RMR Museum launches new travelling exhibition about War in Afghanistan

Westmount, Quebec – 25 October 2019: The RMR Museum launched their latest travelling exhibition “REMEMBERING AFGHANISTAN: REFLECTIONS OF CANADIAN SOLDIERS” last night with a cocktail reception held in the officers’ mess. After an introduction by the RMR’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel John Shone,  the museologist who produced the exhibition, Melanie Presseau-Dumais, gave everyone an overview of the exhibition including video testimonials. Highlights of the launch were remarks given by two RMR members who served in Afghanistan: Lieutenant-Colonel George Siket and Captain Alan Vincent. They reflected on their motivations to serve and the lasting impact their service in Afghanistan has had on them.

The exhibition will run daily from 25 October to 10 November 2019 at the RMR’s armoury on Sainte-Catherine Street. It will then travel to different schools throughout the province of Quebec in 2020.

The conflict in Afghanistan was the longest in Canadian history, taking place between 2001 and 2014. During that period, approximately 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in the region. The impact of this conflict is still in motion. What will be remembered of the war in Afghanistan? Was it worth it? These questions cannot yet be answered but should certainly be asked.  

Titled “Remembering Afghanistan: Reflections of Canadian Soldiers”, the project is the result of 12 personal testimonies given by RMR members who volunteered to go to Afghanistan and their reflections on the time they spent there and how it has affected them. Using the real experiences of Canadian soldiers as a lens, the exhibition provides a unique look at the multiple ways Canadians participated in the conflict that took place between 2001 and 2014. The exhibition tries to put the modern conflict that took place in Afghanistan into perspective. Without a proper historical distance between us and the events, it is impossible to look at the war in Afghanistan with a critical mind and proper discernment. That is not what the exhibition claims to do. Rather, it attempts to spark a personal reflection in both civilian visitors and military members alike.

• Free admission
• Location: 4625 St-Catherine St. West, Westmount
• Dates: 25 October to 10 November 2019
• Times:
  • Monday and Tuesday, 10 AM to 7 PM
  • Wednesday, 10 AM to 9 PM
  • Thursday and Friday, 10 AM to 7 PM
  • Saturday and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM