I’m part Dutch on my father’s side. While I have some amazing, awe-inspiring relatives on that side (such as my grandfather’s cousin, Jacob, who was executed by the Nazis for his resistance work), I also have relatives who moved to South Africa during the early days of Apartheid. This piece is a way of acknowledging and condemning that part of history—as well as current Israeli apartheid and Canada’s spineless complicity in global atrocities. The title, “Our Governments Are Very Much the Same”, is a quote from French-Iranian comic artist Marjane Satrapi. She was speaking about the U.S. and Iranian governments—and clearly, the sentiment extends further. (Fun(?) fact: my original vision for this piece was way different. It was going to be about “Western” media depictions of Slavic culture and identity (I’m part Polish on my mother’s side—and I get clocked as Slavic way more frequently than I do Dutch). That’s why it samples two songs from the Jem episode “Homeland, Heartland”. However, I found the backing track spontaneously lent itself to the dulcet tones of P.W. Botha and J.P.J. Trudeau.)
Biographical Error, a/k/a Bio, a/k/a Ana, is a sentient organism located in Edmonton, Alberta, which is located on Treaty 6 and Métis Region 4 territory. She got into noise-making around 2015/2016, but she’s only felt truly inspired over the past year or so. In 2017, she graduated top of her class, on the Dean’s list, from MacEwan University’s Bachelor of Communications Studies (Journalism major). She currently works in a grocery store. (Her mother would like to remind you that Ana is also a freelance writer.)