boycott of South Africa in all spheres. These would include the cur tailment of all educational, cultural, and social contact as well as political and economic isolation. He sees North Americans caught in the dilemma of benefiting from the Apartheid system while at the same time not wanting to be perceived as a racist society. "Every dollar invested in South Africa supports the regime," says Ragavan. Canadian investment in South Africa has decreased somewhat but Ragavan believes that Canadians are unwilling to take radical steps in the hope that the problem will solve itself. "Canada always follows the U.S.," says Ragavan. "If the U.S. were to rapid ly divest from South Africa, Canada would probably do the same. We need the total commitment of the Canadian people to the end of Apartheid."
by Glenn Pierce Next fall, M cGill students can expect to see a new fraternity house 'somewhere along the ghetto streets. M cGill's newest fraternity, Sigma Pi, was colonized on September 30. The colony (which refers to a chapter in its developmental stages) was organized through the recruitment ef forts of Sigma Pi representative Alan Taliaferro, a McGill MBA student who has worked with the McGill InterFraternity Council (MIFC), and of Alan Boucher, an honorary Sigma Pi pledge of the University of Western Ontario chapter. Taliaferro was a member of the Sigma Pi chapter of University of Florida at Gainesville, where he did his undergraduate work. According to Joe Olma, Douglas Hall president (and subsequently Sigma Pi president), Taliaferro and Boucher ap proached him early this term with the idea of a Sigma Pi chapter at McGill. With Olma's help, they recruited twenty-six men, all of whom were pledged at colonization. The total has since risen to thirty-two, making Sigma Pi already the third largest fraternity at McGill. McGill Sigma Pi will be the second Canadian chapter of the Indiana - based Sigma Pi International, which has chapters at 127 universities throughout the US. The other Canadian chapter is at the University of Western Ontario. At present, the new fraternity's ac tivities are mostly internal, dealing with
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organization and growth. Olma ex pressed hopes that Sigma Pi would be the largest fraternity at McGill after the Spring Rush. The colony has been recognized by and has representatives on the MIFC. They plan to become an official chapter next March, and to open their house next fall. Externally, Sigma Pi is planning to become involved in the community through operation of a soup kitchen and participation in the M lFC's toy drive at Christmas time. The members of the new fraternity are also very enthusiastic about their ideals. According to Olma, fraternities are still/ too often cast into the stereotype of the "Animal House.” "Fraternities mean more than just parties," said Olma. "It's time somebody realized that." Taliaferrro also acknowledged the ef forts of other McGill fraternities to stay away from this image. He emphasized the fact that Sigma Pi is already active in the MIFC, working with other frater nities and sororities to improve the Greek system at McGill. He also ex pressed the hope that all the Greeksat McGill will benefit from the efforts of the new chapter. Sigma Pi will stand to re-emphasize fraternal ideals that may have begun to be forgotten. "People see fraternities as nothing but parties," complained social director Andrew Bull. "The more im portant aspects have been unheralded — ideals like brotherhood, leadership, and community interest.
E v en ts g e t l is te d .........................................................................p g . 2. S o lle c o n tr a s ts P e a c e s ........................................ pg- 3 Lew is a n d B rea d a n d P u p p e t .......... ................................pg. 4 M y s te rio u s P ic tu r e ....................................................................pg. 4 W o m e n in c i n e m a ..................................................................... pg. 5 N e w R e g im e r e v ie w e d ............................................................p g . 6 In v ita tio n a l b a s k e tb a ll............................................................p g . 7 A ds to p e r u s e ..............................................................................pg. 8