A spotlight on Global Cafés, events that feature speakers from at home and abroad that cover global issues.

Professor of Political Studies Dr. Martin Gaal agreed to sit down with The Sheaf to talk about the history and mission of the Global Cafés he has been running since 2016.

The idea for Global Cafés originated in 2016. It began as coffee drop-ins to discuss global issues, but with the creation of the Global Studies Certificate at USask, Global Cafés began to centre around getting more students formally exposed to international issues. 

Speakers from around the world were invited to speak to students, and Gaal’s vision for the Cafés expanded to “make people see the connections between at home and abroad, and how we can build a community of like-minded individuals that care and want to know more about the world we live in.”

Part of what made Gaal want to organize these events was his own personal worry when moving to Saskatchewan that the province seemed cut-off from international issues: “part of it [was] also rooted in my initial fear of coming to USask, in that Saskatoon is one of the least accessible cities to live in, in terms of international affairs. I’m going smack dab in the middle of the country… But when I got here, I found that the students were very motivated and very interested in the world.”

Global Cafés often partner with organizations such as the Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation and the University of Saskatchewan’s Sustainability Office, among others. The partners usually agree on a theme and find speakers through those connections. Oftentimes, Gaal himself will reach out to speakers who may be passing through Saskatoon, but speakers have also approached him to talk about certain issues.

Global Cafés usually follow a structure of speakers delivering a presentation and then opening up for Q&A from the audience. Global Cafes are generally held on campus and all are welcomed to attend.

Events hosted in the past year include the screening of the documentary Sisters for Sale, which followed the story of the kidnapping and trafficking of students in Vietnam, and included a video zoom-in from the producers of the film. 

“It’s very gut-wrenching,” Gaal notes, “You’re sitting there the whole time going, ‘Oh my God.’ But having been exposed to that, many students in the classes afterwards would discuss [it]… it contextualizes why we need to have more awareness, and perhaps means to help affect change to people around the world.”

While Global Cafés are centred around international issues and topics, they still include speakers from closer to home. Aubrey-Anne Laliberte-Pewapisconias, for example, spoke this past March about the intersection of law, technology and Indigenous rights, and how this can benefit both Indigenous communities and help them address issues such as gender inequality, climate change, and upholding their rights.

Gaal feels that these events highlight the importance of being internationally aware. When viewing a film like Sisters for Sale, “things we take for granted are not available to everybody, and that should generate important questions about what rights and obligations we have to those within and those without, and those conversations help us all change our mindset and grow.” 

It’s also an aspiration that Global Cafés inspire students to become hopeful of affecting meaningful change.

“When we see interesting people doing things like this, it [shows] that you as a person have the potential, either individually or collectively, to make a difference… I want the Cafés to be a means for people to understand the world and hopefully act upon it.” 

Gaal hopes the engagement from Global Cafés inspires involvement and activism in other areas as a student. 

“In some ways, the Cafés should be like a gateway drug. They’re your entryway to show you things are happening.” 

Once students are exposed to such issues, students will hopefully ask themselves how they can contribute to causes that they care about. 

“You think, well, what? How can I contribute? And maybe it’s something local, maybe it’s joining a group. Maybe it’s spreading awareness, like [how] Amnesty International still is active here, and they do a very good job of advertising the plight of political prisoners around the world. Maybe it’s asking your MP or MLA, on [what] Canada should be doing, but I’m hoping that exposure plants the seeds of agency, which then leads to greater involvement.”

To Gaal, the most rewarding part of hosting Global Cafés over the years is when conversations come back to the classroom.

“It’s anchoring the practicality of what we’re doing in the world, so students aren’t just thinking about it as theory, aren’t thinking about it as abstract, but the history and the institutions and the actors and the theories we’re dealing with have created the problems, and potentially the solutions, that we see… I love that kind of feedback loop between Global Cafés and then the classroom discussions.”

When asked about what he envisions for the future of Global Cafés, Gaal hopes for more student engagement and leadership. Since Global Café events do not follow a routine schedule because of the availability of speakers, Gaal hopes to partner with more organizations, like Global Affairs Canada, that would help offset costs and deliver more events for students. 

Gaal also hopes to partner more closely with student groups to achieve this, whether it be “the International Studies Student Association, Political Studies Student Association, the Women and Gender Studies Student group (called AGENTS), and have them organize events that we are able to pay for through the university.”

He hopes that through more partnerships, Global Cafés will be able to reach more parts of the university. 

“I’d love to partner with the international students in Edwards, law or science… the more that we can realize that there is a synergy in what we’re doing and what they’re doing, and that by working together, we can create more than we can do individually.”

Whether it be attending a Global Café event or joining a new student group, Gaal encourages students to become involved in issues and topics that matter to them.

“Get involved, whether it’s passively through attending events or actively getting involved in groups. [The quality of] your time at university is fundamentally increased when you’re actively engaged, versus just being here… events like Global Cafés are [a] really easy first step. Find ways to be involved. Find ways to be part of communities. Find ways to take what you’re learning and do something with it.”

No matter the discipline students are a part of, by being involved, they will “find it’s so rewarding because you find a group of people that care about stuff like you and want to be involved and want to be active, and you meet people that you’ll know for the rest of your life. [It] might define what career you want to go into. It might define networks that can be applicable for you in the future, but more fundamentally, it allows you to understand yourself better and develop who you are.” 

Ultimately, Gaal says, one of the goals of attending Global Cafés is that: “What we want is people to understand there are issues we need to address, and that people are doing something about it, and that they can contribute too.”

While Global Cafés do not have a routine schedule, students can find out which events are coming up via the communications in PAWS and through advertisements on television screens throughout campus from Arts & Science communications.

The next Global Café entitled “Perspectives on Gaza—Voices on a Humanitarian Emergency” will take place on Tuesday, September 23rd in Arts 143 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

The Café will feature Fares Akram, a Palestinian journalist who is the lead reporter covering Palestine for the Associated Press, and Avis Lewis, Jewish Canadian journalist focused on human rights and social justice movements around the world, who will be speaking about the importance of taking a critical Jewish stance on Israeli actions. 

This talk will provide both a firsthand account and a critical analysis of what is happening in Gaza, including human rights abuses and breaches of humanitarian law occurring as a result of the war.