Reflection on the Second Multicultural Food Fest
by Levy Abad
On December 4, 2015 we had the Second Multicultural Food Fest held at 1100 Fife Street at the Caribbean Community Cultural Centre. It was a great success with more or less forty-six communities in attendance and almost sixty trays of food brought in by the different communities for everyone to savour. I remember the first one held at the same place in October 2014, which was attended by forty communities, was successful too. I never thought that it would be surpassed by this year’s event. This is a clear manifestation that people in the community really love to attend events that promote multiculturalism. People appreciated the food prepared by the participating communities as well as the cultural performances.
I would like to name the following communities that took time to prepare for their cultural presentations. The Chinese community had several groups: The Yellow River Chinese Association, Beautiful Sunset Dancing and Fitness Group, Sunny Fitness Dancing Group, Mid-Night Band (sang three songs), Friendly Chinese Dance Association of Winnipeg, the Manitoba Chinese Women Association and Terry Wu of MACS (Manitoba Association Of Chinese Studies); Noureen Ali of the Canada Bangladesh Association of Manitoba Inc.; St. Edwards Friday Night Exercise Group; The Nepali Cultural Society of Manitoba had their representatives: Anisha Subedi, Sunila Sherpa and Ucha Subedi; from the Filipino Community: The West End Seniors Dance Group, Levy Abad, Bobie Nepomuceno and Jimmy Tan (performing Leon Russell’s ‘A Song for You’), The Manitoba Rondalla Group, Cabuyao Association’s Vina Dimayuga and Babel Bequial; The Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba sung their anthem; The Romanian Association of Manitoba came with their dance group ‘Balada;’ The Iranian Association of Manitoba did a presentation with Forouzandeh Shemirani; and last but not the least, the Bosnia Herzegovina community’s cultural troupe. Indeed, it was a night of grass root multiculturalism.
Aside from the communities that performed, there were personalities and associations that attended and brought their national dish like the Asian Women of Winnipeg chaired by Ms. Sharan Tapia, Gabon, GUSI, Mohamed Alli, Secretary and Bebi Khadija James, Treasurer of the Guyanese Association, Siene Chanthaseng and Ravi George and friends of Lao Association of Manitoba, Johanna Quintana of the Manitoba Chilean Association, Visaka Jackson of the Sri Lankan Association of Manitoba, Won Jai Song and Eun Kyeong (Olivia) Do of the (Korea Times) Korean Community, Patsy Grant of Trinidad and Tobago Society of Winnipeg, Malayali Association, Ms. Grace Galizowski of the Canadian Polish Congress, Sierra Leone, Ms. Mavis McLaren of Jamaica Association of Manitoba Inc., Sis. Maggie Yeboah of Ghanian Union, Nigerian Yoruba Association. Bro. Justin Ondo from Gabon, Simon Baer from Switzerland, Mario Fuentes from El Salvador, Elena Napoles from the Cuban community. The MLA for Burrows, Melanie Wight, also graced the event. Lastly, thanks to Marilyn Camaclang of the Anabu Association and Bro. Helal Mohiuddin of the Bangladesh community for being wonderful emcees.
As a cultural activist myself, I know how much time and effort was put into each performance and it came as no surprise that each of the cultural numbers presented was well received. Cultural presentations seem like entertainment to some, but on deeper thought, they are profound. They involve the history, ideology and levels of development reached by each country. Cultural performances reflect the soul of the people; it is sacred. This is what keeps a community alive. Therefore, to treat it as mere entertainment is a debasement of the human spirit and can lead to cultural genocide.
Moreover, the role that food plays in culture cannot be downplayed. It forms the very heart of culture. Unfortunately, most of the time, its importance is taken for granted. A quote from Wikipedia further explains this, “Food history is an interdisciplinary field that examines the history of food, and the cultural, economic, environmental and sociological impacts of food. Food history is considered distinct from the more traditional field of culinary history, which focuses on the origin, and recreation of specific recipes. Food historians look at food as the most important elements of cultures, reflecting the social and economic structure of society.” Hence, let us all be mindful of the role of cultural performances and food in the economy of multiculturalism. Artist and chefs are the cadres and field commanders of culture. There are times when good cultural piece is more powerful than a thousand speeches in building unity.
Lest I forget to mention, a friend also helped me organize the event through his technical expertise. Bobie Nepomuceno, an able sound engineer, made sure that with limited means, we would have great sounds and lights. Brother Rupert Forde, the Vice-President and other officers of the Council of Caribbean Organizations of Manitoba Inc. (CCOM), also helped in the set-up and clean-up of the venue. Without their help, I would have gone home the following morning. Yet, it is nice to be reminded that any multicultural solidarity shown is the end result of programs consciously thought out and implemented by the government, a thing that is sometimes overlooked. To be a multicultural worker at ground level, laying down the seemingly simple events, is an art in itself. If there is no colour, emotion or groove, history and philosophy, the people will never embrace it.
Most of the communities that attended the event were so delighted that Minister Flor Marcelino was there to grace the occasion. As the province’s Minister of Multiculturalism and Literacy, Flor Marcelino is known for her initiative in genuinely engaging the different communities in dialogue. She firmly believes in the grassroots approach in building relationships. As the Multicultural Outreach Officer, I have seen her in action. She tirelessly devotes her life in delivering services to the community. She always reminds her staff that there should be no time wasted in serving the community. Serving the community is a privilege not everyone has the chance to do. Life, according to her, is so fragile like a glass and you do not know when it will break. I am proud to serve as her Multicultural Staff, implementing programs that bring different ethnic groups together, promoting unity in diversity, thus reinforcing the goal of her office, leading to the greater task of consolidating the real life theme of our province, which is Friendly Manitoba.
To all the officers and members of the community associations and friends who I corresponded with in organizing the event, thank you so much for participating in the 2nd Multicultural Food Fest. Our coming together is the greatest act of paying forward to Winnipeg, the bigger community that welcomed us.
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