Indigenization through the collective bargaining process: OCUFA

The University of Winnipeg is launching a new Ojibwe radio drama called Aakoziiwigamig: An Ojibwe Radio Drama. The drama was developed after community classes at UWinnipeg’s Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre and Indigenous Languages of Manitoba were cancelled in light of COVID-19. “I was concerned that students who were taking Indigenous language classes at the university now had nowhere to go and practise in the community speaking the language,” said UWinnipeg Indigenous Academic Lead Lorena Fontaine. “We thought about using radio as a means of speakers speaking the language and sharing it with the community.” The new, biweekly series will premier today on NCI radio, and the episodes will be available on the university’s Indigenous engagement website. “We need more places to hear and practice the language,” added Fontaine. “I can see this being an important component to our language program and we could get students in the production in the future.” CBC | UWinnipeg (MB)