The 150th anniversary of Mennonite settlement in Manitoba is the focus of the third season of Still Speaking researched, written and presented by Conrad Stoesz from the Mennonite Heritage Archives in Winnipeg. The 11 episode season premiers today on AM1250 Radio and SteinbachOnline.
"I'm looking for stories that connected with people on a personal level," explained Stoesz when asked how he picked from such wide-ranging topic as the anniversary. "There's large, overarching stories, but I was always looking for the personal aspect of them. So, if I find these personal aspects in diaries or in journals, and then building out the larger context around those stories, that's what I was trying to do."
Stoesz is hopeful the stories from all those years ago will make a personal connection with listeners, today.
"The 150th anniversary, we've celebrated this event before," noted Stoesz. "As early as 1924, there were celebrations about the coming of Mennonites to the province '24, the 60th anniversary, the 75th, etcetera, etcetera. At those events, there was a collection of memories, then already, at each one of those events."
Stoesz says it's the discovery part of his job that fills his bucket the most.
"I enjoyed going over some of these collections of stories, and pulling out stories I had forgotten about, or that I knew vaguely were there and rediscovering them and some stories I hadn't heard of before," he said. "It was fun rediscovering those stories. The discovery part I really enjoy about my job, and preparing for Still Speaking."
You can listen to the first episode of season three of Still Speaking, below. It focuses on the Crimean War, and the help Mennonites provided during it. You can also find this season's episodes, as well as Season 1 and 2, on the Mennonite Heritage Archives website, here.
"At times we feel like we are at the mercy of big events around us, things we have no power over, and the Mennonites unexpectedly found themselves involved in the conflict between the great powers of Europe. They had to decide if they were willing to renegotiate their own identities or start to look for a new. Welcome to Still Speaking, stories from the Mennonite Heritage Archives. I'm Conrad Stoesz and I'm an archivist. 2024 and 2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Mennonite communities in Manitoba. In this season of Still Speaking, our stories will focus on this theme."