Indo Tropical Paradise joins Folklorama fold

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This article was published 31/07/2002 (8634 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IT seems appropriate: One of the world’s first multicultural festivals is celebrating a culture that developed in one of the world’s first multicultural societies, and it’s doing so in a neighbourhood that’s been a meeting point for different peoples for 200 years.

The Indo Tropical Paradise pavilion, a first-time entry at this year’s Folklorama, celebrates the unique East Indian culture of the Caribbean, especially the island of Trinidad and the mainland South American nation of Guyana.

Since migrating as indentured servants to Trinidad in the 1850s, a large Indian community has maintained an evolving way of life while rubbing shoulders with the island’s large Afro-Caribbean community and smaller Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese communities.

“Trinidad is a very cosmopolitan country,” says Gerry Sankar, publicity/entertainment chairman of the new St. Boniface pavilion. “And you know what? People get along pretty well. Just like Canada.”

The East Indian community brought with it music, food and other traditions from their homeland, and many of those traditions spread throughout the tropical region. That’s why roti, curry and chutney are part of so many Caribbean cooking styles.

Pavilion visitors in the mood to nosh can sample Indo Caribbean delights such as roti, curry chicken or beef, aloo (potato) pie, and dhal (lentils). Chutney goes well with many of the dishes, and the pavilion will offer the condiment both on the plate and on the stage, because chutney is the name both for a sauce and a style of music and dance.

“Chutney means hot,” says Sankar. “It’s hot and it’s a mixture.”

Chutney singing originated in the Caribbean as party and folk music. Some chutney songs would have pointed lyrics and tell and story. Others would be very up-tempo numbers for chutney dancing.

Two bands will perform at the pavilion during the festival. Chutney Vibes plays with a contemporary sound. Another group will play more traditional East Indian music on instruments such as the two-sided dholak drum and the tassa drum.

Folklorama provides an opportunity to experience the sights, sounds and tastes of the Indo Tropical Paradise Pavilion in the first week, Aug. 4 to 10, and then compare them with those of their Afro Caribbean neighbours at the Caribbean Pavilion during the second week. A visit to the India Pavilion, also in the second week of Folklorama, will allow the visitor to experience some of the same cultural traditions separated by 150 years of evolution. All three of the pavilions are in St. Boniface, with the Indo Tropical Paradise at College Louis Riel.

Members of the organizing group, the West Indian Indo Canadian Cultural Organization of Manitoba, are excited to be presenting their first-ever Folklorama pavilion, says Sankar.

“We have people who are taking their holidays just to work at the pavilion,” he says, adding that all the participants are united around a goal of impeccable service, treating all visitors like invited guests.

For many members of the community, Canada has been home since the 1960s or ’70s, and a Canadian-born generation has grown up here.

New pavilions such as the Indo Tropical Paradise provide Winnipeg’s biggest annual party with a constantly changing face, says Judy Murphy, executive director of the Folk Arts Council of Winnipeg, Folklorama organizers.

This year’s festival will feature a record 46 pavilions, with other first-time participants being Nicaragua and Argentina, while Romania is returning to the festival after an absence. The Argentina Tango Pavilion will be set up at Le Rendez Vous from Aug. 11 to 17.

Murphy expects the growing number of pavilions, plus the growing popularity of the festival with tourists from across Canada and the U.S., to boost attendance over last year’s total of 433,000 pavilion visits. Folklorama is the largest entertainment draw in Winnipeg.

The two-week cultural explosion just received another shot in the arm when it was named to a list of the top five must-see events in North America, along with Macy’s Thanksgiving parade in New York and the Stratford Festival.

“We’re keeping good company,” says Murphy.