World Water Day at UBC OKanagan

Let’s celebrate water by Hugo De Burgos
Let’s celebrate water
Let’s celebrate its life
Let’s celebrate together, water, an essential right
Let’s celebrate today
Before it is too late
Let’s celebrate together, oceans, oasis, inlets,
Let’s celebrate water
Let’s celebrate its love
Let’s celebrate together, water, blessing from above
A paradox it is
In such great quantity
For many people it’s a nightmare of scarcity
Let’s keep it running free
Let’s keep it running clean
Let’s keep it running fresh and clean for everyone to drink
Water’s fragility
Vulnerability
Let’s save our water from the grasp of much aridity
Let us raise our voices with imagination
Drumming, dancing, painting, singing no contamination
No more global sadness, no more cruel deforestation.
That’s enough!
Let’s celebrate today
Before it is too late
Let’s celebrate together keeping the world’s water safe
Ungrateful humans are
Bringing catastrophe
Contamination is a terrible reality
Rivers of misery
Great lakes in agony
Oil, greed and plastic in a globalized insanity
Liquid vitality
Holy immortality
Of life sustainer, fountain of the great divinity
Ancient aquatic soul
Much more precious than gold
Solemn and cheerful, simple, complex, mythological
Our human mission is
Fine water quality
For every creature in this planet and for you and me!
Socially responsible, peoples and nations
Let us come together, celebrate sweet irrigation
No more global sadness, no more cruel deforestation.
Water’s life!

Magic on the Water 48.00 Minutes
Directed, Written, Produced by Tracey Kim Jack
Straight Arrow Productions
Executive Producer: Rob Weller
Airdate: SUNDAY, December 23, 2007
CHBC Television 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Press Contact: 250 770 0124 or tjack@vip.net
Magic on the Water is a one hour feature documentary capturing poignant stories of the Okanagan first peoples. It was only up until a century ago when the Syilx Nation exclusively, inhabited the captivating beaches and fertile lands of the Okanagan valley.
This prime time one hour special for television features a visual feast of beautifully crafted interior cottonwood paddles dipping their ores into the crystal clear lakes and rivers throughout the pristine Interior of British Columbia. Magic on the Water explores the vibrant art, history and oral traditions of the Okanagan first people as they share vivid testimonials revealing their rich heritage, language and culture.
Magic on the Water is the art of storytelling through the journey of a one hundred year old canoe culminating in the return of the salmon to Okanagan shores, nestled in the interior of British Columbia. Ancient historical songs composed by Juno nominee and traditional ensemble Turning Earth Collective members Jeannette Armstrong, Delphine Derickson and Richard Armstrong accompany the documentary.
The documentary describes the biodiversity of ancient rivers, creeks, streams and beaches throughout of the Okanagan Valley in rich storytelling tradition. Magic on the Water is a cinematic experience capturing the sounds and colors of vivid landscapes revealing the beauty and essence of the territorial lands of the Okanagan First Peoples. The Sylix Nation share their testimonials of laughter, struggle, and pain as they strive to survive and to restore their traditional systems of governance and leadership in a modern world.
Bio 2007
~Tracey Kim Jack, Director, Writer, Producer~
Syilx Nation! With a VOICE!
Ms. Tracey Kim Jack is an award winning independent broadcast journalist and producer for television news and documentaries. She is a member of the Syilx Nation from the Okanagan; born and raised on the Penticton Indian reserve. Currently she is the Program Director for the Indigenous Arts Service Organization.
Photo Credit – Storytellers In Motion- Season I
A Provincial Organization mandated to support, advocate and create access and awareness for aboriginal artists in multi disciplines in British Columbia. Ms. Jack is also on faculty at the En’owkin Centre located in Penticton, instructing Media Arts. As well she volunteers for the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) representing the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition (NIMAC) to support the growth of aboriginal media arts run centres in Canada. Jack has freelanced print media for the provincial aboriginal print “Raven’s Eye” (AMMSA) and Canadian aboriginal print journal “Aboriginal Voices.” Her current works include producing segments for the CHBC-Television program “Okanagan Now.” More recently in 2006 she was again nominated by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) for her documentary Honoring our Visions. Also in 2006 Ms. Jack was appointed the first aboriginal person to be awarded the School District #67 Alumni Wall of Fame for her accomplishments in broadcast journalism. In 2003 Ms Jack was also awarded First and Second place for her award winning documentaries “Crying in the Dark” and “REZcovery” at the 2003 International Native American Journalists Association convention held in Green Bay, Wisconsin. That year she garnered a nomination from the American Indian Film Institute for Best Public Service. As well in 2003, 2004 she was granted consecutively the Award of Excellence as a finalist with the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Award for her riveting documentaries. Ms Jack is currently completing her next one hour documentary under the working title “Magic on the Water.” Which will air in the winter of 2007.Her hobbies include gathering & preparing traditional foods, practicing random acts of kindness and mountain biking.
Her lifelong passion has always been to balance stories from an aboriginal perspective to create dialogue to dispel ignorance and racism. Ms Jack resides on the Penticton Indian Reserve with her two children and splits her time between Penticton, BC and Winnipeg, MAN where she spends time with her partner Jordan.