CBC Radio show Early Edition called me today to ask if my opinion piece “Terracotta Warriors ignites war of words” could be edited for a “Commentary” piece for tomorrow morning, Friday May 21.  They said it aptly addresses “the story of the week.”

It will be heard on CBC Radio 690 at 6:45 am.  It will be an edited version of the longer opinion piece already on this BLOG.

Yesterday, The Afternoon Show on CBC Radio invited unbeknownst to each other, both Dr. Dennis Law and West Ender reviewer Leanne Campbell to the studio.  After writing a review of Terracotta Warriors that Law felt was a personal attack on him as well as being ignorant of Chinese art and culture, Campbell was banned from stepping foot into Law's Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts.  Campbell responded by trying to crash a press conference organized by Law at the Centre.

Neither Law nor Campbell knew the other would be there.  Tension filled the room and the airwaves as neither would speak directly to each other.  Law wanted to debate art and perspective.  Campbell wanted to defend her right to free speech and to write her opinion in her reviews.  Law said she was depriving audiences of the chance to make their own decisions, and said she should be writing opinion pieces and not calling them reviews. 

When Law had accused Campbell of writing strictly from a Western Caucasian perspective, Campbell shot back and said “What perspective do you want me to write, from a Zimbabwean perspective?  Law said, “If you can only write from a Western and Zimbabwean perspective that is too small, an open minded perspective would be nice.”