The University of Victoria celebrates a trio of visionaries the arts, governance and language revitalization with honorary degrees during its fall convocation ceremonies.
Having fled a military coup in her native country of Chile before settling in Victoria in 1976, Lina de Guevara drew upon her own lived experiences to produce dozens of critically acclaimed plays and collaborations that have toured nationally and internationally.
Her career as a director, writer, actor, and teacher has left an indelible impact on Canada’s theatre community and earned her the honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.
The founder and former artistic director of Puente Theatre, de Guevara dedicated 25 years to sharing the stories of immigrant and refugee communities.
Visionary productions such as I Wasn’t Born Here, Crossing Borders and Familya shed light on issues such as discrimination, social justice, and employment barriers. By exploring these themes, de Guevara’s work has both entertained and educated audiences for decades, UVic said in a release announcing its honorary degrees.
Trained at the Instituto del Teatro (University of Chile), she has used her skills to teach, mentor, and create space for emerging Indigenous artists and artists of colour across Vancouver Island.
As a workshop facilitator at the University of Victoria and instructor at institutions including Royal Roads University, Camosun College, and the Canadian College of Performing Arts, de Guevara has left an enduring legacy on the national theatre landscape through her active support of the next generation of artists.
For his extraordinary contributions to the advancement of legal and constitutional understandings of Indigenous rights and title in Canada and around the world, Satsan (Herbert George) a Wet’suwet’en Nation Hereditary Chief of the Frog Clan was issued an Honorary Doctor of Laws.
As founder and president of the Centre for First Nations Governance and co-director of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) partnership project Rebuilding First Nations Governance, Satsan is an internationally renowned expert on Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution 1982 and Indigenous Peoples’ inherent right to self-governance.
Satsan’s ongoing commitment to the University of Victoria began in the late 1980s when he and Dr. Frank Cassidy co-led the development of the Administration of Aboriginal Governments Program – the precursor of the School of Indigenous Governance, which he also served as an Adjunct Professor.
From 1984-1999, Satsan served as legal strategist and speaker in the Office of the Hereditary Chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en Nation. The historical Delgamuukw-Gisday’wa case, which went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, used Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en laws to shape and refine the legal argument. Evidence was based on the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en creation stories plus oral histories and resulted in legal and constitutional recognition of Aboriginal title and rights.
His dedication and vision have made a tremendous impact on Indigenous communities, the courts, and academic discourse. He is an inspiration to Indigenous youth and a model for Indigenous leaders in implementing Indigenous rights and title.
As an influential advocate for Indigenous peoples’ rights, Jeannette Armstrong has been a force of change and wide-scale community impact through her research and artistic and educational vision, earning her the Honorary Doctor of Letters from UVic.
Armstrong is an Indigenous Studies associate professor and the coordinator of the Interior Salishan Studies Centre at UBC, Okanagan. She is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Born on the Penticton Indian Reserve in the Okanagan, Armstrong is a multi-faceted writer, visual artist, researcher, educator, leader and activist.
She received a Diploma in Fine Arts from Okanagan College, then earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Victoria in 1978. In 2009, she received her doctorate in Indigenous Environmental Ethics from the University of Greifswald in Germany.
Armstrong is one of the founders of the En'owkin Centre, originally named the Okanagan Indian Curriculum Project, to provide students with strong cultural and academic foundations for success. The Centre includes Theytus Publications, the first Indigenous-owned publishing house in Canada.
The En'owkin International School of Writing, founded by Armstrong in partnership with UVic Faculty of Fine Arts, has served Indigenous artists and writers for over 40 years. Armstrong was a co-founder of En'owkin's Certificate in Aboriginal Language Revitalization which operates in partnership with UVic's Department of Linguistics serving Indigenous communities throughout Canada.
UVic issued nearly 1,500 degrees, diplomas and certificates during four ceremonies on Nov. 12 and 13, presided over by Chancellor Marion Buller and President Kevin Hall. The ceremonies were live-streamed and subsequently archived online for broader accessibility.
