Minor troubles

>> The Montreal Youth Summit against racism comes and goes with nary a youth in sight

by CRAIG SEGAL

The same question was on everyone's lips at last Saturday's Youth Summit. Some whispered it while sipping pineapple juice from plastic cups. Others shouted it in uncomfortable spontaneous debates: "Where are all the youth?!"

The Summit, held in downtown Montreal, was a preliminary meeting for the young adult portion of the upcoming United Nations World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa. It was meant to help formalize young Canadians' position on racism for the Conference.

Although conference organizers sent out 125 faxes and laid out an excellent buffet, only a dozen or so young people showed up at the spacious Sherbrooke Street offices of Open City Productions. The majority was over 30. "I'm disappointed because there aren't enough youths here with us," says Eric Naki, 12, of Rosemont. "I feel a little bit lonely. Everybody starts complaining but it doesn't make any sense. I thought it would be fun to come here but now I know what it is. It's not fun."

John Ford, 18, felt the same. "This is supposed to be a Youth Summit right here and as you can see, not many showed up. Young people don't want to take time from their day. But freedom has a price no matter what. You have to pay for it."

"It's too bad there weren't more young people here because it's their future," adds Iddy Mbonabuca of the Coop de Solidarité Union Africaine. "I blame the organization for not diffusing the information more."

Organizers disagree. "We're very pleased with the turnout," says Deborah Ford, coordinator for the Youth Program at Open City Productions, a local community arts group. "I think it was a good first step. I got a really powerful sense that it's feasible to do something that's going to make a difference. We've been given a sign that there's a lot of labour to be done in getting the word out. The job didn't end on Saturday. The job began on Saturday."

But Ford admits the conference was organized quickly. "Literally we started sending out invitations on the Monday. It's a particular challenge since many of the lines to reach youth at this time of year are not functional."

The Durban meeting is the third UN Conference on Racism, and the first to include a separate meeting for young people. Three hundred international youngsters are asked to "focus on practical steps that countries can take alone and together to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance."

Saturday's low turnout is mild compared with other controversies surrounding the conference. After activists at a pre-Durban congress in Tehran said Zionism equals racism, the National Post argued that "Western countries should opt out of the Durban conference and leave the Third World radicals who will take part to stew in their own toxic political juices."

Meanwhile, Britain is leading European opposition to African demands that the slave trade be declared a crime against humanity requiring hefty compensation by the former colonial powers. And descendants of 82,000 Chinese Canadian immigrants, who paid $23-million in head taxes 100 years ago are threatening to "embarrass" Canada at the meeting.

The Conference takes place from Aug. 31-Sept. 2. More local meetings are planned over the summer to formalize Canada's position. For more information call Open City Productions at 288-5222.