Just days before the two-year anniversary of the vehicle attack on the Afzaal family, Museum London is unveiling a new exhibit to honour and remember them.
The exhibit, titled London Remembers, features images and words hand-drawn on wooden hexagons that offer messages of hope, remembrance and love to help honour the family and community affected by the attack.
The idea behind the artwork came from the Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia (YCCI). Selma Tobah, a mentor with the YCCI, tells Global News that since the attack happened to Londoners, they wanted to provide the people of London an outlet and opportunity to consider what healing looks like.
“Bringing people together in a creative way to think about what healing looks like for Londoners all together,” Tobah said.
The mural was accomplished by the YCCI in collaboration with local artist Aruba Mahmud, who Tobah says was “invaluable” in creating the artwork. Workshops were held in April to have community members share messages and drawings on the hexagons.
Tobah adds that the artwork may also have the positive effect of showing young Muslims in the city that non-Muslim Londoners have respect and love for them.
“This hateful attack is not representative of our city,” Tobah said.
At around 8:40 p.m. on June 6, 2021, when police say members of the Afzaal family were struck by a pickup truck at the corner of Hyde Park and South Carriage roads.
Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Afzaal and Salman’s 74-year-old mother Talat Afzaal were killed. The couple’s nine-year-old son sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and survived the attack.
Authorities have deemed it a hate-motivated attack.
With many events and special gatherings planned throughout the next week to honour the family and the Muslim community, Museum London regional history curator Amber Lloydlangston says the museum was honoured the YCCI approached them about hosting the mural.
“We are committed to sharing community voices … so for us to be able to feature this wonderful piece and highlight this important initiative, it just aligned with everything we strive to be,” Lloydlangston told Global News.
Lloydlangston says the mural is the first exhibit visitors to the museum will see when they enter. Dominated by the colours green and purple, Lloydlangston says the mural’s hexagons are similar to what is seen at the memorial for the family near the site of the attack.
“They have hexagons coming together to represent us, Londoners in the wider community, as pieces of the puzzle coming together to combat Islamophobia,” said Lloydlangston.
The exhibit is on display from June 3 to Dec. 10 at Museum London, a by-donation organization.
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