My name is Pablo Zacarías, and I am honoured to begin my journey as CityStudio’s new Executive Director with this first blog post, one that feels deeply important to me as it reflects on Truth and Reconciliation and our shared responsibilities in the cities we are shaping together.
As an intergenerational immigrant, I carry the story of my ancestors, who fled the Ottoman starvation of Lebanon and Syria in the early 20th century and found refuge in Mexico, a country that welcomed them and offered a place to survive and thrive. Around the same time, on another branch of my family tree, my great-grandfather was born in Argentina to French parents, yet due to the bureaucracies of nationalities and nation-building was not granted citizenship. He entered this world as an apátrida, a stateless baby. These stories of survival, belonging and un-belonging, of searching for place and identity, continue to shape my life. My musical project, APÄTRIDA, is named in their honour and they are also why I try to approach Truth and Reconciliation as both a personal and collective responsibility.
My journey to find home has since brought me to a wonderful place where my daughters are growing peacefully, joyful and safe. A living poem of rivers, mountains, sea and sky we currently call Vancouver, situated on the unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations, whose stewardship and protection of this land continues to this date.
As a newcomer, I am working on understanding my role and responsibilities as a settler, an uninvited guest in this lands I deeply love. I have come to painfully learn about the darkest chapters of Canadian history: the atrocities of residential schools, the massive displacements of communities, and the enduring ripples of trauma that continue to affect Indigenous Peoples and First Nations to this day. The Highway of Tears is just one of many examples of urgent issues we must address together.
On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we are reminded that reconciliation is not only about solemn acknowledgment, orange shirts, or written policy. As Dr. Cash Ahenakew writes in Towards Scarring Our Collective Soul Wound, you need to “Un-numb to the collective pain of the historical and systemic violence that subsidizes your comforts; sensitize yourself to your complicity and responsibilities in relation to collective pain.” These words ask us to face the wound of colonization honestly, without shortcuts, and to find the courage to work through it together.
At CityStudio, our work is to prepare for the future of our cities. But preparing for the future requires understanding our place in the present, learning from the past, and weaving reconciliation into every layer of what we do. We seek to listen, learn and walk alongside the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations as rights holders of the land, the City of Vancouver and our post-secondary partners to reimagine this place with reconciliation, sustainability, and equity at the center.
The polycrisis we face – including climate change, inequality, displacement, and disconnection – demands that we listen, respect, acknowledge, and put into serious practice Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and understanding that have maintained balance and interdependence on this land (and our planet) since time immemorial.
This is for our children, for everyone’s children, but especially for the Indigenous children whose lives and futures were and continue to be negatively impacted by colonial systems.
Every Child Matters. Every Day.
Reconciliation is a lifelong practice of putting our minds, hearts, and hands together: to acknowledge the mistakes of the past, to face the challenges of the present, and to dream of a future where all peoples are listened to, respected, and thriving.
At CityStudio, we carry this responsibility with humility. We commit to continue learning, listening, and weaving reconciliation into our partnerships and projects so that together we can co-create cities that honour the past, sustain the present, and imagine a future worthy of the generations yet to come.
This is my home, and I will spend my lifetime learning and serving with humility, hoping to one day be considered an invited guest by the people whose teachings and stewardship continue to guide the rhythm and balance of this sacred land.
I am deeply grateful for the kindness and generosity of my friends Elder Ruth Adams, Cash Ahenakew, Joseph Kakwinokanasum, and the members of the BC Assembly of First Nations for welcoming me into their relations and helping me learn and feel more connected to these lands that I so deeply love.
As I begin my journey with CityStudio, I invite our partners, students, and community members to walk this path with us. Together we must acknowledge the truth and weave reconciliation into the everyday fabric of our cities, making them not only sustainable, resilient and inclusive, but also places of remembrance, belonging, care, and joy for generations to come.
With humility and respect,
Pablo Zacarías
Executive Director | CityStudio Vancouver
Learn (and do) more about Truth & Reconciliation:
- Vancouver’s Journey towards Reconciliation
- SFU Reconciliation – Office for Indigenous Peoples
- Truth & Reconciliation at BCIT
- Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
- 94 Calls to Action for Truth & Reconciliation
- Donate to Indigenous Charities
- The Story of the Orange Shirt Day
- Towards Scarring Our Collective Soul Wound – Cash Ahenakew
- Little Bird (TV Series) – Jennifer Podemski, Hannah Moscovitch
- The Knowledge Seeker – Blair Stonechild
- My Indian Summer – Joseph Kakwinokanasum
- United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
