Separated from Santo: Bringing History to Life Through a Graphic Novel

Step back in time to the 1930s, when Canada entered the Second World War and Italian Canadians were labelled “Enemy Aliens.” More than 600 Italian Canadians were arrested and interned, separated from their families, and in some cases, forced to give up their homes and businesses.

Separated from Santo, a graphic novel by Brian Barazzuol, and illustrated by Cam Drysdale, tells the true story of Brian’s great-grandfather, Santo Pasqualini, whose life was forever changed by internment. Through Santo’s story, the graphic novel explores a lesser-known chapter of Canadian history and the devastating impact it had on Italian Canadian families.

This session will explore both this important period in Canadian history and the creative process behind bringing a true historical story to life as a graphic novel.

Brian Barazzuol is a new media and digital learning teacher in Port Coquitlam, BC. He specializes in digital media curriculum design and implementation. His great grand-parents, Santo and Alice Pasqualini, are the focal points of Separated from Santo. Brian’s family is of Italian heritage, with some relatives on both his maternal and paternal sides coming from Friuli and Treviso.

Cam Drysdale is a well-respected animator who worked in the cartoon industry for twenty-five years, storyboarding and animating both locally and overseas on various productions, including X-Men, The Silver Surfer, Inspector Gadget, Dennis the Menace, Babar, and The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin. Today, he teaches art to secondary school students in Port Coquitlam, BC.

This event is co-presented with Arts New West