Edmonton Public Schools Archives and Museum, Historic McKay Avenue School

The Memory Box (MB) Initiative is an art-based creative journey into the past and a quest for a better future. Created in 2011 by the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO), the Memory Box Initiative was inspired by Salim Rajabi’s personal history and his participation in the Theater of the Oppressed / Forum Theatre Workshop. Seeking to break the cycle of violation and tragedy in Afghanistan, the Memory Box Initiative arose out of the need to provide a space for the victims of four decades of violence in Afghanistan to finally tell their stories. The Memory Box Initiative used community-based art activism, creating bottom-up narrations of loss and resilience to advance human rights, conflict resolution, and peace-building. In 2020, the Memory Box Initiative was turned into a permanent exhibition at the War Victim Museum / Afghanistan Center for Memory and Dialogue (ACMD), but in the following year, AHRDO was closed and the ACMD was buried. Salim and his colleagues were forced to flee because of their past activity and work in the region. Join Salim as he shares the history of the Memory Box Initiative, how to create a similar initiative, and how to put similar projects into practical application. This Learning Lab is followed by the opportunity to explore the Edmonton Public Schools Archives and Museum in the Historic McKay Avenue School.