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In early December 2020, 36 families in Ottawa and Kingston created a mural that depicts fish swimming upstream, representing the Ismaili community’s past and ongoing journey to and in Canada. The Ottawa-Kingston jamat will present the mural, called Journey Upstream, to Generations, a long-term care facility in Calgary that houses an early childhood development centre to encourage intergenerational interactions.
“[The mural] is a symbol of the Jamat’s recent past and upwards future, and it is linked to the families’ immigration and settling in Canada,” said Narmin Kassam, the Aga Khan Council for Ottawa's member for arts and culture. She designed the piece with arts and culture team member Zohra Ahmadi. They were inspired by the gift of a jade salmon carving Canadian Ismailis gave to His Highness the Aga Khan in 1978.
The organizers sent families kits to create pieces of the mural at home. The kits contained materials symbolizing different generations in the Jamat. Wool represented the resilience and adaptability of seniors; rope symbolized the strength of middle-aged adults; malleable and multicoloured pipe cleaners represented children; and grass-like raffia signified how young adults tie the generations together.
“Knowing that everyone is still contributing their part and that we're creating something together in spite of the pandemic—it's really special,” said Aliya Mawani, who contributed to the piece with her family.
The artwork is dedicated to late Council of Ottawa President Karim Gwaduri, who passed away in 2020 and is fondly remembered for his dedication to service, volunteerism and improving the quality of life of marginalized members of society.