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Roberto Lavidez

Roberto Lavidez is a Canadian poet, essayist, scriptwriter, playwright, educator, creative director, and visual artist.

An artist whose bodies of work comprise both literary and visual explorations, Lavidez has held thematic solo exhibitions, creative workshops and artist talks in local and international communities. His art unravels the shameless depiction of historical narrative and criticizes the universal use of the English language as a tool of subjugation and oppression.

Lavidez is the author of ‘Webstructionism,’ a language theory embodied in poetry elucidating the creative use and making sense of nonsensical stringing of random words and phrases. Hundreds of poems written under this invented genre can be accessed online: Webstructionism by Roberto Lavidez: Reinventing the World through Creative Language and can be browsed through his blogsite and website.

Lavidez’s book, “Remember Why,” is the first book of poetry published in English by a Filipino-Canadian in Brampton, Ontario in 2003. Lavidez's book utilizes poetry in exploring the humanity of man and man's inhumanity to man, manifested in acts of genocide, warfare, assassination and terrorism throughout the 20th century.

Lavidez is the Senior Editor of 'Kultura' Life & Art, a multicultural arts magazine which was initially published in Brampton in 2000. Lavidez was recognized with the Media Race Relations Award from the Human Rights and Race Relations Centre in Canada. Initial issues of the magazine have since been archived at the National Library of Canada.

Lavidez initiated C.A.M.P. (Creating Art Making Peace), an artist-run program that utilizes drama, painting, poetry and multi-media to teach children and adults creative ways of learning history and contemporary socio-political issues. It empowers participants through critical thinking and artistic expression to upholding peace and tolerance within their respective schools and larger community. C.A.M.P. has since been taught in various cities across Ontario.

Lavidez created 'The AlteRnaTive Course,' a series of artworks reflecting on humanist issues drawing insights from the lives of exemplary men of history; Rizal, Gandhi, Luther King Jr., and Mandela to name a few. He collaborated with the Corporation of the City of Brampton and the Order of the Knights of Rizal in launching the series at the City Council Chambers. The series has since been exhibited across Ontario. In one of the travelling exhibitions in the Greater Toronto Area, a centerpiece group portrait of pacifists was locked away by the gallery offended by the inclusion of the Dalai Lama.

A quote from one of Lavidez's essays had been included on Canadian Centre for Teaching Peace website.

''"The price of one jet fighter could provide 20,000 classrooms for 600,000 children." - Roberto Lavidez''

Sources:

http://robertolavidez.blogspot.ca/

http://robertolavidez.homestead.com/

https://library.ryerson.ca/asianheritage/authors/lavidez/

http://www.peace.ca/uninspiringquotes.htm