Candlelight Vigil for the Iraq Museum in Toronto, Ontario

Date: Thursday, April 12 2007

Place: Forest Hill Public School, Toronto, Ontario — Grade Five

Program: After a short presentation by SAFE Member Leah Bevington on the tragedy of the Iraq Museum and how the looting of artifacts and the black market in illicit antiquities undermine the study of ancient civilizations, the class watched the Global Candlelight Vigil invitation video. Subsequent discussion focused on SAFE’s Ancient Cultures in Danger Map. The class pointed to the regions and cultures on the map that they were studying, described the civilizations that had lived there, and spoke about how the archaeological heritage of each of these areas was in danger.

The teacher led the class in a moment of silence, and asked them to think about what the loss of cultural heritage meant to them.

The vigil inspired this poem, written by the Grade Five gifted class at Forest Hill Public School:

Artifacts being stolen.
Antiquities, keys to knowledge.
Antiquities being stolen. Something that everybody can share, stolen.

Real links to the past.
Realize the awful things that looting causes.
Realize what was taken. Not money, but knowledge.

Together we can help stop looting.
These artifacts are important.
Taking beautiful antiquities for yourself. Learn to share it is a kindergarten rule.

If we support SAFE, we will help save the past.
If you loot, you rob the world.
It is dreadful, all our knowledge to the past, gone, smashed, stolen. Imagine.

Faith in SAFE will help the world.
Facts are being stolen from us.
Faith is needed, so is support. Knowledge is power.

Advise those who use the blackmarket.
Altruism will help.
At the museum in Iraq, knowledge was stolen. Not money, knowledge that was the key to the past.

Care about these artifacts.
Check to make sure none of your friends use the blackmarket.
Conduct those who are wrong, those who steal the knowledge to the past.

Take action against looting.
Tell those who use the blackmarket to stop.
Together we can stop looting. Support SAFE and we can do it.

Smashed artifacts don’t give knowledge.
Stolen antiquities help no one.
Students in our class think it is shocking the way looters take knowledge just for money. Support SAFE and help save ancient links to the past.