SHAUNAVON — The sound of music, the colourful sights of clothing, games and cultural exhibits and the smell of traditional foods provided an inviting atmosphere for the third annual multicultural festival, hosted by the Grand Coteau Heritage and Cultural Centre (GCHCC) on Sept. 22.
Members of the community from diverse cultural backgrounds shared their traditions throughout an afternoon filled with food samples, art activities, entertainment and visiting. The event kicked off Culture Days celebrations. Culture Days is a national celebration of arts and culture that takes place each fall. The 2024 event which runs from Sept. 20 to Oct. 13 marks the 15th year of the pan-Canadian initiative and highlights free, participatory events across the country.
“Culture Days is a wonderful vehicle to shine the spotlight on arts and culture,” Joanne Gregoire, director of Culture with the Town of Shaunavon says,.
“It used to be a shorter time frame but that’s expanded. We’re excited to host a few more events in the coming days including activities for national truth and reconciliation day, our regular singalong featuring songs from around the world with the preschoolers from storytime at the library joining us, and our seniors’ coffee chat on Oct. 5 which has an arts and crafts theme.”
Countries highlighted during the festival included the Philippines, Mexico, Yemen, Colombia, India, Â鶹´«Ã½AV Africa, Ukraine, China and Â鶹´«Ã½AV Korea. Acadian food from Atlantic Canada and Métis bead painting were also included and the Shaunavon Library offered a variety of activities and stories for children.
Wilbur Sargunaraj is a certified cultural intelligence facilitator and is no stranger to Shaunavon. The self-proclaimed “Simple Superstar" made the trip from Saskatoon to once again share his cultural intelligence knowledge and passion with residents. Through demonstrations of his favourite sport cricket, popular in his childhood home of Â鶹´«Ã½AV India, and sharing some of his songs, Sargunaraj reinforced his message of love and relationship-building. Cultural intelligence is the ability to acknowledge biases and work toward building relationships to understand and overcome those biases. Sargunaraj’s visit comes on the heels of his latest book release, Exploring CQ, which was available for purchase. He combined this visit with the opportunity to work with high school classes the following day.
Sargunaraj addressed the crowd, saying, “Festivals like this are so important as t hey give the community the opportunity to share food together and learn about other cultures. I would encourage everyone to take that a step further and build one-on-one relationships with each other to truly learn about other cultures and build friendships, regardless of personal beliefs.”
An energetic dance and music performance by a group from the local Filipino community provided an exciting finale to an afternoon of shared culture. The performance included: three traditional dances with colourful costumes and intriguing props; the Philippines flag waved prominently in the background throughout; and, talented local vocalist, Don Percii Siana Pasion, shared a traditional song, Pinoy Ako (I am Filipino). The song means “I am Filipino and we are not afraid to show to the world our talent, and what we can offer to the world.”
Organizers estimate that more than 250 people attended the event with all 200 food sampling tickets made available being sold out. Gregoire said she was pleased with the attendance.
“This is the third year we’ve organized the festival and it just keeps growing," offered Gregoire.
"Local participation from a variety of cultures has increased. It’s wonderful to see the community come together to celebrate all of our diversity. Anyone in the community is welcome to reach out in the future to become part of this event. We’d be happy for their contributions.”
