# “Hearts of Freedom: Stories of Southeast Asian Refugees” Exhibition
One of Stephanie Stobbe’s earliest memories is the sounds of bombs falling. She was just a young girl when the Vietnam War spilled into her neighboring home country of Laos, and the United States dropped millions of cluster bombs on its towns and cities.
Stobbe’s family faced the threat of being transferred to re-education camps when they made the difficult decision to leave Laos. “My parents really felt that they couldn’t live there any longer and that they wanted their children to grow up in a peaceful country,” Stobbe told CBC Radio’s *Mainstreet Halifax* on Monday.
She vividly recalls a dangerous boat trip along the Mekong River, with her father, two sisters, and pregnant mother, where they had to remain silent and unseen by both Thai and Laotian soldiers.
Seeking asylum in neighboring Thailand, Stobbe’s family hoped to wait out the war and eventually return to Laos. However, the Lao government threatened the Thai government with war if they didn’t send the refugees back. This forced the Stobbe family to seek an official refugee camp and asylum or resettlement in a third country.
Eventually, they found refuge in Canada, becoming one of thousands resettled in the country. Stobbe’s story, along with dozens of others, is now being highlighted at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax.
The traveling exhibit, called *Hearts of Freedom: Stories of Southeast Asian Refugees*, was created by Stobbe, who is the chair of conflict resolution studies at Menno Simons College at the University of Winnipeg. It showcases a collection of stories from people across Canada who fled Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam between 1975 and 1985.
Dan Conlin, the museum’s curator, praised the exhibit for telling the refugees’ stories through their own voices, documenting the large-scale and successful resettlement of refugees. The exhibit incorporates photos, quotes, and an associated QR code for a digital exhibition.
Conlin worked with Stobbe and her team for approximately five years to bring this exhibit to Pier 21. They conducted 175 oral history interviews with Southeast Asian refugees now living in various Canadian cities.
Stobbe hopes the exhibit will highlight the successful integration and settlement of Southeast Asian communities in Canada and their contributions to the country and the world. It is also an opportunity to recognize Canada’s significant achievement in resettling 210,000 Southeast Asian refugees between 1975 and 1997. This movement played a major role in shaping Canada’s multicultural identity.
“Hearts of Freedom: Stories of Southeast Asian Refugees” opens at Pier 21 on Tuesday evening and will run until December 3rd.
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