July | 2020 | Martin de Groot

This is an index for an ongoing series of columns I’m writing for CultKW, “an independent online community developed by THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener that aims to facilitate discussion around the arts and culture in the Kitchener-Waterloo region and surrounding areas.”

The theme is “what’s in a name.” Taken together, these pieces represent a train of thoughts related to current discussions about the significance, and the suitability, of names such as Dundas, Waterloo, Kitchener, Victoria, even Canada.

These are musings, not contentions. The main point is that stories, including national stories and stories of shared identity, can be told in multiple ways without straying away from basic truth.

There is, however, serious intent. Part of the purpose is to come up with some answers to the question that arose after witnessing the Kitchener March for Black Lives Matter on June 3rd: “What can a poor boy do?”

The hope is that, by tinkering with familiar storylines, we may discover pattern variations that will open fresh possibilities for imagining how we’ll deal with the challenges and opportunities that lie immediately ahead.

May 06 I am Groot
https://cultkw.com/i-am-groot/

May 20 Victoria Day | Museum Day
https://cultkw.com/i-am-groot-2/

June 03 Solidarity March for Black Lives Matter
https://cultkw.com/i-am-groot-3/

June 17 Dundas Street / Old Highway Two
https://cultkw.com/i-am-groot-4/

June 24a Waterloo Day
https://cultkw.com/i-am-groot-5/

June 24b Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo
https://cultkw.com/i-am-groot-6/