The Paueru Gai Dialogues

The Paueru Gai Dialogues was a series of 9 online events, BIPOC artists and activists could share their perspectives on current social issues. The project intends to inspire civic engagement and community building during the disruption of the enduring pandemic and was hosted by the Powell Street Festival Society.  

Executive director Emiko Morita said of the event, “The Black Lives Matter protests and the widening gap between the privileged and marginalized populations have been amplified by the global health crisis. We cannot wait for the pandemic to pass to respond to these needs; this is the opportunity to create safe spaces where we can challenge ourselves to listen to difference and to deepen our understanding of ourselves and others, and to find ways to use any privilege that we might have for positive change.” Morita continues, “It is exciting to consider that we might take this moment to move beyond our Internment/model minority narrative, and to explore questions of accountability as settler-colonizers as we continue to grapple with our own history of displacement.”

The Paueru Gai Dialogues is a free event but it does include an expectation of the audience/participants. After the panelists give 7–10-minute presentations that share their perspective on the dialogue topic, the participants were expected to go into breakout groups. Participants were invited to share their own experience or perspective on the given topic and to listen to the others in their group. A group facilitator was present to ensure the space promoted safety and inclusion for everyone. To wrap up the event, participants reconvened  to offer generative questions for further contemplation.

Organized by Powell Street Festival Society

Co-sponsored by SFU David Lam Centre