Question answered by the reflections: - How can a community of closely-knit individuals with largely similar circumstances agitate for better working conditions in a foreign country?
The movie is highly emotive while maintaining a sense of purpose and balance. The courage shown by the workers of the meat-processing firm, lakeside packers, in the small town of Alberta is a demonstration of courage in face of all adversity.
The composition of the town was traditionally white but the town had in experienced, recent times, an influx of immigrants making it a highly metropolitan society. The majority of the immigrants moving to the town sought to work in the meat-processing factory, which is one of the largest in the world. People like peter Jany Khwai and Edil Hassan represent the stories of a majority of the immigrant residents of the town. Peter Jany Khwai, who escaped war in Sudan, leads a life representative of his African roots while claiming a Canadian identity. The adaptation and courage showed by the man in fighting for his rights is admirable. Immigrating from a war torn African state, having to adapt to strange cultures, finding employment and even daring to claim rights in the place of work in a community where he is clearly on the minority side takes great determination and courage.
Edil Hassan on the other hand is a Somali immigrant to Canada, a strict Muslim, and regards her job with a lot of pride. She too sought the unionization of the workers affairs in the meat processing plant for better handling of their affairs. Despite the large draw the plan drew on immigrant workers, they felt the desire to have their say represented and are a refreshing success story of a drive carried out by a minority group. The constraints facing all the individuals in this cause act as their adhesive and bond them together in agitating for their rights. Relating each other’s plight on a personal level causes them to form cohesive units in the agitation for better conditions.
Some of the key concepts raised in the movie
The movie raises the issue of refugees as a majority of the workers at the lakeside meat packing plant is of foreign descent. The issue of the rights non-citizen employees enjoy is raised as the immigrant workers successfully agitate for the betterment of their conditions in the firm. Canada as the host country comes out as an example of equitable application of rights in the work place owing to the success of these particular workers.
Works Cited
"24 Days in Brooks by Dana Inkster - NFB." NFB.CA. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
