An abandoned Plaza of Nations

Photo essay and text
By Luya Tshimbalanga
Edgewater Casino
All Images: Luya Tshimbalanga ©

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Once a glorious place for a live performance and a gathering of different countries, the Plaza of Nation lays inert remembering its past and awaiting its fate.

On the East side is the former Edgecombe Casino. Remember the time when people came gambling? Greeted by valets and occasional performers, all dreaming of a prize?

Water drop
All Images: Luya Tshimbalanga ©

The northern plaza, once home of a famous radio station, left empty surrounded by a grid. Degraded and disassembled in abandon, wondering about its destiny.

In the centre lie the empty gray stairs used as seats looking at the torn stage, now turned to dust. An orange cone stands as the marker of a distant memory.

Flagpoles
All Images: Luya Tshimbalanga ©

On a southern edge reside the multiple flagpoles in two lines, like guards talking to each other about standing at attention for different flags.

Parking Lot
All Images: Luya Tshimbalanga ©

They look toward an empty parking lot, once full of vehicles.

The Plaza of Nations signage still lingers wondering about its identity, refusing to move on. Trying to hold its past place of paradise, while awaiting its inevitable replacement in a near future.

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Luya Tshimbalanga
Luya Tshimbalanga is a Congolese-Canadian freelance photographer who has worked for different organizations from Hogan’s Alley Society to City University. He has also been a photographer at the African Fashion and Art Movement 2020 where he was nominated for fashion photographer of the year. He recently contributed to the Black in Vancouver Dance Challenge 2020. He currently resides in Vancouver, BC. View bio.