By Emily R. Zarevich, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On Thursday, November 14, 2024, Joseph Brant Museum offered the people of Burlington an alternative movie night experience. Instead of catching a flick as usual at Cine Starz or Cineplex, filmgoers were invited to the museum for a special viewing of the Canadian biographical drama film Peace by Chocolate, directed, written, and produced by Jonathan Keijser. An improvised theatre was set up in a conference room, with snacks and drinks available, and the assembled filmgoers enjoyed a (somewhat fictionalized) lesson in the recent history of Canadian immigration and entrepreneurship. Though not the ideal weather for a night out, the building muffled the pelting of the rain on the roof.
The film, screened at 7:00 p.m., was arranged as an accompaniment to the Joseph Brant Museum’s Refuge Canada exhibit, which is available to the public for viewing between November 2, 2024, to April 19, 2025. Visitors moving slowly through the exhibit will experience a simulation of the fear-inducing, hazardous, and defiantly hopeful journey of a refugee fleeing an unsafe country. “True or False,” reads the first sign of the exhibit, challenging the visitor right away, “Refugees are poor people trying to get to Canada for a better life.” Peace by Chocolate helps answer that question.
Peace by Chocolate is a true story. The Hadhad family escapes a war-torn Syria to come to Canada, but they are far from poor. Before the violence that tore apart their homeland, the family were prosperous chocolate makers with their own factory. In Canada, with the help of their new friends, they work hard to recreate that success in the form of the Peace by Chocolate artisanal chocolate company. Both in real life and in the movie, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes it a point to acknowledge the family as a shining example of the benefits that smart, diligent, and innovative newcomers bring to Canada’s culture and economy. Both the film and the Joseph Brant Museum exhibit make a point of relaying information on the types of prejudice and discrimination immigrants face as they strive to reestablish themselves in new communities.
“We hope that the Refuge Canada exhibit will educate the people of Burlington about the worldwide refugee crisis and the experiences of people who have (and are still) coming to Canada to escape conflict, violence, and/or persecution in their own country,” comments Miriam Martens, events and programs manager for Museums of Burlington. “The exhibit addresses many preconceived notions and misperceptions that people have about refugees and their experience, and I think that the information provided by Refuge Canada can help the people of Burlington be more welcoming to and understanding of refugees in their own community.”
On the subject of why Peace by Chocolate was specifically chosen to be showcased at the Joseph Brant Museum, Martens expresses, “Peace by Chocolate shows how long and arduous the journey of refugees can be, and that the struggle to live a normal life does not end once arriving in Canada. The film shows both the negative and positive reactions that people have to refugees settling in their communities, and how the Hadhads triumphed over negativity and developed a thriving business with the help of neighbourly kindness.”
“We’re interested in a fellow coming to the country, starting from scratch, becoming part of Canada, and bringing his craft and beautiful food here,” says Sharon, a film attendee, who came out to watch Peace by Chocolate with her companion Leslie. Joseph Brant Museum offers bars of the widely-praised chocolate for purchase in their gift shop, which can also be found in supermarkets across the country. Peace by Chocolate will be screened at Joseph Brant Museum again on December 12, from 7 p.m. until 8:40 p.m., and on the second Thursday of each month from January to April 2025. To purchase tickets, please visit the Museums of Burlington site.
