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In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Black July, the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) is announcing a call for submission of artistic work reflecting the violence of the past. The 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom resulted in the death of hundreds of Tamils, and internal and external displacement of thousands more. Its violence remains to be branded into the memories of generations of people: between July 24 and 29, Tamils became systematic targets of racial violence in Colombo and many other parts of Sri Lanka, triggering the beginning of the armed conflict between Tamil peoples and the Sri Lankan government. The events of that fateful summer changed the turn of history for the entire Tamil nation. Their impacts can still be felt amongst the community at home and abroad. 26 years later, in May 2009, the armed conflict came to a bloody end, resulting in hundreds of thousand civilians casualties following another heinous campaign of violence by the Sri Lankan government. Although the guns were silenced 4 years ago, the Tamil communities in the North and East continue to be denied their basic human rights and dignity by the state.This call for submissions should provide community artists the opportunity to interpret in manifold ways the past as a field of meaning to understand bygone and present conditions of Tamilness. The submissions should depict one or more aspects of the 30 years (and ongoing) of violence, displacement and denial of human rights that Tamils in the North and East have been subjected to. We strongly recommend artists to also submit works that reflect the strength and resilience of the Tamil people to overcome and survive these atrocities.Submissions selected will be showcased in a gallery in Toronto the week of July 26, 2013. A monetary prize will awarded to the submission that best represents the 30 year and ongoing struggle for equality and human rights for Tamils in the North and East of Sri Lanka.Submissions may include any medium of creative output including but not limited to: visual art, painting, sketches, sculptures, photos and photo essays, posters, digital art, short films, animation, poetry, spoken word, multimedia, etc,.Submissions should include including:· a title for the work;· the format/medium of submission;· a short description of what the submission represents and how it fits into the theme of the call for submissions (no more than 150 words);· a photo of physical work in .jpeg format;· a 100 word biography of the artist(s)/groupSubmissions are due no later than June 14th, 2013 and should be sent to info@blackjuly83.com.Submissions accepted for the gallery will be announced by July 5th, 2013 for inclusion in the gallery showing.If you have any questions regarding this call for submission or need further information contact info@blackjuly83.com or visit www.blackjuly83.com.