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The Canadian Cat at Nuit blanche, 2019                                                           

Nuit blanche was initiated in 2001 in Paris, France, as a night-long event, offering mostly free arts and culture. It quickly became an international event and it now happens in many Canadian cities including Saskatoon.
Saskatoon’s Nuit blanche has been held annually in late September since 2014, as a “free, all ages, night-time arts festival that showcases and celebrates art and culture”.  People venture forth to immerse themselves in art as they walk about, to look, stop, be entertained and sometimes get involved.
Aiming for convivial exchange and participation, the Canadian Cat initiates conversations about her lost baby cat, which leads to the topic of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. We go on with anecdotes, spontaneous findings and questions from her non-scientific survey. The symbolic loss of her precious baby alludes to impending climate change, which is being ignored by our national politicians who were in pre-election campaigning at that time.
 

My performance as the Canadian Cat raises two serious concerns:

  1. Greta Thunberg was focussing the world’s attention on scientific facts and the urgent need for the world to take immediate and massive action to avoid climate catastrophe. However, too few people are paying attention. Like my Cat’s mask, which never changes its attitude or personality, our society and its decision makers cling to “business as usual”.

  2. The major parties campaigning to become the federal government of Canada were not taking climate change seriously. Instead, the parties argue endlessly over jobs and economic issues etc., without listening to each other, ignoring the need for action for the health of our planet.

The Canadian Cat thanks the many event goers who responded to her quest. Special thanks to videographer Stacy Muller and his DJI Osmo Pocket, photographer Richard Kerbes, and Carol Blenkin for loan of her antique baby carriage.