Pop-up display
Hearts of Freedom – Stories of Southeast Asian Refugees is a pop-up exhibition that focuses on the personal histories of refugees from Southeast Asia who came to Canada between 1975 and 1985, and the stories of people who assisted them.
The public will learn more about these refugees’ reasons for leaving Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the process of coming to Canada, and their lives in this new country, through digital photographs, documents, and quotations from interviews. An interpretive text completes the narrative of each panel.
Photo: Canadian Museum of History
Hearts of Freedom – Stories of Southeast Asian Refugees also examines connections between Southeast Asian refugees’ experiences, their obstacles in settlement, and their successful integration and contributions to the cultural fabric of Canada.
Presented until April 16, Hearts of Freedom – Stories of Southeast Asian Refugees is based on a multi-year community project.
The Canadian Museum of History is proud to have been a supporter of, and advisor to, the Hearts of Freedom project since its inception in 2015.
This exhibition was created by the Hearts of Freedom Museum Exhibition Committee, in collaboration with the Canadian Mennonite University, Carleton University, Canadian Museum of History, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Canadian Immigration Historical Society, Vietnamese Canadian Federation, Lao Association of Ottawa-Valley, Cambodian Association of Ottawa-Valley, Pacific Canada Heritage Centre – Museum of Migration Society, and Manitoba Museum.
About Hearts of Freedom
The Hearts of Freedom is a multi-year community project that collects and preserves the personal histories of refugees from Southeast Asia — Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia — who came to Canada between 1975 and 1985, and the Canadians who assisted them. It documents the lived experiences of refugees through oral history interviews, archival documents, a book, and a documentary. The oral histories were completed with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and the DeFehr Foundation. The museum exhibition is funded by Marty Maykut and Shandis Price Maykut, Carleton University’s FutureFunder, and the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, among others. For a complete list of sponsors and donors, please visit HeartsofFreedom.org.
Photo at top of page:
Exhibition Curator: Stephanie Phetsamay Stobbe. Photo: Margaret Tebbutt.