An educational variety show will have audience members keeping beat to the music while learning about Canadian mining practices in Central America.
The Rights Action fundraiser takes place Friday (June 8) from 7-9 p.m. at Headliners School of Performing Arts, 165 Fraser St. in downtown Nanaimo.
Presented by the Vancouver Island University Faculty Association, the event supports the association’s Human Rights and International Solidarity Committee trip to communities adversely affected by Canadian mining operations in Guatemala July 7-15.
The evening features committee members Eliza Gardiner, Naomi Wolfe, as well as the acoustic guitar duo Fiftieth Parallel.
Gardiner performs her original folk-rock ballads accompanied by mandolin player Monique Raap, while Wolfe presents a slide show on Goldcorp’s Marlin Mine in Guatemala and its impact on local communities.
The show wraps up with a full set of original music by Fiftieth Parallel’s Jonathan Hinds and Philip Marchand.
Tickets to the event are available at the door. A suggested donation is $20, but all contributions are welcome.
Funds raised go directly to the Rights Action delegation and its ongoing support of grassroots organizations in Central America that work toward global equality, justice, human rights, environmental protection and a fair development model, particularly in mining-impacted communities.
For more information please e-mail Eliza Gardiner at eliza.gardiner@viu.ca.