LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge the land we are working on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
WHY DOES HISTORY OF WWII IN ASIA MATTER?
This war should concern all people, regardless of background, ethnicity or religion. It is not only a historical event but also a living history that reveals the startling human capacity for inhumanity and compassion. It also reveals the darkest decisions and actions of war that robbed millions of their dignity, and the resilience of many who courageously fought for justice, reconciliation and peace. In learning about this history, we also grapple with our individual and collective responsibility to the world, to present and future generations, to protect human rights and foster peacebuilding.
WHY IS A PEACE MUSEUM ABOUT WWII IN ASIA NEEDED?
The Second World War happened in Europe and Asia. Yet, how much do we know about this war in Asia? The WongAvery Asia Pacific Peace Museum (APPM) is built to fill the gap of missing knowledge and memory of World War II in Asia. To ensure that the untold tragedies of suffering, displacement, and death are remembered, it brings forth narratives of endurance, resilience, and the ongoing struggle to acknowledge history’s lessons, and to ensure that past human atrocities are not forgotten nor repeated. This is not just about remembrance; it is an active commitment to peace, reconciliation, and a better future for our younger generations.
This museum is dedicated to peace.
But there can be no peace without an acknowledgement of historical facts.
This museum is dedicated to the struggle for a world without war.
But there can be no absence of war without our knowing the suffering of the other.
This museum is dedicated to a better future for our children.
But this future cannot arrive without the dream and the labour of forgiveness.
This museum exists because of the joy that underlies the trust that goodness is inextinguishable and will triumph.
- Joy Kogawa
ALPHA Education
ALPHA Education carries a mandate to foster a critical understanding of the history of WWII in Asia, with a commitment to further the values of peace and humanity. ALPHA Education's two-decade-long education work has improved people's knowledge of WWII in Asia and increased youth participation in the pioneering of a peace and reconciliation movement.