For our current call for entries, we invite you to participate in a very special recording. Please record yourself reading the following paragraph and send it to us by Dec4:

Subsection 15(1) of the Canadian charter of Rights and freedoms:

Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

You find the full text here: Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Our lead artist, Barbara, intends to incorporate your voice into her next “slice of life,” which will be a core part of the overall artwork for the What if? project.

Our featured image depicts Eleanor Roosevelt. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, after a period of colonialism and two world wars, human rights were finally being taken more seriously on the global scale. Although it was a time of turmoil and inequality, the seeds for official, global recognition of the rights of all people were being planted in legal structures the world over.

In 1947 the United Nations began the process for creating a document called the International Bill of Human Rights. Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States, headed the Commission on Human Rights as Chairperson. Pen-Chun Chang and Charles Malik were the other two original members. Soon representatives from a number of other countries joined the original Commission members. Roosevelt was posthumously award the UN Human Rights Prize in 1968. She is recognized today for her enormous efforts to forward the dignity of all human beings.

The motivation for using the specific paragraph above for our call comes from Canadian community member Gloria Guns. She wished to include a subsection of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as part of her personalized Read me installation. Because she works in human rights law, Gloria felt strongly that this subsection of the charter helped her define her own personal identity.

Here are more specific details on how to participate in our call:

• Please record yourself reading the paragraph in your speaking voice. No need for special audio equipment or a podcasting microphone: your phone/computer/ipad are more than fine!
• We prefer .wav or .aif files, but if your device is being difficult, feel free to send us another format.
• Send us your audio via e-mail to barbara DOT lueneburg AT kug DOT ac DOT at, file transfer such as a dropbox link, or by sending us a link such as SoundCloud and making it downloadable (our own SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/what-ifblog).
• If you are still not sure how to take part but would like to, please contact us or leave a comment with your questions and we’ll be happy to help.
• Deadline: December 4

We are very much looking forward to hearing from you!

Featured image: Eleanor Roosevelt. From the United Nations website.