Discounted early bird tickets go on sale today for the 2017 CBC Massey Lectures in Whitehorse, Vancouver, Montreal, St. John’s and Toronto. For a limited period of one week (August 14–20*), Canadians can get a $5 discount on regular price tickets with the promo code “Massey2017.” All remaining tickets will be available at full price beginning August 21. This year's five Massey Lectures, In Search Of A Better World: a Human Rights Odyssey, will be presented by renowned UN prosecutor and human rights scholar Payam Akhavan.
A call to action for our times, Akhavan’s 2017 CBC Massey Lectures will offer a powerful survey of some of the major human rights struggles of our times -- and what we can do about them.
Throughout his life and career, Akhavan has encountered the grim realities of genocide. He argues that false utopias, political cynicism and public apathy have given rise to major human rights abuses: from the religious persecution of Iranian Bahá’ís that shaped his personal life, to the horrors of ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia, the genocide in Rwanda, and the rise of the Islamic State. But Akhavan also reflects on the inspiring resilience of the human spirit, and the reality that we need each other to set us free from toxic ideologies and go about building a better world.
The five individual lectures will be recorded on a cross-Canada tour, beginning in Whitehorse on September 13. The lectures will also travel to Vancouver, Montreal, St. John’s and Toronto. For all dates and full ticket details, please see below.
The five In Search Of A Better World lectures in the 2017 CBC Massey Lectures series will be broadcast on CBC Radio One's Ideas the week of November 6, 2017 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT). Ideas explores contemporary thought and how ideas shape every aspect of our lives.
The book of Payam Akhavan’s Massey Lectures, In Search Of A Better World: A Human Rights Odyssey will be released by House of Anansi Press on September 9, 2017.
Akhavan is a Professor of International Law at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, a Member of the International Court of Arbitration, and a former UN prosecutor at The Hague. He has served with the UN in conflict zones around the world, including Bosnia, Cambodia, Guatemala, Rwanda, and Timor Leste, and as legal counsel in landmark cases before the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the European Court of Human Rights, the Supreme Courts of Canada and the United States.
*Presale begins August 14 for all locations except Montreal. Presale tickets will be available in Montreal later in the week.
2017 CBC Massey Lectures venue and ticket information (including taxes)
In Search Of A Better World: a Human Rights Odyssey
Presented by renowned UN prosecutor and human rights scholar Payam Akhavan.
Whitehorse, YT – September 13, 7 p.m.
One: The Knowledge of Suffering
Yukon Arts Centre, 300 College Dr.
Tickets: $30, students /seniors $25
CBC pre-sale $5 off regular ticket price
Vancouver, BC – September 15, 7 p.m.
Two: The Pursuit of Global Justice
York Theatre, 639 Commercial Drive
Tickets: $30 and $35, students/seniors $25 /$30
CBC pre-sale $5 off regular ticket price
Montreal, QC – September 19, 7 p.m.
Three: The Will to Intervene
Centaur Theatre, 453 Rue Saint-Francois-Xavier
Tickets: $30, students/seniors $25
CBC pre-sale $5 off regular ticket price
St. John’s, NL – September 22, 7 p.m.
Four: The Oneness of Humankind
D.F. Cook Hall, Memorial University, Burton’s Pond Rd.
Tickets: $25, students/seniors $20
CBC pre-sale $5 off regular ticket price
Toronto, ON – October 4, 7 p.m.
Five: The Spirit of Human Rights
Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor W.
Tickets: $40 and $50, students/seniors $35/45
CBC pre-sale $5 off regular ticket price
For more information on the CBC Massey Lectures series and for links to buy tickets online, please visit cbc.ca/masseys.
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About the CBC Massey Lectures
The CBC Massey Lectures are produced in partnership between CBC, House of Anansi Press and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The lectures are named in honour of Vincent Massey, the first Canadian-born governor general of Canada, and since their creation in 1961 the Massey Lectures have established their place as a Canadian institution and become an annual highlight in our cultural life. The lectures provide a forum on radio where contemporary Canadian thinkers explore crucial issues of our time. Former lecturers include Martin Luther King Jr., Margaret Atwood and Stephen Lewis.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada’s trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective. In 2017, CBC/Radio-Canada will be at the heart of the celebrations and conversations with special multiplatform programming and events across Canada.
Nicola Makoway l Publicity, Radio One, News & Current Affairs
Communications, Marketing and Brand
o: (416) 205-7673
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e: nicola.makoway@cbc.ca
t: @nicolamakoway
