This text is part of the special section on International Cooperation
On the occasion of International Development Week, the Quebec Association of International Cooperation Organizations (AQOCI) publishes a comic book in tribute to the victims of the tragedy of the Rana Plaza collapse, in Bangladesh. A Quebec artistic work used as a teaching tool.
Fariha is a seamstress in a textile workshop where she makes clothes sold in the West. She works 6 days a week, 12 hours a day. His workshop is located on the top two floors of Rana Plaza, those that were added without complying with regulations. The expansion of the building will cause its collapse, and kill more than a thousand workers. This is what we discover thanks to the comic strip which tells the tragic story of these workshops, seen through the eyes of Fariha’s mother and son.
Economic justice
“The primary goal of comics is to raise awareness and educate about global citizenship. This is a book for everyone! says Michèle Asselin, Executive Director of AQOCI. The association brings together more than 70 organizations, across 13 regions of Quebec, for whom the book will serve as an educational tool. Made at Rana Plaza is published as part of International Development Week, which takes place each year in February. Activities will take place from February 5 to 11, across Canada.
The theme of economic justice is central to AQOCI’s programming throughout the year. “In Quebec, like everywhere in the world, the day after the collapse of Rana Plaza, there was a great mobilization. We wanted to mark the tenth anniversary of the event,” explains Michèle Asselin. “At the time, international mobilization had an impact in Bangladesh and helped improve working conditions in garment factories. And AQOCI intends to continue these actions.
A Quebec work
“When I found out about AQOCI’s call to produce a comic strip on the Rana Plaza tragedy, it came to me directly,” explains François Simard, author of Made at Rana Plaza. By day, he’s a designer and a partner in a web development company. In the evening, when his children are asleep, he draws. He published his first comic in 2021: “I’m a fan of comics, as you can see behind me,” he says, pointing to the bookcase full of comics that covers the entire wall of his office.
For AQOCI, calling upon creators from here allows us to tell a story in such a way as to reach the Quebec population. “It’s generous on the part of the artists, because the work can be demanding. It’s a real dialogue between the artist and the committee in charge,” says Michèle Asselin.
For the author, the idea of a documentary comic was really an important element: “That the tool do more than entertain, and inform, was really important to me. It’s also the first time that François Simard has ventured into committed and militant content: “My personal comic book projects are more intimate and humorous, I’ll look for easier subjects,” he explains.
Talking about Bangladesh from Quebec
“It’s a story a thousand miles from my reality as a white man who lives in Quebec. I had doubts, but I decided to tell it in my own way, by doing a lot of research”, says the cartoonist with humility. He explains that the documentation work was easy, because there was a lot of content available on the subject on the Internet.
“I feel a little embarrassed to say this, but I thought clothing manufacturing was automated. All this research has opened my eyes to the issues of economic justice in the clothing industry,” he admits.
For Michèle Asselin, the subject of Rana Plaza makes it possible to reach a wide audience: “Everyone wears clothes. You have to know who makes the clothes you wear, and under what conditions people work. Are they safe? Do they receive enough money to live on? explains the director of AQOCI.
The realization of this project was possible thanks to the collaboration of Kalpona Akter, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation and founder and director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. “She is the one who inspired the comic strip. It served as a reference for the author and made it possible to construct a realistic story. Before becoming an activist, Kalpona Akter worked in this industry, the risks and challenges of which she knows well.
One thousand copies of the comic strip will be distributed free of charge to secondary schools, libraries and the association’s organisations. It will also be available online for free. A launch is scheduled for Tuesday, February 7 at the Esplanade Tranquille, in Montreal.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.